FDA approves Alzheimer’s drug shown to moderately slow cognitive decline in early stages of the disease

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a new Alzheimer’s disease treatment that moderately slows cognitive decline in people with early-stage disease.

The drug, called Leqembi, was developed by Eisai, the Japanese pharmaceutical company that also developed the first symptomatic treatment for Alzheimer’s 25 years ago.

Leqembi will cost $26,500 per year for a person of average weight, Eisai said. The drug has the potential to be a commercial blockbuster, but only if Medicare can be convinced to pay for it. Unless Medicare changes the way it pays for drugs like Leqembi, Eisai expects a relatively slow rollout.

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