First Alzheimer’s drug will be unavailable through the NHS
The UK’s health regulator, Nice, has rejected a drug that can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s, claiming the benefits are too small to justify the cost.
On Thursday, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) gave the green light to lecanemab – a drug that is given twice a month to help slow the affects of Alzheimer’s. Although the medicine isn’t to be seen as a cure, clinical trials show the therapy slowed cognitive decline by 27% in early Alzheimer’s patients, compared with a placebo.
However, despite the good news, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has ruled out offering the drug on the NHS. According to the regulator, clinical trials showed lecanemab can slow cognitive decline by four to six months, but there is little evidence on its long-term effects.
Nice estimates around 70,000 adults in England would have been eligible for the treatment and a public consultation on their draft guidance will close on 20th September.
Hilary Evans-Newton, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: ‘Today’s news is bittersweet for people affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
‘It’s a remarkable achievement that science is now delivering licensed treatments that can slow down the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s, rather than just alleviating its symptoms. However, it’s clear our health system isn’t ready to embrace this new wave of Alzheimer’s drugs.
‘It means that, as things stand, people in the early stages of the disease will be denied access to lecanemab through the NHS, and it will only be available to those who can pay privately.’
Julian Beach, interim executive director for healthcare quality and access at MHRA, added: ‘Licensing medicines which meet acceptable standards of safety, quality and efficacy is a key priority for us.
‘We’re assured that, together with the conditions of the licence approval, the appropriate regulatory standards for this medicine have been met.
‘As with all medical products, we will keep its safety under close review, and with a controlled post-authorisation safety study to be undertaken, we will ensure that the benefit risk of lecanemab in clinical use is closely followed up.’
Image: Anna Shvets
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