Recent Alzheimer’s developments across France, Germany, Italy and Spain

The strongest recent cross-country theme is the gap between EU approval of new Alzheimer’s drugs and publicly funded access. Lecanemab and donanemab received EU authorisation in 2025, but access and reimbursement remain uneven.

France:
Health Technology Assessment decisions have been negative for the anti-amyloid treatments, limiting publicly funded access. Recent reporting also highlights the need to expand diagnostic and specialist capacity before treatments can be delivered at scale.

Germany:
Patients initially had access to lecanemab through statutory health insurance, but a negative benefit assessment by the G-BA may lead to tighter reimbursement. Germany is also described as having the most developed national dementia strategy among the four countries, although implementation and treatment access remain key issues.

Italy:
Recent comparative reporting describes a funded dementia plan but uneven regional delivery. The available results did not identify a major recent Italy-specific reimbursement decision on these Alzheimer’s drugs.

Spain:
HTA recommendations have been negative for anti-amyloid treatments, leaving public access limited. Spain’s 2019–2023 dementia plan has been criticised for limited practical impact, while the country is also reported to be a leading contributor to Alzheimer’s research.

A 2026 economic analysis estimated that France, Germany, Italy and Spain—alongside the UK—could realise substantial long-term benefits from stronger Alzheimer’s policy, but its projections depend on assumptions about earlier diagnosis, treatment effectiveness and broad access. The report was funded by Biogen, so its modeled savings should be treated as projections rather than observed outcomes.