A new Alzheimer’s treatment would cost patients an estimated $26,500 per year, said the drug developer.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Jan. 6 that it would grant accelerated approval to Biogen and Eisai, after the drug appeared to partially slow the development of mild cases of Alzheimer’s disease in clinical trials.
The same day, Eisai submitted an application to the FDA for the drug’s full approval.
The federal agency’s accelerated approval program allows experimental drugs to be expedited to patients with serious illnesses who lack better options.
The high expense of the new treatment Leqembi and its limited coverage by Medicare will mean that few seniors with Alzheimer’s disease will have access to the drug, according to Eisai, the pharmaceutical firm which co-developed the drug with Biogen….