Eisai and Biogen’s Leqembi launched for Alzheimer’s treatment in China
Betsy Goodfellow | June 28, 2024 | News story | Business Services | Alzheimers, Biogen, Eisai, Leqembi, Neurology, lecanemab
Eisai and Biogen have announced that Leqembi (lecanemab) has been launched in China as a treatment for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer’s disease (AZ) and mild AD dementia, following its approval in January 2024.
This makes China the third country to launch Leqembi, following the US and Japan.
According to the press release, ‘Eisai estimates there will be 17 million patients with MCI or mild dementia due to AD (collectively referred to as early AD) in China in 2024, which is expected to increase as the population ages. Eisai is distributing the product in China and conducting information provision activities through specialised Medical Representatives, while also working to build a unique early AD diagnosis and treatment pathway that combines online and offline services’.
The drug works by selectively binding to soluble A β aggregates (protofibrils) as well as insoluble Aβaggregates (fibrils) which make up a major part of Aβplaques in AD, therefore reducing both Aβprotofibrils and Aβfibrils in the brain.
The press release continues, stating that ‘in China, Leqembi will first be launched in the private market. In collaboration with Eisai, a major Chinese medical insurance company has developed and launched a healthcare insurance plan specifically for AD including partial coverage of the drug cost […] Through these efforts, Eisai is committed to promoting the early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of AD in China, building the dementia ecosystem, and supporting people with early AD to “live their fullest lives”’.
Betsy Goodfellow
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