What I Tell Families When They Ask: Should We Put My Parent On The New Drug, Lormalzi?

When Lormalzi, or donanemab, began making headlines, I knew this question would start coming more frequently. And it has. Families navigating the slow, exhausting terrain of Alzheimer's care are now hearing words like "breakthrough" and "disease-modifying." But first, it's important to understand what Lormalzi actually is, and isn't.

Lormalzi is not a cure. I say this not to take away hope, but because understanding this is what allows families to make decisions rooted in reality rather than desperation. What it does do is genuinely significant: it is the first therapy in India that modifies the disease itself, not just its symptoms. Studies have shown it can reduce the amyloid plaques and tau tangles responsible for cognitive decline by up to 80% in some patients, meaningfully slowing how fast the disease progresses. Lormalzi is administered as a once-monthly intravenous infusion for up to 18 months.

Pricing And Availability

Lormalzi is expected to be commercially available later this month, priced at Rs. 91,688 (approximately $957) per 350 mg vial. Without insurance coverage, this places the therapy well beyond the financial reach of most families. It is a prescription-only medication, and can only be initiated under the guidance of a treating physician.

But Will It Work For My Elderly Loved Ones?

This is almost always the next question, and it's the right one to ask. Lormalzi works specifically in the early stages of Alzheimer's, not moderate, not advanced. Early. And this is where I have to be honest with families: most of the time, by the time they're sitting in front of me, their loved one is already beyond that window.

We are not good at catching this disease early in India. The first signs, an elderly loved one misplacing things more than usual, withdrawing at gatherings, losing the thread of a conversation, get rationalised away. Attributed to age, to stress, to tiredness. And quietly, the window for early intervention closes.

What Does This Mean For Care?

This is where the conversation gets more nuanced. Even for families where Lormalzi is an option, the drug is one piece of a much larger picture. Medication alone does not constitute care. Someone in early-stage Alzheimer's still needs structured routines, cognitive engagement, emotional support, and an environment that preserves their dignity and sense of self.

At Epoch, we see this every day. Families sometimes arrive hoping that a medical intervention will resolve the caregiving question entirely. But dementia care, at every stage, requires a deeply human response alongside any clinical one. It requires caregivers who understand the condition, not just its symptoms. It requires families to be supported too, because the weight of this journey doesn't fall on the elderly alone.

So while Lormalzi is a landmark development, I always ask families to think about the full ecosystem of care they're building, not just the prescription.

What Should Families Do Right Now?

If your loved one is in the early stages of Alzheimer's, speak to a specialist about whether Lormalzi is clinically appropriate. Don't let uncertainty delay that conversation. And if you haven't reached a diagnosis yet but something feels different, if there are signs you've been rationalising, please don't wait. Get a proper assessment. The earlier we catch it, the more options exist, medically and from a care standpoint.

The Bigger Question Lormalzi Asks Of India

The arrival of this drug doesn't just add a treatment option. It makes early detection a non-negotiable. And that exposes a gap we can no longer afford to ignore: India urgently needs better screening infrastructure, more accessible neurological assessments, trained specialists beyond metro cities, and far greater awareness of what early-stage dementia actually looks like. Dementia care is not simply elder care. It is specialised care, with its own clinical demands, its own emotional weight, and its own urgency. Lormalzi makes that clearer than ever.

The families who come to me with hope deserve honest answers. And the honest answer today is this: real progress is here, and it is within reach, but only if we build the awareness, the systems, and the care infrastructure to meet it.

That work cannot wait.

(By Neha Sinha, Dementia Specialist and Clinical Psychologist, Co-founder & CEO, Epoch Elder Care)

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