Alzheimer’s Treatment: Real-World Physician Behavior Across Countries

OBJECTIVE: Timely initiation of Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-specific treatment may postpone cognitive deterioration and preserve patient independence. We explored real-world physician behavior in the treatment of AD. METHODS: Online questionnaires and patient record forms (PRFs) were completed by participating physicians. The physicians included general practitioners, neurologists, geriatricians and psychiatrists, recruited from France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the USA. Physicians completed an online interview and two to three PRFs based on selected records of their patients with AD. Data on treatment algorithms and key drivers for therapy were captured. RESULTS: A total of 3346 PRFs were submitted and 1086 physicians interviewed. Overall, 44% of patients with mild cognitive impairment/prodromal AD, 71% of patients with mild disease and 76% of patients with moderate disease had already received therapy. The most common reasons for not prescribing therapy were patient refusal (35%) and early disease stage (26%). Except in the USA, the majority of physicians preferred to prescribe monotherapy. Almost 30% of patients at any stage of the disease did not receive AD-specific pharmacotherapy immediately after diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians’ attitudes toward AD treatment could be driven by limited awareness regarding the benefits of early intervention and the modest efficacy of currently available therapies. Efficacious therapies for AD, especially early AD, which could be used alone or in combination with current medications to maximize treatment benefit, are still needed. The availability of more efficacious therapies may improve time to treatment initiation, treatment rates and acceptance of treatment by patients, caregivers and physicians.