P-tau217 today and Lecanemab tomorrow, but are we ready?

Early diagnosis and new treatment options - a new era in dementia care

Over the past decades, dementia has often been seen as something where healthcare can only offer support and symptom relief. But now we are seeing signs of a crucial paradigm shift. Two developments are converging in a way that could fundamentally change care: the availability of the new blood-based biomarker p-tau217 and plans to launch the first disease-modifying therapy in the Nordics - Lecanemab - as early as 2026.

p-tau217 - from research laboratory to everyday care

In recent years, research has shown that the blood marker p-tau217 has a very high accuracy in detecting Alzheimer's disease, comparable to today's established methods such as lumbar puncture or PET camera. The difference is that blood tests are simpler, faster and more accessible - even in primary care.

The possibility to order p-tau217 samples has now been opened up for healthcare outside the framework of research studies. This means that both primary care and specialist care can have a completely new tool for early triage and diagnostics. For patients, this means shorter waiting times, less invasive investigations and greater equality in access to qualified dementia diagnostics.

Lecanemab - first disease-modifying treatment in the clinic

In parallel with the development of diagnostics, the pharmaceutical revolution is underway. BioArctic has recently communicated that it expects to introduce Lecanemab in the Nordic region in 2026, provided that regulatory processes and national decisions follow the plan. Lecanemab is the first drug shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease in clinical trials.

Together, p-tau217 and Lecanemab represent a new reality: healthcare providers need to be able to identify patients early - before the disease has progressed too far - to offer the most effective treatment.

What does this mean for healthcare?

1. Early detection will be key - primary care must be able to offer rapid cognitive testing and blood test-based triage.
2. Collaboration in the care chain - specialist clinics, memory clinics and research units need to be integrated into new patient flows.
3. Capacity issue - more patients will want to be assessed, requiring resources, training and prioritization support.
4. Ethical and communication challenges - early diagnosis and new treatment options raise questions around information, choice and equality.

What happens next?

A clear need that will arise is readily available solutions that can support both primary care and specialist care in meeting increased demands for early diagnosis and follow-up. With p-tau217 available in clinical practice and Lecanemab entering the Nordic region, a real opportunity to both detect the disease early and influence its course is created for the first time. This is a development that requires strategic decisions, but also offers hope to hundreds of thousands of patients and their families.

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