Global Clinical Trials for Alzheimer's Treatments Face Urgent Shortage of Participants
A new report from Alzheimer’s Disease International warns that global clinical trials for Alzheimer's treatments are facing a severe shortage of participants, threatening to slow the development of vital dementia therapies.
Clinical trials evaluating potential treatments for Alzheimer’s disease are facing a significant global shortage of participants, according to a report released by Alzheimer’s Disease International. The findings, published to coincide with World Alzheimer’s Day, warn that this lack of volunteers risks slowing overall progress in the development of new dementia therapies.
The global federation of Alzheimer associations highlights that there are currently 158 potential dementia therapies being evaluated through 192 clinical trials worldwide. This comes at a time when the medical field is experiencing a notable shift in drug development, propelled by the introduction of disease-modifying medications such as lecanemab and donanemab. Unlike older pharmaceutical treatments that primarily mask or manage symptoms, these newer drugs are designed to slow the biological progression of the neurodegenerative condition.
According to the report, the broader landscape of dementia research is changing with remarkable speed. Emerging blood tests, accelerated computational drug discovery, and a more sophisticated pipeline have created a research environment unlike any previous era. However, maintaining active clinical trials requires a vast pool of applicants. Given the high rates at which potential volunteers are typically excluded during the rigorous screening process, the organization estimates that approximately 350,000 people would need to apply to join these trials to sustain them properly.
Despite the clear need, multiple barriers continue to hamper public participation. These include widespread misunderstandings regarding how research is conducted, as well as a general lack of awareness regarding opportunities to enroll in trials. In Japan, for example, public understanding of how pharmaceutical drugs are developed and approved remains limited. Noriyo Washizu, a nurse and member of Alzheimer’s Association Japan—an advocacy group comprising people with dementia, care providers, and healthcare professionals—noted that clinical trials are frequently viewed as exclusive arrangements for special individuals.
Washizu explained that many everyday medication users, including those taking routine prescriptions for blood pressure or osteoporosis, often fail to realize that rigorous testing processes underlie modern medicine and that society constantly benefits from past clinical trials. Furthermore, she pointed out that a paternalistic culture remains pervasive within Japan's medical sector. This dynamic often results in a lack of institutional support for patients attempting to make independent, informed decisions about their own healthcare, ultimately fostering an aversion to voluntary trial participation.
To address these hurdles, experts emphasize that information regarding clinical trials must become significantly more accessible, transparent, and grounded in scientific evidence. Washizu argued that educational outreach should not rely solely on pharmaceutical companies, but must also be actively supported by governments and research institutions. Ensuring that individuals can easily access clear information is viewed as a crucial step in enabling patients and their families to make their own informed choices about participating in medical research.