C2N Diagnostics has started selling the First Blood Test of Alzheimer’s Disease in the US

Listen to this article

Some authentic sources have indicated that a company C2N Diagnostics has started selling the first blood test to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease in the US and Europe. It is a bump in the field supposedly making it much easier for people to learn whether they have dementia. On Tuesday, internal medicine specialist Dr. Karen Abrashkin appeared on CBSN and said, “I think there are two key steps that need to happen before this test really becomes more widespread. One is that we need to see the data that’s being used to develop the test. We haven’t seen that data yet. It hasn’t been published and so we don’t know how sensitive or specific this test is for Alzheimer’s”. Point to be noted that it also raised concern about the perfection and impact of such life-altering news.

It is noteworthy that independent experts are cautious because key test results haven’t been published and the test hasn’t been approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration. Abrashkin also said, “FDA clearance is really a stamp of approval that needs to happen before the test becomes more widespread”. More than 5 million people in the United States and millions more around the world have Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia. People must have symptoms to be diagnosed with it, such as memory loss and evidence of a protein buildup called beta-amyloid in the brain. The best way now to measure the protein is a costly PET brain scan that usually is not covered by insurance.

The test is not aimed for general screening or for people without symptoms. It is intended for people 60 and older who are having thinking problems and are being evaluated for Alzheimer’s. It’s not covered by insurance or Medicare. C2N Diagnostics of St. Louis charges $1,250 and offers discounts based on income. Only doctors can now order the test and the results come within 10 days. The company is selling the test in all but a few states in the U.S and just was cleared for sale in Europe. So, most people don’t get one and are left wondering if their problems are due to normal aging, Alzheimer’s, or something else. The blood test from the company aims to fill that gap. The founders of C2N Diagnostics include Drs. David Holtzman and Randall Bateman of Washington University School of Medicine.