David Cameron calls for a dedicated dementia drugs fund as charity warns Alzheimer's patients are 'betrayed' by the NHS

Lord Cameron, whose mother Mary Cameron died with Alzheimer's last year aged 90, says there is a 'strong case' for the fund. Donanemab and lecanemab were licensed in Britain in 2024 but cost around £80,000 a year privately. Talks between NICE and the drugmakers began in July and were meant to take 49 days. A reported stalemate over cost has kept negotiations running for months beyond that deadline.

Cameron established the cancer drugs fund 16 years ago to break similar deadlocks.

'We found a way forward for cancer patients,' Cameron told ministers.