The spending watchdog has recommended that a drug shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease should not be rolled out on the NHS. This is despite the UK medicines regulator saying it is safe and effective for use. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said the benefits of lecanemab are “just too small to justify the significant cost to the NHS”.
A charity said it is “deeply disappointing” that patients with early stage Alzheimer’s will not have access to the drug on the health service “and it will only be available to those who can pay privately”. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has deemed lecanemab, developed by pharmaceutical company Eisai and sold under the brand name Leqembi, efficient at slowing Alzheimer’s disease. The targeted antibody treatment binds to amyloid, a protein which builds up in the brains of people living with the condition.
It is designed to help clear the build-up and slow down cognitive decline and is given to patients through an intravenous drip fortnightly. The drug is the first treatment of its kind to be licensed for use in Great Britain. However, Nice has recommended lecanemab is not rolled out on the NHS in England in draft guidance due to the cost to the taxpayer.
Dr Samantha Roberts, chief executive of Nice, said: “This is a new and emerging field of medicine which will no doubt develop rapidly. “However, the reality is that the benefits this first treatment p.