The United Kingdom has taken a significant step in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease with the approval of Leqembi, a groundbreaking treatment developed by Eisai Co., Ltd and Biogen Inc. The drug, officially known as lecanemab, has been approved for use in patients experiencing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), specifically those who are ApoE ε4 heterozygotes or non-carriers. This approval marks a historic moment as Leqembi becomes the first treatment in Europe to directly target the underlying causes of early-stage AD, offering hope for slowing disease progression.
However, the approval of Leqembi in the UK has been met with a significant challenge: cost. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), an independent body responsible for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of healthcare treatments, has issued a draft guidance stating that the benefits of Leqembi are too small to justify its high costs. While NICE acknowledges that Leqembi is the first drug to demonstrate the ability to slow down Alzheimer’s progression by 4 to 6 months, they believe the price tag associated with its administration, including fortnightly infusions and intensive monitoring for side effects, outweighs the modest benefits for patients.
The decision by NICE is likely to spark further debate about the balance between innovation and affordability in healthcare. While the approval of Leqembi represents a crucial advancement in Alzheimer’s treatment, its high cost poses a significant hurdle to widespread accessibility, particularly within a resource-constrained healthcare system like the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). This situation raises questions about how to ensure that groundbreaking therapies are made available to those who need them without placing undue burden on healthcare budgets.
