Ethical Considerations for the Use of Next-Generation Alzheimer Drugs in Symptomatic and At-Risk Patients.

This article presents a case in which a patient with mild Alzheimer disease requests a prescription for a newly developed Alzheimer disease drug, after which the patient’s daughter inquires about its potential usefulness as a prevention strategy for herself. The article discusses the physician’s responsibility to balance the ethical principles of beneficence, nonmaleficence, and respect for patient autonomy when evaluating requests for medications from patients with neurocognitive disease as well as from asymptomatic but at-risk patients.