Leqembi cost etc

terei

So, at a cost of $90,000 a year for 5 months delay in Alz symptoms over 18 months of treatment(total cost for 18 months e $135,000) with possible catastrophic side effects. Am I the only one that finds this ludicrous?

Quilting brings calm

Np you are not. it makes no sense to me. Just as the last couple of ‘miracle drugs’ didn’t.

MN Chickadee

I had the same thoughts. So tired of these headlines that act like a cure has been found or even a wide reaching effective treatment. I don't think I would go for it with the risks or the cost in order to buy 5 months. And it's only for people in early stages who generally have time regardless to get things taken care of. This sounds like something that will make some executives and shareholders rich but really not the kind of treatment we need.

On a more uplifting note, I did read something recently about the break throughs that are on the horizon for many illnesses including cancer and Alzheimers. The research on mRNA and different kinds of gene therapy have some real potential, and those in the know can see it becoming something to actually prevent Alz from starting in the first place. Basically finding whatever it is in our genes that causes these awful diseases to take root and tweaking that gene before it happens. I'm not abandoning hope but not sure this Leqembi is much of anything.

BadMoonRising

The list price of Leqembi is $26,500/yr, not including the costs associated with pretesting, drug administration, monitoring, including MRIs, etc. OTOH, the 5-month reduction of cognitive decline was within an18-month timeframe so, hypothetically, a patient could gain years of independence the longer she continues with the treatment. Cha-Ching? ;)

frankay

Anyone interested in Leqembi, check to see if the price is based on weight. My DH's neurologist wanted my husband to go on Aducanumab when they dropped the price to $26,000/year. I researched it and discovered that the cost was per kilo of weight. The $26,000 was for someone who weighed in the low 60 kilos (about 134-138 pounds). My husband weighed 90 kilos and I calculated it would cost about $38,000. In addition to all the other issues, I said no thank you.

BadMoonRising

Well, that's interesting. If that's true for medicare as well, the system will definitely implode.

AlzWife2023

My husband’s neurologist told us about this drug a few weeks ago & said it’s not a breakthrough for individuals but it’s a big step forward in medicine, meaning step by step they are developing better drugs. He also said Medicare pays for the drug if you have a score of 20 or below (out of 30) on the mini-mental (so early or mild dementia—not moderate) & (I think) you’ll need a spinal tap or scan to confirm it’s Alzheimer’s, which Medicare would pay for. He said the difference it could make for the individual would not be noticeable on a day by day basis and the risk of bleeding in the brain is high (20%+) b/c the drug is dissolving the plaques and that process could cause micro tears especially in the older brain.