Eisai and Biogen’s Alzheimer’s Drug Surrounded by Cost and Safety Worries

As Eisai and Biogen’s novel Alzheimer’s drug lecanemab inches closer to the finish line, many worry that the high price of the antibody-based therapeutic may lower patient access. A primary concern is whether payers will cover lecanemab, especially after the aduhelm controversy over the past few years. In addition, recent adverse events, including a second patient death, have engendered worry for many.

According to Politico, “But the findings also raised safety concerns, with 14 percent of patients who took the drug developing adverse effects — including brain swelling and bleeding — and five of those patients receiving medical care for major brain bleeds. In an open-label extension of the trial, two patients died from brain bleeds, though Eisai has stated it believes those deaths were the result of underlying conditions.”

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(Source: Politico, December 2^nd, 2022)