Scientists warn that new drugs will require earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer’s

Announcement about success of solanezumab leads to calls for improved testing to identify those who would benefit from slowing of mental decline

Major improvements must be made in techniques for identifying future Alzheimer's disease patients if medicine is to take advantage of drugs that could inhibit or halt their mental decline.

This warning was made last week by several senior scientists after the announcement by the pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly that its drug, solanezumab, had been shown to stave off memory loss in patients with mild Alzheimer's.