The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a test developed by Indiana-based pharmaceutical giant, Eli Lily
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a test developed by Indiana-based pharmaceutical giant, Eli Lily, that may lead to early detection of Alzheimer’s Disease, a statement released by the company revealed. The company said that the test makes use of a chemical agent known as Amyvid which binds to beta-amyloid plaques and causes them to show up on positron emission tomography scans. Doctors can then check for memory problems in the patients which are the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
Denise Park, director of the Center for Vital Longevity at the University of Texas at Dallas told the Wall Street Journal that the test was a major advance, "It is likely to play an important role in learning both how to diagnose and treat the disease, but it's still an open question at this point for asymptomatic people," she said.
Lilly revealed that the tool will be available on a select basis from June this year.
Source-Medindia