David Cameron Demands NHS Access to New Dementia Drugs After Losing His Mother

David Cameron is demanding that new dementia drugs licensed in the UK but currently out of reach for most patients be made available on the NHS, arguing families should not be forced into private care to slow Alzheimer's disease.

The former prime minister, who lost his mother Mary to Alzheimer's in February 2025, has joined 48 dementia specialists, researchers and former health ministers in calling for the medicines to be offered through the health service. The group also wants no one to wait more than 18 weeks from GP referral to diagnosis, the Telegraph reported.

Lord Cameron, president of Alzheimer's Research UK, said: 'More than a decade on, huge progress has been made, meaning we now have treatments available that can slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease.' He added that ways must be found to 'unlock access' so patients can benefit.

Dementia Drugs Licensed but Not Funded on the NHS

The two drugs, lecanemab and donanemab, were licensed in Britain by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in 2024. They are antibody treatments that target beta-amyloid, a protein fragment that can accumulate into plaques in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease. Neither drug is currently routinely available on the NHS in England and Wales, leaving eligible patients who want treatment to seek private access.

Neither drug is a cure. NICE's assessment of lecanemab estimated that its effect could translate into a four-to-six-month delay in disease progression. In clinical trials, lecanemab slowed decline on a measure of cognitive and functional ability by 27 per cent over 18 months. Donanemab slowed decline by 35 per cent in participants with low-to-medium levels of tau, a protein associated with Alzheimer's progression; the reduction was smaller in the overall trial population.

Both require regular hospital infusions and frequent brain scans, and can cause side effects including brain swelling and bleeding.

The medicines alone are estimated to cost about £20,000 to £26,000 per patient annually, before the additional costs of infusions, scans and monitoring.

NICE initially issued draft recommendations against both drugs in 2025, concluding that their benefits did not justify the additional cost to the NHS. Following successful appeals by manufacturers Eisai and Eli Lilly in March 2026, the institute agreed to reconsider the treatments. Both evaluations remained in progress as of November 2026.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said decisions on routine NHS use were taken independently by NICE 'based on an evidence-based assessment of the costs and benefits'. He confirmed that the two treatments were being evaluated.

Political Pressure Builds Around Dementia Care

Dementia is the leading cause of death in the UK. Alzheimer's, its most common form, affects about 600,000 people.

Lord Cameron launched the National Dementia Challenge in 2012 while in Downing Street, with a plan to double research spending. He has said his mother's illness has made the issue even more pressing.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham, whose father Roy died with Alzheimer's in September, has also made dementia a priority. In October he backed Ad-Smart, a trial led by the UK Dementia Research Institute and Alzheimer's Research UK that tests several potential treatments at the same time. Results for the first two are due in 2030.

The government is also developing a Modern Service Framework for Dementia and Frailty.

The group led by Lord Cameron argues that NHS patients should be entitled to treatments that slow Alzheimer's and that clinical trials should be easier to join. The decision on routine NHS use of lecanemab and donanemab rests with NICE, which is still evaluating them.