A new Alzheimer’s drug has been rejected for widespread use in the NHS in England after the health spending watchdog ruled it “does not currently demonstrate value for the NHS ”. The new drug, called donanemab, has been rejected for use in England’s health services by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence ( NICE ). Alzheimer’s UK said the decision could be a “frustrating setback” for people with the disease and warned the decision both risks leaving patients in the UK behind and signalling that the country is no longer a good place to launch treatments.
The decision comes after the medication was licensed for use in the UK by the Medicines and Healthcare products’ Agency (MHRA). It is the second disease-modifying Alzheimer’s drug to be rejected by the NICE in a matter of months. Donanemab, also known as Kisunla, is manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and is a targeted antibody drug which slows the early stages of Alzheimer’s.
The drug, and another new treatment for Alzheimer’s called lecanemab, have been billed as a huge step forward in research because they target a known cause of the disease, rather than just treating the symptoms. NICE’s director of medicines evaluation, Helen Knight, said: “For NICE to be able to approve a medicine for use in the NHS it must provide additional benefits to patients, and it must also represent a good use of NHS resources and taxpayers’ money. “Our independent committee looked at all t.