Neurologists are voicing “frustration” at core elements of the Alzheimer's drug Leqembi, produced by Eisai and Biogen and which was supposed to be the chosen one after the flop that was their Aduhelm.
That’s according to a new report by life sciences consultants at Spherix that delved into insights from 75 high-prescribing US neurologists working with Alzheimer’s patients.
The picture painted by them is bleak: now around six months after the launch of Leqembi, “few surveyed neurologists consider Leqembi to be a significant medical advance over other historical AD treatments”, Spherix’s analysis found.
It also found that satisfaction with Leqembi “is relatively low”, with the average satisfaction rating being a full 15% lower than the typical rating for a new neurology market entrant, the consultants said.
“Perhaps related to that, less than half of neurologists surveyed are actively recommending Leqembi to patients,” the report found.
Eisai had planned to reach 10 000 patients with Leqembi by the end of its 2024 fiscal year, which wraps up in March, but only 2 000 patients in America were receiving the amyloid-busting antibody as of 26 January, Eisai said earlier this month.
One anonymous neurologist said: “I present the facts. In the end, what I tell them is I am not enthusiastic about using the drug. I never tell patients that it’s wrong for them to choose Leqembi. I just tell them that I don’t believe that it’s as helpful as they might have heard about, read about, or what they’ve discussed with other friends or family.”
That’s not all, reports Fierce Pharma. There are also other issues, including over coverage, and the logistics of getting the therapy.
On the coverage side, while the Centres for Medicare & Medicaid Services will cover Leqembi, getting Medicare coverage for patients is “posing a challenge”.
The report notes that, on average, two-fifths of patients who should be eligible were not in fact prescribed Leqembi because they could not obtain Medicare or other insurance approvals. For others, the co-payments were simply too high.
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