Health Canada Grants Authorization for “LEQEMBI®” (lecanemab) for the Treatment of Early Alzheimer’s Disease

Core Insights - Health Canada has issued a Notice of Compliance with Conditions for LEQEMBI (lecanemab), marking it as the first treatment for early Alzheimer's disease (AD) targeting an underlying cause of the disease [1][3] - LEQEMBI has shown significant efficacy in reducing the rate of disease progression and slowing cognitive decline in adults with AD, with approvals in 51 countries and regions [2][11] Group 1: Product Information - LEQEMBI selectively binds to both soluble and insoluble amyloid-beta aggregates, reducing Aβ protofibrils and plaques in the brain [2] - The approval of LEQEMBI is based on the Phase 3 Clarity AD study, which met its primary and key secondary endpoints with statistically significant results [3][10] - In the Clarity AD study, LEQEMBI reduced clinical decline on the Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB) by 27% at 18 months compared to placebo [10] Group 2: Market Context - Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60 to 80% of all dementia cases, with over 771,000 patients in Canada as of January 1, 2025, projected to rise to approximately 1 million by 2030 [4] - The annual care provided by family and friends for dementia patients is equivalent to 290,000 full-time jobs, expected to increase to 690,000 by 2050 [4] Group 3: Collaboration and Development - Eisai leads the global development and regulatory submissions for lecanemab, with Biogen co-commercializing and co-promoting the product [5][14] - Eisai and BioArctic have collaborated since 2005 on the development and commercialization of AD treatments, with Eisai obtaining global rights for lecanemab in 2007 [15]