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Alzheimer’s surprise drug Lecanemab to be accepted to be used in UK

NEWS

By Meg Byrom

Published: | Updated:

A wonder drug that can slow down Alzheimer’s disease is set to be approved for use in Britain.

Lecanemab is the first treatment that has been found to curb the condition – slowing cognitive decline by 27 per cent.

Experts have hailed it as ‘the beginning of the end’ for the disease, which affects up to 900,000 Britons.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is set to approve the drug for private prescription in the UK.

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence will then decide whether to roll out the treatment on the NHS.

Alzheimer's disease affects up to 900,000 Britons (Stock Image)

Alzheimer’s disease affects up to 900,000 Britons (Stock Image)

Lecanemab, sold under the brand name Leqembi, is a monoclonal antibody medication used for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

Lecanemab, sold under the brand name Leqembi, is a monoclonal antibody medication used for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia. The disease can cause anxiety, confusion and short-term memory loss

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. The disease can cause anxiety, confusion and short-term memory loss

The drug, which is given every two weeks through an IV drop, was authorised in the US last year.

However last month the European Medicine Agency refused to license the drug due to concerns over side effects such as ‘swelling’ and ‘potential bleedings in the brain’.

Professor John Hardy, from the UCL Institute of Neurology, described the drug as ‘the biggest breakthrough in Alzheimer’s for decades’.

He has previously praised the ‘game-changing’ treatment as the ‘beginning of the end’ for Alzheimer’s.

However Dr Max Pemberton noted in his Daily Mail column last week that lecanemab – as well as another Alzheimer’s drug donanemab – is ‘likely to result in only a small improvement in symptoms’.

The drug was found to slightly improve cognition but could have significant side-effects, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found (Stock Image)

A scientist picks up a sample used for research into Alzheimer's disease

A scientist picks up a sample used for research into Alzheimer’s disease

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine last year found the drug slightly improved cognition but could have significant side-effects.

A spokesman for the MHRA told The Daily Telegraph: ‘We are currently completing a rigorous assessment of the evidence supporting lecanemab in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.’

They added that further information will be ‘communicated in due course’.

What is Alzheimer’s?

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain, in which build-up of abnormal proteins causes nerve cells to die.

This disrupts the transmitters that carry messages, and causes the brain to shrink. 

More than 5 million people suffer from the disease in the US, where it is the 6th leading cause of death, and more than 1 million Britons have it.

WHAT HAPPENS?

As brain cells die, the functions they provide are lost. 

That includes memory, orientation and the ability to think and reason. 

The progress of the disease is slow and gradual. 

On average, patients live five to seven years after diagnosis, but some may live for ten to 15 years.

EARLY SYMPTOMS:

  • Loss of short-term memory
  • Disorientation
  • Behavioral changes
  • Mood swings
  • Difficulties dealing with money or making a phone call 

LATER SYMPTOMS:

  • Severe memory loss, forgetting close family members, familiar objects or places
  • Becoming anxious and frustrated over inability to make sense of the world, leading to aggressive behavior 
  • Eventually lose ability to walk
  • May have problems eating 
  • The majority will eventually need 24-hour care   

 Source: Alzheimer’s Association

 

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