The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved this Tuesday a medication to treat Alzheimer in early stages. The remedy of Ely Lillynamed donanemab, is the second therapy intended to delay the progression of the disease.
The drug, which will be sold under the brand name Kisunla and will only be available in USAfollowed the recommendations of experts outside the company, who unanimously supported its implementation in patients in the earliest stages of the disease. Alzheimer and assured that the benefits outweighed the risks.
“This is real progress,” he celebrated. Joanne Pike, member of the Association of Alzheimer’s. “Having multiple treatment options is the kind of advancement that all of us who have been touched have been waiting for, even surprised, by this difficult and devastating disease“, he added.
How does donanemab work, the new drug against cancer? Alzheimer
In the same way that Eisai and Biogen’s Leqembithe only drug currently available to treat the disease, donanemab is designed to remove a Alzheimer’s-related protein called beta amyloid.
A key differentiating factor of donanemab is the finite dose of the drugwhich allows patients stop taking the treatment once brain scans no longer show amyloid plaques.
In the later stages of the trial, the Donanemab slowed the progression of memory problems and thought in a 29% compared to placebo. However, also caused brain inflammation in almost one quarter of patients and Cerebral hemorrhage in almost one-third of patientsalthough most cases were mild.
As it did with Leqembi, the FDA placed its “classification” of Higher safety warning on donanemab prescription labelindicating the risks of inflammation and hemorrhage potentially dangerous brain damage.
Lilly’s drug is expected to be used primarily by patients enrolled in the U.S. government’s Medicare health plan for people 65 and older. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, More than six million Americans suffer from the disease.
How much will the new Alzheimer’s treatment cost?
Lilly set the price of its drug at US$695.65 per unitwhich would be equivalent to US$32,000 for 12 months of treatment consisting of 13 infusions. This treatment will be more expensive than that of Leqembi, what does it cost US$26,500 dollars per year.
BMO analyst Evan Seigerman said the price was set with the understanding that patients will be able to stop treatment once the amyloid is cleared from their brains, whereas Leqembi therapy is chronic.
“The details of how this will play out in clinical practice are still unclear, but I think that You will save a lot of money and patients will like it much more.“, said Erik Musiek, neurologist at Washington University at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
Source: Ambito
