On 6 January 2023, the amyloid beta-targeting antibody Lecanemab was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and mild AD dementia, via the FDA’s Accelerated Approval pathway. Following this, on 17 January 2023, an article was published by Anders Wimo, Linus Jönsson, Gunilla Johansson and Bengt Winblad, exploring appropriate patient populations and cost related to the drug. Their article, “Lecanemab: The Price of a Breakthrough” was published in the journal touchREVIEWS in Neurology and looked to answer two main questions around the drug:
• What is the appropriate patient population to receive treatment?
• How much should healthcare systems be prepared to pay for the drug?
The healthcare infrastructure is not prepared for the expected huge demands for diagnostics and eventual treatment, especially given the suggested list price and a potentially large population of people with MCI due to AD and mild AD dementia. A lower price point would allow wider access to the treatment and reduce disparities in health equity, it notes. You can read the article, here: https://touchneurology.com/alzheimers-disease-dementia/journal-articles/lecanemab-the-price-of-a-breakthrough/