The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given full approval to an Alzheimer’s treatment that will expand access to the expensive drug for older Americans.
Leqembi is the first Alzheimer’s antibody treatment to receive full FDA approval. While it’s not a cure, the treatment slowed cognitive decline from early Alzheimer’s disease by 27% over 18 months during Eisai’s clinical trial. The antibody, administered twice monthly through intravenous infusion, targets a protein called amyloid that is associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Notable, Leqembi is the first such drug to receive broad coverage through Medicare. Shortly after the FDA approval, Medicare announced it is now covering the antibody treatment. However, several conditions apply. To be eligible for coverage, patients must be enrolled in Medicare, diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer’s disease, and have a doctor who is participating in a data-collection system the federal government has established to monitor the treatment’s benefits and risks.
Leqembi has an annual list price of $26,500. Medicare coverage will allow many more seniors access to this potentially life-altering treatment.
Read more about Leqembi and Medicare’s coverage of the groundbreaking treatment here.