PHOTO: REUTERS
Roche, Eli Lilly’s Alzheimer’s blood test gets US FDA clearance
· The Straits Times- The FDA has cleared Roche and Eli Lilly’s Elecsys pTau217 blood test to help identify Alzheimer’s signs in people aged 55 and older with cognitive decline.
- The test can be done on over 4,500 Roche analysers in the US and will also be offered by Labcorp and Quest Diagnostics to expand access.
- Elecsys pTau217 is less invasive and costly than current methods but should be used with other clinical information, not as a stand-alone diagnosis tool.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared Swiss healthcare group Roche and American partner Eli Lilly’s blood test to help identify signs of Alzheimer’s disease in people aged 55 and older with cognitive decline.
The test, Elecsys pTau217, is a biomarker blood test that can help doctors identify patients who are likely or unlikely to have Alzheimer’s-related brain changes, Roche said on Aug 24.
The FDA clearance follows European approval for the test in May.
The test can be run on more than 4,500 Roche laboratory analysers already installed across the United States, which the company said could help broaden access.
Separately, Labcorp and Quest Diagnostics said that they plan to offer the test through their laboratory networks, potentially expanding availability across the United States.
Roche did not disclose the test’s price.
Current methods to detect amyloid, a protein linked to the disease, typically rely on positron emission tomography or PET scans or cerebrospinal fluid testing, which can be expensive, invasive and less widely available.
The FDA clearance comes as drugmakers and diagnostic companies race to develop simpler tests for Alzheimer’s disease amid growing demand for earlier diagnosis and treatment.
Fujirebio’s Lumipulse became the first blood test cleared by the FDA to aid in the assessment of Alzheimer’s disease in 2025.
Elecsys pTau217 is not intended to be used as a stand-alone diagnostic test and results should be interpreted alongside other clinical information, Roche said. REUTERS