- Lecanemab is currently awaiting approval from NHS spending watchdogs
- The twice-weekly injection attacks a toxic protein in the brain called amyloid
A breakthrough Alzheimer’s drug that could slow the progression of the disease could potentially be taken at home instead of in the hospital.
Lecanemab, which is awaiting the green light for NHS use and has already been approved by US regulators, was initially planned to be given as an infusion in hospital twice a month.
But new data published by Eisai, the drug’s developer, suggests that lecanemab is just as effective at slowing Alzheimer’s disease when given as a twice-weekly injection. Unlike an IV, which can take several hours through an IV bag, the injections can be performed within minutes and a trip to the hospital is not necessary.
Lecanemab works by attacking a toxic protein in the brain called amyloid, which is linked to symptoms of dementia.
Lecanemab, which is awaiting the green light for NHS use and has already been approved by US regulators, was initially planned to be administered twice a month in a hospital.
Experts believe that a twice-weekly self-administered injection is as effective as a twice-monthly infusion
Experts have previously said it could be too expensive for the health care system to approve. But a switch to home injections would reduce the £20,000-a-year cost of the treatment – which requires regular hospital scans – as NHS staff would not have to administer the drug.
However, hopes that the home injection would reduce the number of dangerous side effects – including brain swelling and bleeding seen in previous studies – were dashed. In fact, the recent study, which involved 70 participants, found that the number of patients experiencing these complications increased from 17 to 22 percent.
Although most patients who experience these side effects do not feel seriously ill, in some cases the problems can be life-threatening. Three members of a 1,800-participant trial of the lecanemab infusion died due to side effects related to the drug.
Speaking to the MoS last night, brain doctors expressed concerns about the home jabs, saying they feared there could be serious consequences if patients took the drug without close supervision from nurses or doctors.
“Doctors have no way of predicting which patients will develop these life-threatening side effects,” said Robert Howard, professor of geriatric psychiatry at the Institute of Mental Health at University College London. ‘The idea of having patients take the medicine at home without the supervision of a healthcare provider is therefore worrying.
“The drug company needs to conduct larger studies that prove it is safe as an injection before they market it in this form.”