In this post, I link to and excerpt from the excellent New York Times article, New Federal Decisions Make Alzheimer’s Drug Leqembi Widely Accessible, July 6, 2023.
The article well describes the risks and benefits of Lecanemab.
I strongly recommend that everyone review the entire article. The article is outstanding.
All that follows is from the above resource.
Leqembi [lecanemab] cannot repair cognitive damage, reverse the course of the disease or stop it from getting worse. But data from a large clinical trial suggests that the drug — administered every two weeks as an intravenous infusion — may slow decline by about five months over about 18 months for people with mild symptoms.
Still, some Alzheimer’s experts have said it is unclear from the medical evidence whether Leqembi’s ability to delay erosion of memory and cognition would be enough to be noticeable or meaningful for patients and their families. And while most cases of brain swelling and bleeding have been mild or moderate and have resolved, there have been some serious cases.
“The risks are very vivid,” said Dr. Jason Karlawish, a co-director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Memory Center, who said he will prescribe Leqembi after carefully evaluating patients and explaining the potential pros and cons. “Within the first few months, you may have small bleeds or swelling in your brain, which may or may not be symptomatic and if not detected in time can cause disability.”
“In contrast,” Dr. Karlawish continued, “the benefits of slowing are subtle. You’re not going to experience the perception of changes in your cognition or function in the same amount of time.”
