MHRA licence lecanemab for use in the UK

NICE publish draft guidance not recommending it for NHS use 

One of the new generation of drugs to treat Alzheimer’s disease, lecanemab, has been licenced by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for prescription by doctors in Britain. 

Read more about the MHRA decision here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/lecanemab-licensed-for-adult-patients-in-the-early-stages-of-alzheimers-disease 

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), however, has published draft guidance for consultation not recommending lecanemab for use on the NHS because, NICE say, “It is not a cost-effective use of limited NHS funding.” 

NICE say their next steps are as follows: 

“The public consultation on the draft NICE guidance will close on Friday 20 September 2024. The independent committee will consider all responses at a second committee meeting later in the year before producing its final recommendations.” 

Read more about the NICE decision here: https://www.nice.org.uk/news/articles/benefits-of-new-alzheimer-s-treatment-lecanemab-are-too-small-to-justify-the-cost-to-the-nhs 

Submit your comment to the NICE Public Consultation here: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ta11220/consultation/html-content-4 

You can read more about lecanemab from ARUK here: https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/news/new-alzheimers-treatment-lecanemab-makes-the-headlines-whats-next/