The US Food and Drug Administration has given marketing clearance to a blood test to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, making the test the first to get signoff to aid in the early detection of the disease in the United States.

The United States on Friday approved the first blood test for Alzheimer's, a move that could help patients begin treatment earlier with newly approved drugs that slow the progression of the devastating neurological disease.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared Fujirebio Diagnostics' blood test to diagnose Alzheimer's disease, the regulator said on Friday, making the device the first of its kind to detect the brain-wasting condition.