Lecanemab: Benefits of Alzheimer’s drug are “ȷust too small” to ȷustify cost, says NICE

The Alzheimer’s drug lecanemab should not be made available on the NHS because it does not represent good value for taxpayers, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has said in draft guidance.1Lecanemab (brand name Leqembi, made by Eisai) binds to and eliminates amyloid β aggregates that are thought to contribute to neurodegenerative processes in Alzheimer’s disease. It was licensed on 20 August by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency for slowing progression in adults with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease.NICE’s decision not to recommend the drug for NHS use follows a rejection of marketing authorisation for lecanemab by the European Medicines Agency in July: the agency stated that the treatment’s small effect in delaying cognitive decline “does not counterbalance the risk of serious adverse events.”2Last year the US Food and Drug Administration granted approval for lecanemab for mild cognitive impairment or…
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