Britain has approved a drug for Alzheimer’s disease, but it will have to be paid for

Britain has approved a drug for Alzheimer’s disease, but it will have to be paid for

Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved the Alzheimer’s drug Kisunla, but the government will not pay for it after an independent watchdog said the treatment was not worth the cost to taxpayers.

The MHRA statement said Kisunla had shown some evidence of effectiveness in slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and approved its use to treat people in the early stages of the disease.

On the other hand, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) says more evidence of Kisunla’s value is needed.

NICE said the cost of administering Kisunla, which requires regular intravenous infusions and rigorous monitoring for potentially serious side effects, including brain swelling or bleeding, meant it could not currently be considered good value for the taxpayer.

NICE experts said they recognized the importance of new treatment options for Alzheimer’s disease and asked the National Health Service to provide further information to address areas of uncertainty in the evidence.

New treatments may slow the disease

Under the UK health system, most people get free healthcare paid for by the government, but they could get Kisunla if they paid for it privately.

It is the second Alzheimer’s drug to receive a mixed reception within a few months. In August, the MHRA approved Lekembi, while the same watchdog agency issued draft guidelines recommending that it not be purchased for medical use.

“People living with dementia and their loved ones will undoubtedly be disappointed by the decision not to fund this new treatment,” said Tara Spiers-Jones, director of the Center for Brain Research at the University of Edinburgh.

“The good news that new treatments can slow the disease even by a small amount is helpful,” she said in a statement, adding that new research will eventually lead to safer and more effective treatments.

Fiona Carragher, director of Alzheimer’s policy and research, said NICE’s decision was disappointing, but pointed out that around 20 drugs for the disease had been tested in advanced studies, predicting more drugs would be submitted for approval within a few years.

Source: Beta

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