Photo: UnsplashThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the drug Lekembi for Alzheimer's disease, opening up the possibility that the therapy will be covered by insurance for people with the disease.
US officials have approved the use of a drug for Alzheimer's, and the move opens up the possibility that the therapy will be covered by insurance for people with this disease that attacks the brain, reports Voice of America.
It is about the drug Lekembi, which is given intravenously, to patients with mild dementia and other symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. It is the first drug that has been conclusively proven to be able to slightly slow down the effects of Alzheimer's disease.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed those results in a larger sample of 1.800 patients, where it slowed the loss of memory and thinking ability by five months in those who received the therapy, compared to those who received a placebo.
There will be serious warnings in the instructions for the drug, primarily that Lekembi can cause bleeding and swelling, side effects that can be dangerous in rare cases.
Lekembi costs $26.500 for the annual therapy, which is given by infusion every two weeks. Most Americans with Alzheimer's are insured through the government, and private insurers have indicated they will await FDA approval.
Insurance official Chiquita Brooks Lasure she stated that they will cover the therapy now that there is approval. On the other hand, the government will set additional requirements, such as the introduction of a federal registry that would monitor the safety and efficacy of the drug. Some patients will still have to pay a 20 percent co-pay for Lekembi, although this depends on their insurance plans.
Hospitals have been informed that the therapies will not start immediately. Doctors should confirm that the patient has brain deposits before prescribing Lekemba. Medical staff should be trained in how to administer the drug and monitor patients, through brain scans for bleeding or swelling. Some additional services will bring new costs to medical institutions before the introduction of the drug.
AE/Voice of America/BBC
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