WESTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.K.'s drugs regulator, The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, recently approved the use of Biogen's Lecanemab, sold under the brand name Leqembi, for the treatment of Alzheimer's patient.
'Lecanemab becomes the first treatment for early AD (MCI and mild dementia due to AD) that targets an underlying cause of the disease, to be authorized in a country in Europe,' announced the manufacturers Eisai Co., Ltd. (ESALY.PK) and Biogen Inc. (BIIB).
However, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence or NICE ruled out offering the drug through the NHS.
'The reality is that the benefits this first treatment provides are just too small to justify the significant cost,' said Dr. Samantha Robers, chief executive of the NICE.
'Our independent committee has rigorously evaluated the available evidence, including the benefit for carers, but Nice must only recommend treatments that offer good value to the taxpayer.'
The therapy has already been approved in China, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, South Korea, and the U.S., where it costs around $26,000 per patient per year, according to The Associated Press.
Additionally, the drug requires patients to be hospitalized every two weeks for administration and close monitoring for side effects.
NICE also highlighted that there is little evidence available regarding the long term effects of Leqembi.
The draft guidance is open for public consultation till September 20.
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