Emory and Georgia Memory Net tell committee new Alzheimer's diagnostics and infusions require expanded clinic capacity and state support
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Summary
Emory researchers and Georgia Memory Net told the committee that FDA-authorized blood diagnostics (p-tau217) and new antibody infusion treatments can slow Alzheimer's progression but require more memory assessment clinics, infusion capacity and monitoring; presenters said the state program reaches about 6,000 people and receives roughly $7.12 million in state support.
Emory faculty and Georgia Memory Net staff presented to the Committee on Public and Community Health on recent clinical advances and the program's role in early detection and treatment access. Dr. Levy, head of the Emory Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, described new antibody infusions that "remove the amyloid plaques" and reported trial results the presentation summarized as about a 30% slowing in disease progression over the trial period.
Dr. Levy said the treatments are currently intravenous infusions given monthly or every two weeks for roughly 18 months and carry rare but serious risks such as brain bleeding that require specialized monitoring (PET or CSF imaging) and infusion-site capacity. He said a blood-based diagnostic (p-tau217) received recent FDA authorization and is effective for ruling out disease but is not yet perfect; confirmatory testing remains necessary in many cases to avoid inappropriate treatment.
Rebecca McIntosh and Georgia Memory Net staff described the program's statewide approach: establishing memory assessment clinics (GMN partners operate seven memory assessment clinics), partnering with local public-health offices for assisted telehealth, translating care plans into several languages, and training primary-care providers to refer patients for in-depth assessment. Presenters said GMN and partner clinics have seen just under 6,000 people since the program's launch and that GMN/Emory together account for roughly 60% of Georgians currently receiving the new drugs.
The committee asked about rural access, translation services and payment; presenters said Medicaid covers treatment in some cases, clinics vary in available resources but have access to translation services, and that the Georgia Memory Net model prepopulates translated care plans. Rebecca McIntosh reported that state support to the program is listed in the budget as the "Georgia Alzheimer's Project" but operates in the field as Georgia Memory Net; she gave a state appropriation number of $7,120,000 per year (with a small central support holdback). Dr. Levy said federal research funding has grown since passage of the National Alzheimer's Plan Act and that the NIH Alzheimer's Center budget increased from about $500 million to over $3 billion annually, enabling progress in treatments and diagnostics.
Committee members raised screening timing and resource questions. Dr. Levy suggested starting broader screening at age 65 as an initial goal tied to Medicare annual wellness visits, said that prevention trials are ongoing, and warned against inappropriate testing and treatment outside recommended diagnostic pathways.
The presenters asked the committee to consider program expansion and support for the infrastructure needed to deliver complex therapies across the state, particularly in rural areas. The committee did not take formal action on funding at the hearing.
