The NHS is expected to block its use for a second Alzheimer’s drug, it has been reported.
Donanemab – hailed by scientists as the “best” treatment ever for the disease – has been shown in trials to slow cognitive decline by more than a third.
This is better than the results obtained with lecanemab, the innovative drug that was declared safe by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) last week, but was not approved for use on the NHS due to its cost.
This means that only patients who can pay privately will have access to the drug.
Donanemab, made by US firm Eli Lilly, is estimated to cost around £25,000 per patient per year, about 25 per cent more than lecanemab.
Smiling young social worker and elderly man with Alzheimer’s playing with a puzzle in a nursing home.
However, donanemab is known 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 give its backing to donanemab, The Telegraph reported yesterday.
Defending its decision on lecanemab, Nice said the costs were “considerably above the range normally considered cost-effective for routine NHS use”.
It is known that there are currently several drugs in development to combat Alzheimer’s and other diseases that cause dementia.
Last night, a leading Alzheimer’s charity said it had written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting “urging him to act” to ensure all UK patients have access to new treatments.
Hilary Evans-Newton, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, told The Mail on Sunday: “This is bittersweet news for people affected by Alzheimer’s.
‘It is a remarkable achievement that science is now providing approved treatments that can slow the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s, rather than just alleviate its symptoms.
‘However, it is clear that our health system is not prepared to accommodate this new wave of Alzheimer’s drugs.
“This means that, as things stand, people in the early stages of the disease will be denied access to lecanemab through the NHS, and it will only be available to those who can afford to pay for 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’s not a cure, but it’s a real step forward: the first new drug for dementia to be approved in more than 20 years.”
The MHRA and Nice said they could not comment on ongoing assessments.
But Nice said the benefits of lecanemab were “too small to justify the costs”. A spokesman added: “The costs of providing the treatment, including fortnightly infusions in hospital and intensive monitoring of side effects, combined with the relatively small benefits it provides to patients, means it cannot be considered a good investment for the taxpayer.”