FDA OKs first blood test that can help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease (2-minute read)

R. Scott Turner, Professor of Neurology and Director of the Memory Disorder Center at Georgetown University Hospital, points to PET scan results that are part of a study on Alzheimer’s disease at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, May 19, 2015. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials on Friday endorsed the first blood test that can help diagnose Alzheimer’s and identify patients who may benefit from drugs that can modestly slow the memory-destroying disease.

The new test, from Fujirebio Diagnostics, Inc., identifies a sticky brain plaque, known as beta-amyloid, that is a key marker for Alzheimer’s. Previously, the only FDA-approved methods for detecting amyloid were invasive tests of spinal fluid or expensive PET scans. Read more…

Source: Perrone, M. (2025, May 16). FDA OKs first blood test that can help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease | AP News. AP News.

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