ARKANSAS, USA — The Food and Drug Administration delivered exciting news as they approved the Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi.
“We've been waiting for this day to have a treatment that's available, we know it's not the silver bullet, it's not the end all be all for treatment when it comes to Alzheimer's disease,” said Sarah Lovegreen, the program director for the Alzheimer's Association.
The drug Lecanemab or Leqembi is the first fully FDA-approved treatment for Alzheimer’s disease that she says actually changes the course of the disease.
“Knowing that we've started down a road to see FDA approval of treatments, and there's a lot more in the pipeline. We're really excited to see how those treatments come through and how they work together to really help patients live their highest quality of life,” she said.
According to Lovegreen, there's enough proof that the medication is benefiting patients with Alzheimer's. She believes this gives patients time to make more memories, make healthcare decisions, and slow the progression of the disease.
The next step before patients can start receiving the drug is for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to grant coverage for the treatment. Lovegreen says after that private insurance companies will likely do the same. This treatment is given through an IV and is for patients with mild dementia and other symptoms caused by early Alzheimer’s disease. The treatment is usually given every two weeks over an 18-month period.
“It gives hope to families, you know, it's not a cure, but it does give some hope to families, that this disease, we're making progress, a lot of time and effort has gone into fundraising and research to find an Alzheimer's drug. So this is the first and, hopefully, a long line of new treatments and drugs to come,” said John Moran, caregiver and Alzheimer’s Association Northwest Arkansas board member. He says the journey of his sister's diagnosis with Alzheimer's has been tough on his family.
“It's painful to watch the ones you love see their world slipping away from them right in front of you. Every day, I mean, the people that used to be very vibrant, like my sister personality wise, who was fun-loving. It just takes everything that you love and know about them away,” he said.
There isn’t a timeline for when this treatment could become widely available. The drugmaker told investors that about 100,000 Americans could be diagnosed and eligible to receive the treatment by 2026.
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.