Groundbreaking Alzheimer's lecanemab drug may NOT be available on NHS as it's 'not cost effective enough'
manchestereveningnews.co.ukA drug that had been hailed as a groundbreaking leap forward in treatment for Alzheimer’s might not be available on the NHS as new guidance has ruled that the results do not justify the cost to the health service.
The drug lecanemab has been found to slow down the early stages of the disease. Dementia research and campaign groups were hopeful that making the drug more widely available would be a major moment of progress in treatment.
The drug has today been licensed, meaning it has been approved for safe use treating the health condition in the UK. But the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which reviews drugs and makes recommendations to the NHS on those that should be used, has said the ‘benefits of lecanemab are too small to justify the costs’ in new draft guidance released today (August 22). READ MORE: What are Alzheimer's drugs lecanemab and donanemab and are they available on NHS?
Lecanemab, also called Leqembi and made by Eisai, is for slowing progression in mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease in adults and has been licensed by The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) today, explains NICE.
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