Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) announced positive results from its TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 6 study, demonstrating a significant reduction in ARIA-E, a side effect associated with Alzheimer’s treatments, in patients receiving a modified dosing regimen of donanemab. The study revealed a 41% lower relative risk of ARIA-E in the modified group compared to standard dosing, with the most notable reduction seen in patients carrying the APOE4 gene, a known risk factor for Alzheimer’s.
The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is expected to follow the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in rejecting Eli Lilly’s donanemab, a potential Alzheimer’s treatment, due to safety concerns, high costs, and a precedent set by the rejection of Biogen’s Leqembi. While donanemab showed promising results in slowing cognitive decline, the risks of brain bleeds and swelling, occurring at a higher rate than with Leqembi, are major concerns. The projected cost of donanemab, estimated to be 25% higher than Leqembi, adds to the concerns, with NICE already citing cost as a primary factor in its rejection of Leqembi.
