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What the FDA’s accelerated approval of a new Alzheimer’s drug could mean for those with the disease – 5 questions answered about lecanemab

The currently available Alzheimer’s treatments – which include donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine and memantine – primarily treat symptoms. They do not address the underlying disease processes, and they have modest clinical benefits.

One medication that does treat the disease, aducanumab, sold under the brand name Aduhelm, was approved by the FDA in 2021 under the same accelerated process as lecanemab. But it has not become widely used due to controversy about its efficacy and pricing. So lecanemab could offer the first disease-modifying medication with undisputed results for people living with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. It is important to note that lecanemab was…

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 A drug for Alzheimer’s disease that seems to work

It is not perfect. And it has side-effects. But it may be the real deal.

 Are New Alzheimer’s Drugs Worth the Risk?

Google anything about Leqembi, and you’ll almost certainly find the statistic that it slows memory decline by 27%. This finding in the clinical trial was statistically significant. Over the course of 18 months, those who were given Leqembi seemed to retain more of their cognitive abilities than their counterparts who were given a placebo. “This medication obviously is not a slam dunk,” says Trinh. “But heck, I’ll take 27% over nothing.” Many families of people with Alzheimer’s disease may feel similarly. They’ll take whatever improvement they can get.Alzheimer’s for years with modest benefits at best. None of these drugs can stop, slow, or reverse the seemingly inevitable progression of Alzheimer’s disease. They may temporarily reduce the condition’s symptoms.

 Why the Next Big Hope for Alzheimer’s Might Not Help Most Black Patients

Of the 859 people infused with lecanemab during the trial, only 20 were Black. Minorities are often underrepresented in research, but this study had an additional barrier, said Carey Gleason, a clinical neuropsychologist at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Many Black volunteers in the trial “screened out,” she said, because PET scans showed relatively low levels of amyloid in their brains. Lecanemab works by removing amyloid, so the trial organizers excluded patients — regardless of their Alzheimer’s symptoms — if their PET scans were negative.

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A New Drug Could Slow Alzheimer’s Disease, Data Show

Over the past few years, Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers have been on a roller-coaster ride full of highs and lows in the search for treatments—and new research presents another emotionally thrilling loop.

Drug slows cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients, study reveals

Antibody therapy lecanemab removes clumps of protein called beta amyloid that builds up in brain.

Hype, Hope and Leqembi

A new Alzheimer’s drug has appeared on the scene with great fanfare, but how loudly should we be blowing that horn?

Lecanemab, the New Alzheimer’s Treatment: 3 Things To Know

In a trial that involved 1,795 participants with early-stage, symptomatic Alzheimer’s, lecanemab slowed clinical decline by 27% after 18 months of treatment compared with those who received a placebo. “The antibody treatment selectively targets the forms of amyloid protein that are thought to be the most toxic to brain cells,” says Dr. van Dyck.

Lecanemab: A new drug for early-stage Alzheimer’s disease

Lecanemab is a disease modifying immunotherapy drug. It works with the body’s immune system to clear amyloid protein build up from the brains of people living with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. These amyloid protein build ups are thought to be toxic to brain cells, causing them to get sick and eventually die, leading to the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

Lecanemab: Experimental drug is a ray of hope for Alzheimer’s disease

This is not the first time a product has gotten rid of beta-amyloid, but it is the first time a treatment has led to statistically clear cognitive and functional benefits. However, the effect is small: on the 18-point clinical dementia rating scale, treated people lost half a point. The actual impact on the life of a treated person is therefore modest. As Alzheimer’s symptoms progress slowly in the early stages of the disease, it will be important to determine whether the effect continues after more than 18 months.

Leqembi and Alzheimer's Disease: the Benefits, Side Effects, and What It Costs

Leqembi is only the second anti-amyloid treatment on the market.4 Already, it shows some promise in reducing cognitive decline—though it’s too soon to know whether the drug will remain effective over time.

Success of experimental Alzheimer’s drug hailed as ‘historic moment’

Study shows cognition in early-stage patients on lecanemab declines by 27% less than those on placebo.

What the FDA Approval of Lecanemab Means for Patients and Families

Lecanemab is a newly approved medication for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and is marketed under the brand name Leqembi. Lecanemab is administered in the form of an intravenous (IV) infusion every 2 weeks, for a period of up to 18 months.

What to Know if You’re Considering the Alzheimer’s Drug Leqembi

Medicare will cover much of the cost for patients in the early stages of the disease, but Leqembi has safety risks and can only modestly slow cognitive decline.

What You Need to Know About Lecanemab, the New Alzheimer’s Drug

Only people with signs of amyloid plaques and other symptoms of the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease are eligible. These signs are confirmed by PET scans or checking cerebrospinal fluid through a lumbar puncture.

Why It’s Hard to Get the New Alzheimer’s Drug Lecanemab

Doctors can now prescribe the medication, but many patients won’t be able to afford it. Eisai said the drug, which is given every two weeks via an IV infusion at a doctor’s office or clinic, will cost about $26,500 a year. While it’s not clear yet how long people will need to take the drug, Ivan Cheung, Eisai Inc.’s CEO, estimated that most people might need to take it at least three years.

Why the new Alzheimer’s drug is eliciting both optimism and caution

Lecanemab targets what some see as the underlying cause of Alzheimer’s, but reports of deaths associated with the treatment have raised concerns.

‘We were right all along:’ For Japanese drugmaker Eisai, success against Alzheimer’s has been a long time coming

A once-in-a-generation medicine was built on more than two decades of regret. In 1997, Eisai launched Aricept, a revolutionary treatment for the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, invented and developed by the company’s scientists in Japan. The arrival of the drug was a galvanizing moment for Eisai — a blockbuster product for a company on the rise and the first of what was expected to be a string of medicines to slow or even reverse the effects of the disease.