China joins US and Japan in approving Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi developed by Eisai and Biogen
- Eisai and Biogen, the drug’s joint developers, plan to launch the antibody in China as early as the third quarter
- Leqembi was first approved by the US FDA in July, closely followed by the Japanese health ministry in September
China has approved a drug to treat Alzheimer’s, becoming only the third country after the US and Japan to fast track its sale to treat the irreversible and progressive brain disorder.
The nation’s drugs regulator on Tuesday said Leqembi, an antibody that has shown to slow progression of the disease for people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, can be sold in the country.
The drug’s joint developers, Eisai of Japan and Biogen of the US, said the drug will be launched in China as early as the third quarter of 2024. It was fast-tracked by the US Food and Drug Administration in July 2023 followed by Japan’s health ministry in September.
Eisai, which is taking the lead on distributing the drug in China, has yet to announce a price for Leqembi in the country.
In the US, the therapy is priced at US$26,500 annually and at about 2.98 million yen (US$20,500) annually in Japan, according to media reports. A fair price for the drug would be between US$8,900 and US$21,500 per year, the US drug cost-effectiveness organisation ICER said in May.