'Dementia, Early Detection Leads to Recovery'... Paradigm Shift in Treatment Through Ecosystem Development

Healthcare companies encompassing the entire dementia treatment ecosystem, from diagnosis and testing to antibody and digital therapies, are joining forces to overcome dementia.

[Photo by Imocog]

On the 22nd, seven companies including Korea Eisai, LabGenomics, PeopleBio, Brightonics Imaging, Duchem Bio, Neurofit, GC Care, and Imocog announced the signing of a multilateral memorandum of understanding (MOU) to innovate the dementia treatment paradigm aimed at overcoming dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This agreement was pursued to provide innovative total solutions for dementia management in response to the emergence of new therapeutics and rapidly changing market conditions.

Dementia is emerging as a serious health issue affecting tens of millions worldwide. In South Korea, the annual total management cost for dementia patients reached 18.7 trillion won (as of 2021), accounting for about 0.91% of GDP. The annual management cost per patient is also as high as 21.12 million won, increasing the economic burden caused by dementia. However, the current dementia management system has been criticized for its reactive approach, where treatment and management occur only after dementia symptoms have significantly progressed rather than detecting cognitive decline early.

This partnership focuses on innovating this reactive approach by building a platform that can diagnose dementia pathology at earlier stages such as subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) using positron emission tomography (PET) scans and digital bio technologies, and effectively treat it.

The participating healthcare companies plan to provide comprehensive diagnostic and treatment solutions including ▲ amyloid antibody therapy (Korea Eisai) ▲ blood markers and genomic testing (LabGenomics, PeopleBio) ▲ PET imaging solutions (Brightonics Imaging) ▲ development and supply of PET radiopharmaceuticals for dementia diagnosis (Duchem Bio) ▲ automated interpretation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (Neurofit) ▲ linkage to health checkups and follow-up health management (GC Care) ▲ online cognitive function testing and digital therapy (Imocog). Through this, they expect to detect dementia early and suggest optimal treatment methods, significantly improving patients’ quality of life.

Ko Hong-byeong, CEO of Korea Eisai, said, “With this agreement, we will combine expertise from each field to set a new standard for dementia treatment. In particular, through an integrated solution including the amyloid antibody therapy provided by Eisai, we will manage dementia from the early stages to reduce the suffering of patients and their families and create a better future.”

Professor Kim Yu-gyeong of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Boramae Hospital also stated, “The existing traditional healthcare delivery system makes it difficult to timely detect cognitive decline in MCI patients. Through this agreement, we expect to identify high-risk groups early and dramatically improve accessibility to precision tests such as blood and PET scans, thereby maximizing treatment effectiveness.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.