Second 'wonder' drug for Alzheimer's hailed by scientists as the 'best ever' treatment for the disease set to be blocked for NHS use By Jacinta Taylor Published: 01:35 BST, 25 August 2024 | Updated: 01:45 BST, 25 August 2024 e-mail View comments A second Alzheimer’s drug is expected to be blocked for use by the NHS , it has been reported. Donanemab – hailed by scientists as the ‘best ever’ treatment for the disease – has been shown in trials to slow cognitive decline by more than a third. That is better than the results for lecanemab, the breakthrough drug which last week was declared safe by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) but was not approved for NHS use because of its cost.
It means that only patients who can afford to pay privately will have access to the drug. The cost of donanemab, which is made by US company Eli Lilly, is estimated at around £25,000 per patient per yea r – about 25 per cent higher than lecanemab. Smiling young female social worker and old man with Alzheimer's playing with jigsaw puzzle in nursing home.
However, donanemab is understood to carry twice the risk of serious side-effects. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), which decides which drugs are available on the NHS, is unlikely to reverse its decision on lecanemab – made by Eisai – or to give its backing to donanemab, The Telegraph reported yesterday. Defending its ruling on lecanemab, Nice said the costs were ‘considerably .