David Cameron proposes dedicated dementia drug fund to help patients get access to treatments that could slow decline by a third

David Cameron is calling for a dedicated dementia drug fund to help thousands of Alzheimer’s patients get access to treatments that could slow the disease’s progression.

The former Prime Minister, who now serves as president of Alzheimer's Research UK, said Britain finally has medicines capable of tackling the condition but patients are being denied the chance to benefit from them.

‘For decades we have waited for treatments that can slow Alzheimer's disease,’ Lord Cameron told the Sunday Times.

‘The challenge now is making sure patients have the opportunity to benefit from that progress.’

Lord Cameron, whose mother Mary Cameron died with Alzheimer's last year aged 90, said there is now a ‘strong case’ for a dedicated dementia drugs fund.

He pointed to the cancer drugs fund he introduced 16 years ago, which was designed to break deadlocks over access to expensive new treatments.

‘We found a way forward for cancer patients,’ he said. ‘I urge the Government to show the same determination for people affected by dementia.’

The intervention comes as NHS bosses and the medicines watchdog NICE remain locked in talks with manufacturers over two pioneering Alzheimer's drugs, donanemab and lecanemab.

The treatments, made by pharmaceutical firms Eli Lilly and Eisai, are the first licensed medicines shown to slow the disease rather than simply manage symptoms.

Negotiations, which began in July, were expected to be completed within 49 days but have dragged on for months amid reports of a stalemate over cost and access.

Both drugs were licensed for use in Britain in 2024 and are available privately – but at a cost of around £80,000 per year.

Clinical trials found that the drugs slowed Alzheimer’s progression by about 30 per cent, effectively giving patients around six additional months before further deterioration.

If approved for NHS use, around 70,000 people in England could be eligible for treatment, although they can only be given during the earliest stages of Alzheimer's.

Michelle Dyson, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, said patients were ‘desperate’ for the treatments to be approved, while NHS officials insisted they were doing ‘everything possible’ to strike a deal that offers patients access while delivering value for taxpayers.

A NICE spokesman said: ‘NICE has paused its appraisal while NHS England and the company explore all reasonable opportunities to secure a positive outcome for patients and the NHS.’