The new drug "Lecanemab" for Alzheimer's treatment hits the German market in September

The German market is set to officially launch the drug "Lecanemab" (Lecanemab) for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease starting from September 1st, making Germany and Austria the first two countries in the European Union to receive this drug marketed under the name "Leqembi" (Leqembi).

This announcement was made in a joint statement issued by the two manufacturing companies, the American "Biogen" (Biogen) and the Japanese "Eisai" (Eisai).

The drug received approval from the European Commission last April for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment _which includes memory and thinking disorders_ in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.

According to Johannes Levin from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, the first three years are considered the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, noting that the number of patients in this stage in Germany is estimated to be around 250,000 people.

However, the treatment is not suitable for all patients. Data has indicated that the drug should only be given to Alzheimer's patients who have only one copy of the "Apolipoprotein E (ApoE4)" gene, or have none at all. This group is less likely to experience serious side effects such as swelling and bleeding in the brain compared to those who carry two copies of the gene.

According to the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, individuals with only one copy of (ApoE4), or none at all, make up about 80% of Alzheimer's patients in Germany, meaning that the drug could help a large segment of nearly one million patients.

The drug "Lecanemab" is administered intravenously every two weeks. The cost varies depending on the patient's dosage determined by their weight.

Eisai estimates the manufacturing price at 310 euros for a 2-milliliter vial and 615 euros for a 5-milliliter vial. Meanwhile, the retail price for the small vial is about 403 euros and around 788 euros for the large vial, according to the German Pharmacists Association.

According to the manufacturing company "Eisai", this will cost a single patient 24,050 euros annually based on the manufacturing price. According to the German Pharmacists Association, for a person weighing 70 kilograms, they will need a dose of about 7 milliliters _that is, one large vial and one small vial_ for each injection.