Kisunla

The FDA has approved two drugs to remove amyloid plaque from those with AD: Leqembi (July 2023) & Kisunla (July 2024). The Leqembi infusions are every 2 weeks, the Kisunla infusions every 4 weeks. Both drugs demonstrated roughly the same slowing in cognitive decline over their respective 18 month trials. I recently had my 32nd infusion of Leqembi, the drug seems to be working well.

One of the differences between the two drugs is that Leqembi dosing is recommended to continue after the initial 18 months of infusions, whereas Kisunla dosing can be terminated once amyloid PET scans have shown that amyloid is cleared. The rationale for continuing maintenance dosing with Leqembi is that this drug also targets toxic forms of amyloid besides amyloid plaque which studies have shown can impact cognition. The FDA recently approved a subcutaneous version of Leqembi for maintenance dosing. This means that after 18 months of infusions, those on Leqembi can switch to a weekly subcutaneous maintenance shot which can be injected at home. I'm looking forward to switching from infusions to subcutaneous shots when I transition to maintenance dosing for Leqembi. The drug company that developed Leqembi has also announced they have submitted a request to the FDA for approval of a subcutaneous version of Leqembi for the initial dosing. Should the FDA approve this request, this would mean no infusions for those taking Leqembi. Instead, patients would always receive subcutaneous shots. Not to be outdone, the drug company that developed Kisunla is currently testing their next generation drug for targeting amyloid plaque (Remternetug), and this drug also is administered via subcutaneous injections.

The people using these drugs usually seem to post in the "Living with Alzheimer's or Dementia" section of this website, not this area. The subject caught my eye, hence this post in a section I don't usually follow.