Canada’s Drug Agency is recommending that public drug plans pay for a treatment shown to slow the progression of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease if patients meet certain conditions.
Lecanemab is an antibody that targets the buildup of amyloid plaque in the brain, which is believed to be an underlying cause of the disease.
Health Canada approved it last October, but Canada’s drug agency recommended against publicly funding it in February due to concerns about effectiveness and possible side effects of brain swelling or bleeding.
But after reconsidering at the request of the drug’s manufacturer, Eisai, the agency’s expert committee found it may have underestimated lecanemab’s “clinical meaningfulness.” …