A single course of treatment with an Alzheimer's drug developed by Japanese company Eisai Co. and U.S. firm Biogen Inc. will cost around 2.98 million yen ($20,500) per year in Japan and will be largely covered by public health insurance, a health ministry body said Wednesday.
The highly anticipated drug, lecanemab, will be launched in Japan on Dec. 20, the companies said. The drug won approval in September as the country's first that can slow the progression of the debilitating neurodegenerative disease's symptoms by removing a protein believed to be the cause.
As the drug, branded Leqembi, will be covered by public health insurance, those undergoing treatment will pay between 10 to 30 percent of the cost out of their own pocket, depending on their age and income.
The drug is also expected to be covered under a system in Japan that sets a ceiling on the amount a patient can pay in a year.
A patient aged 70 or above with an annual income of 1.56 million yen to around 3.7 million yen, for example, will pay no more than 144,000 yen annually for the drug under the payment cap.
The drug treats those experiencing early-stage Alzheimer's and mild cognitive impairment. It is estimated up to 32,000 patients could access the drug each year in Japan, translating to a market of 98.6 billion yen, the body said.
The dosing of the drug is based on a patient's weight. The annual cost of 2.98 million yen per year is calculated on the basis of a sufferer weighing 50 kilograms.
Patients will be administered 10 milligrams per 1 kg of body weight via an intravenous injection every two weeks, for up to 18 months.
In the United States, the drug is priced at $26,500 a year per patient.
The drug utilizes an antibody that targets a protein called amyloid beta. The plaque-like protein, which accumulates inside the brain and destroys nerve cells, is considered the cause of the disease.
Eisai said clinical trials demonstrated the drug curbed the progression of symptoms like memory loss and impaired judgment by 27 percent compared with a placebo.
However, some patients administered the drug experienced side effects like brain swelling and bleeding, it said.
Related coverage:
Japan approves Alzheimer's drug developed by Eisai, Biogen
U.S. formally approves Alzheimer's drug developed by Japan's Eisai
