Second Alzheimer’s ‘wonder drug’ hailed by scientists as ‘best ever treatment’ for the disease is being blocked from use by the NHS

It is reported that the NHS will block the use of a second Alzheimer’s drug.

Donanemab – hailed by scientists as the “best treatment ever” for the disease – has been shown in studies to slow cognitive decline by more than a third.

That is better than the results for lecanemab, the breakthrough drug declared safe by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) last week but not approved for use in the NHS because of cost.

This means that only patients who can afford to pay for the drug privately will have access to the drug.

Donanemab, which is made by US company Eli Lilly, is estimated to cost around £25,000 per patient per year – around 25 per cent higher than lecanemab.

However, donanemab is said 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 – taken by Eisai – or give its backing to donanemab, The Telegraph reported yesterday.

Nice defended its ruling on lecanemab, saying the costs are ‘significantly above the range normally considered cost-effective for routine NHS use’.

There are reportedly several drugs in the pipeline for the treatment of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

Last night, a leading Alzheimer’s charity announced it had written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting asking him to “take action” to ensure all patients in the UK have access to new treatments.

Hilary Evans-Newton, director of Alzheimer’s Research UK, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘This is double news for people living with Alzheimer’s disease.

‘It is a remarkable achievement that science now delivers recognized treatments that can slow the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s, rather than just relieve symptoms.

‘However, it is clear that our health care system is not yet ready to embrace this new wave of Alzheimer’s drugs.

‘It means that, as things stand, people in the early stages of the disease will no longer be able to access lecanemab through the NHS, and it will only be available to those who can afford it privately. This is deeply disappointing.

‘Of course, like first-generation treatments for other diseases, lecanemab has modest benefits and side effects that require careful monitoring. It is not a cure, but it is a real step forward: the first new dementia drug approved in more than 20 years.’

The MHRA and Nice said they could not comment on the ongoing appraisals.

But Nice said of lecanemab that its benefits were “too small to justify the cost”. A spokesman added: “The cost of providing the treatment, including twice-weekly infusions in hospital and intensive monitoring for side effects, combined with the relatively small benefits it provides to patients, means it cannot be considered good value for the taxpayer.”