OBJECTIVES: The increasing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) population is a serious concern to governments and payers. The currently marketed products do not alter, nor affect the progression of AD, they only impact cognitive functions. The unmet treatment need in AD is significantly higher. The in-development products have yet to demonstrate their ability to modify the disease. This analysis aimed to assess the clinical, humanistic and economic value drivers for AD market.

METHODS: The strategic value drivers were identified through a targeted literature search using electronic databases (e.g., PubMed, Embase), using disease terminology and clinical, humanistic and economic terms. Treatment guidelines were identified through PubMed and National Guideline Clearinghouse. The labels of marketed products were reviewed to identify the reported outcomes. ClinicalTrials.gov was reviewed to identify the in-development products and emerging therapies. Key review articles were also reviewed. Data were analyzed to draw insights.

RESULTS: This analysis identified the following attributes as the most valuable drivers for AD market: Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scales score (Efficacy attributes); confusion and vomiting side-effects (Safety attributes); cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) amyloid-β and amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) scans (Biomarkers); Quality of Life–Alzheimer’s Disease (QOL-AD) scale measure (Humanistic attribute); and direct cost, budget-impact and cost-effectiveness analyses (Economic attributes).

CONCLUSIONS: For AD therapy, the most notable value drivers from the payer’s perspective would be efficacy and safety of the upcoming new products. The disease-modifying treatments, with less cost, less invasive diagnostics (e.g. blood test vs. spinal tap) and improving patient’s QOL would be considered as priority from payer’s perspective. Safety attributes can be addressed with the products having least adverse events and are more sensitive to those that have little to no impact. Other attributes such as biomarkers should demonstrate a positive impact on decreasing patient β-amyloid in the brain.