Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Lycanemab, a drug approved to treat Alzheimer’s, is expected to be officially launched in the German market on September 1.
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A statement was issued by the two pharmaceutical companies involved in developing the drug. These are the American Biogen and the Japanese Isai. The statement said that Austria and Germany are the first two countries in the European Union to launch the drug.
It is scheduled to be marketed under the name “Lekembe”.
This treatment could help a small portion of the approximately one million people with Alzheimer’s in Germany alone.
Lycanemab is given intravenously every two weeks.
Last April, the European Commission approved the drug “Licanimab” to treat mild cognitive impairment in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
According to Johannes Levin of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, the first three years are the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
He explained that there are likely about 250,000 people in Germany in the early stages of the disease.
Restrictions on the target group
There is another limitation on the target group.
The drug should only be given to Alzheimer’s patients who have only one copy of the lipoprotein E (ApoE4) core.
Or those who do not have a copy of it at all, which is a form of the “apolipoprotein E gene”.
This group is considered less susceptible to some side effects – such as swelling and bleeding in the brain
Compared to people who have two versions of (ApoE4).
According to the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, people who have only one copy of (ApoE4), or no copy at all, make up about 80% of Alzheimer’s patients in Germany.
Isai estimates the manufacturing price at 310 euros for a 2 ml package. In addition, it is 615 euros for a 5 ml package.
According to the German Pharmacists Association, the retail price for a small package is about 403 euros. Furthermore, it is about 788 euros for a large package.
An ISAI spokesman explained that the number of sufficient doses depends on the patient’s weight.
According to estimates by the German Pharmacists Association, for a person weighing 70 kilograms, he will need a dose of about 7 milliliters per injection.
According to the manufacturer, Isai, this will cost one patient 24,050 euros annually based on the manufacturing price.
