How do you judge the real value of a new Alzheimer’s drug?
Canada’s Drug Expert Committee reversed its earlier stance and now recommends conditional public funding for lecanemab, a drug that modestly slows early Alzheimer’s symptoms. The drug costs about $30,000 per patient annually, with projected provincial expenditures of $66 million in the first year and $485 million by the third year. Implementation challenges include strict eligibility criteria, biweekly infusions, and required MRI monitoring, raising questions about the optimal use of public healthcare funds.
- ▪The Canadian Drug Expert Committee changed its recommendation from not reimbursing lecanemab to supporting conditional reimbursement.
- ▪Clinical trials showed lecanemab can delay cognitive decline by five to seven months over an 18‑month period.
- ▪The drug costs roughly $30,000 per year per patient, leading to projected costs of $66 million in year one and $485 million by year three for provincial plans.
- ▪Eligibility requires a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia, APOE4 genetic testing, biweekly infusions, and regular MRI scans.
- ▪The article highlights concerns about whether the public health system can effectively deliver the treatment and whether the funds might be better allocated to other dementia care services.
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Open this photo in gallery:A woman receives Lecanemab, sold under the brand name Leqembi, at a hospital in Itabashi Ward, Tokyo. The Canadian Drug Expert Committee has shifted their stance, and is recommending that lecanemab should be publicly funded with conditions.Kota Kiriyama/ReutersShareSave for laterPlease log in to bookmark this story.Log InCreate Free AccountAn expert committee at Canada’s Drug Agency has changed its mind: In February, it said public drug plans should not fund lecanemab, a drug used to treat the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Now, in July, after a “reconsideration process,” it is recommending that lecanemab be funded publicly – sometimes.
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