Eli Lilly & Co’s Alzheimer’s drug won’t be made available for patients using England’s National Health Service, after the drug cost regulator deemed its benefits were too small to justify the price.

A wife whose husband will not be eligible for new Alzheimer’s drugs has implored health leaders to ensure that others like him will be able to access treatments. New disease-modifying Alzheimer’s drugs work best when they are given to patients in the early stages of disease.

The most effective drug for Alzheimer’s will be blocked for use on the NHS on Wednesday. Regulators are expected to declare the new treatment for the disease safe for use but the rationing body for the health service will immediately rule that it is too expensive for NHS patients.