Health Canada approves LEQEMBI (lecanemab), an antibody drug that can slow the cognitive decline in patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. Eisai Ltd., a Japan-based pharmaceutical company, was the first to develop and manufacture the LEQEMBI drug, in joint partnership with Biogen, a US-based company and a major player in the biotechnology segment, and BioArctic, a Swedish-based research company. Now available in Canada, the LEQEMBI (lecanemab) drug can be a game-changer for alzheimer patients in Canada.
According to the Alzheimer Society CA reports, 771,939 people residing in Canada have dementia, and more than 400 people develop dementia each day, which is roughly 16-17 people per hour, starting from January 1, 2025. While these numbers are concerning, researchers warned that the count could reach an estimated 1 million people by 2030, and more than 1.7 million by 2050.
LEQEMBI (lecanemab) got its authorization to sell in Canada after a 2.5-year-long overhaul. Sharon Cohen, the Toronto Memory Program’s medical director, and also a part of the lecanemab clinical trial research team, expressed her glee, saying, “To keep people mild longer, living in their own homes, doing the things that are meaningful to them – this is huge.” Alzheimer’s disease develops due to the buildup of amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain. This medical condition hampers the free flow of information and communication between brain cells.
LEQEMBI (lecanemab) works by narrowing amyloid plaque buildup in the brain, which is considered to be one of the main root causes of Alzheimer’s disease. Adam Morrison, Senior Director of Public Policy and Partnerships, and spokesperson for the Alzheimer Society of Ontario, says LEQEMBI (lecanemab) approval has been long-awaited by patients and their families. In Canada, this drug goes by the name Leqembi. “What we hear from our clients is that ‘this sounds like a drug that can give me more time. This can give me more time with my family,’ and that’s a really, really significant piece that we’ve been hearing about a lot,” added Adam Morrison.
Mr. Morrison further said LEQEMBI (lecanemab) is a hope for alzheimer patients. According to Eisai, the drug went through testing in a global Phase 3 clinical trial for efficacy, and further said that they’d keep sharing the “clinical assessment data captured from participants in real-world clinical practice.”
This disease has no cure; however, this lab-made antibody drug can buy some time, allowing patients to do their daily activities in the usual way. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved this drug in 2023.
The annual cost of Alzheimer’s treatment is US$26,000 outside Canada, which is too pricey to afford, and without public funding support, patients would have to pay out of their pockets. The Alzheimer Society urges the provincial government and Canada’s Drug Agency to speed up the process and provide state funding, so that patients who meet the drug criteria can start their treatment.
As every coin has two sides, so do treatments and drugs. Taking the LEQEMBI (lecanemab) drug can likely have some side effects, like headache, dizziness, lightheadedness, brain swelling, bleeding, etc. Under exceptional circumstances, the patient can experience seizures or stroke-like symptoms. Dr. Andrew Frank, a cognitive neurologist and medical director of the Bruyère Memory Program in Ottawa, said that “In most cases, these side effects are visible on MRI scans but don’t cause any symptoms.”
In a 2024 interview with The Canadian Press, he said, “This is likely because the antibodies are reacting with the amyloid, and as the amyloid protein is being cleared, there may be inflammation to do that, which can lead to swelling in the brain and/or bleeding in the brain.”.
“Fewer than one per cent of clinical trial participants had ‘persistent or possibly permanent side-effects or symptoms’ once the medication was stopped”, he said.
“I support these medications being accessible to Canadians, so that they can make a decision on the risk-benefit balance themselves, with their families and with their physicians to make a choice on whether or not the benefit of slowing the disease outweighs the risk of those serious side-effects,” affirmed Mr. Frank.
Article written by: FRSC Staff
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