The Food and Drug Administration has approved the Alzheimer’s disease drug from Eisia and Biogen called Lecanemab (sold under the brand name Leqembi), the first beta amyloid-targeting medication to pass a full FDA review. The move is important as Medicare will likely have to cover most of the tab for the $26,500/year drug. Lequembi got fast track approval by the FDA but the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services refused to pay for Lequembi and marketing stopped for the drug. It flushes beta amyloid, a protein in the brain, from patients with the disease. A study showed that those who were administered a biweekly infusion of the drug declined 27% more slowly than a placebo group. “With Leqembi, patients can get more time, Ivan Cheung, the Americas region chairman and CEO of Eisai, told USA Today.
“They can get more time in a more mild stage of the disease. So whatever they’re doing now, they can keep doing it for longer,” he said. Before starting on the drug, doctors must confirm a patient has amyloid in the brain via a PET scan or spinal tap. Patients must also get multiple MRIs during the first year of treatment to check for side effects, which include brain swelling and tiny bleed in a small portion of patients.
Another anti-amyloid treatment from Eisia and Biogen called Aduhelm was “conditionally approved” by the FDA last year but Medicare refused to cover it making it out of reach for most Americans. Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and my grandmother had this terrible disease. If you need support, there are some wonderful people at the Alzheimer’s Association in Ryan Ranch. They also have a 24-hour hotline at 800-272-3900.
