Japanese pharma major Eisai Co. has made an agreement to collaborate with the Department of Medical Services (DMS), Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) of Thailand to further enhance the access to treatments for dementia including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in Thailand.

In Thailand, the number of people suffering from dementia is expected to increase significantly from the current 700 thousand to 2 million by 2050 due to the rapid aging of the population. Dementia and AD are the third leading cause of death among women (7.1% of total deaths) and the ninth leading cause of death for men (3.3% of total deaths), making the need to build a system to counter dementia urgent.

With this agreement, Eisai Thailand and DMS have identified three key challenges to addressing issues regarding dementia and AD in Thailand: (1) raising disease awareness for Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and dementia including AD (2) improving diagnosis infrastructure for MCI and dementia including AD and ensuring civilian access to these services (3) ensuring total care by building a dementia community and ecosystem for people with dementia and their families.

Formulation of disease guidelines by the state is essential to address these challenges. Eisai Thailand and DMS will jointly conduct surveys and other initiatives to establish such guidelines. Additionally, both organisations will promote implementation of these guidelines in collaboration with various stakeholders, including those from different industries, to develop an ecosystem dedicated to dementia, seeking to establish a strong support system for the dementia community in Thailand.