The Department of Veterans Affairs announced it will cover Leqembi, the Alzheimer's drug manufactured by Eisai and Biogen, which received accelerated approval from the FDA in January, according to a March 13 company news release.
While nearly 168,000 veterans are getting care for dementia symptoms related to Alzheimer's, not all will qualify for VA coverage of Leqembi, The Wall Street Journal reported March 13.
To qualify for the new drug, which has been shown to slow decline in patients with early-stage Alzheimer's, veterans must be over 65, show early-stage symptoms of the disease and have elevated levels of brain amyloid, often referred to as "sticky protein fragments" in the brain.
Leqembi has been shown to remove sticky protein fragments, thereby slowing progression of early-stage disease in patients.
The VA is the first major payer to give the green light to Leqembi coverage. CMS announced it would not cover Leqembi until the FDA grants full approval. CMS is sticking with its decision to deny routine coverage of anti-amyloid drugs until it is able to view additional data.
The deadline for a final decision from the FDA on Leqembi is set for July 6.