Mass screening of asymptomatic people is an expensive, daunting proposition, but very preliminary research with an amyloid beta blood test is spurring hope that a more practical way to identify those at risk will emerge in the future.

Tau-targeting Alzheimer's candidates, though historically rejected in favor of amyloid-beta targeting ones, have gained increasing interest from investors and larger pharma companies.

With more than 13 million people in the US expected to have Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by 2050, an increasing number of companies are focused on developing reliable AD diagnostics designed to facilitate early detection and treatment. Although the field remains in its relative infancy, researchers are gaining greater diagnostic certainty through a combination of diagnostic approaches, and over the next decade, the AD diagnostics market is projected to reach a US market value of at least $1 billion to $3 billion per year.

A lawsuit filed by Medicare beneficiaries with support from the manufacturer of an imaging agent approved to help evaluate adults for Alzheimer’s disease says diagnostic scans should not be required to show a change in disease management or outcomes to qualify for Medicare coverage. CMS limits coverage to the beta-amyloid plaque to use in clinical trials, and only one trial has been approved.