Lecanemab has been deemed safe and effective enough for doctors to prescribe in Britain by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in an unusual double-header assessment by authorities. However, a separate NHS watchdog has declared that the drug is not cost-effective and won’t be available.
Due to a decision made by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the first medication to show results in Alzheimer’s patients will only be accessible through private means.
The annual cost of treatment is £20,000 in the US.
Lecanemab can decrease the loss of memory and mental agility in patients with moderate Alzheimer’s disease by 27%, according to a significant clinical trial.
However, some people may also experience bleeding and edema in their brains.
Despite hearing evidence that the treatment slows down the disease’s progression by four to six months, NICE came to the conclusion that the treatment’s relatively small benefits to patients outweigh its costs, as it cannot be deemed good value for the tax payer. These costs include intensive monitoring for side effects and hospital infusions given every two weeks.
