Reversal opens door for plan sponsors as eligible dementia population nears 1 million by 2030
Canada's Drug Agency has recommended that public drug plans reimburse lecanemab for early Alzheimer's disease, reversing its own earlier draft position, drug makers Eisai and Biogen Canada said.
The positive Health Technology Assessment overturns a previous draft recommendation from CDA-AMC, according to the companies, which sell the therapy under the brand name Leqembi.
In its review, the agency found that "lecanemab is likely to provide meaningful benefit in addressing some unmet needs in early Alzheimer's disease such as delaying progression."
The companies said CDA-AMC weighed 48-month clinical data, which the agency described as suggesting "increasing treatment effect compared with earlier time points (18 and 36 months)."
The recommendation carries weight for drug plan sponsors because of the size of the eligible population.
Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60 to 80 percent of cases, per the companies.
More than 771,000 people in Canada live with dementia, a figure Eisai and Biogen said is projected to reach roughly 1m by 2030.
The companies did not disclose a Canadian price.
In the US, the manufacturers set the drug's price at US$26,500 a year, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
The current recommendation is not final.
As per the announcement, it remains open for stakeholder feedback until July 30, through the agency's website.
Christina Scicluna, chief executive of the Alzheimer Society of Canada, welcomed the decision and linked it to wider gaps in care.
"Today's decision is an important step forward and reinforces the urgent need for equitable access to a system that supports Canadians throughout their Alzheimer's journey, which includes sustained investments in navigation, diagnosis, treatment, and community supports," she said.
Eisai and Biogen describe lecanemab as the first treatment approved in Canada that targets the underlying biology of Alzheimer's.
According to the Alzheimer's Association, the monoclonal antibody targets and removes beta-amyloid from the brain and slows cognitive and functional decline in people with early-stage disease, including mild cognitive impairment.
It is not a cure, the association noted, and does not restore lost memory or function.
The most common reported side effects are infusion-related reactions, amyloid-related imaging abnormalities and headache, the association said, adding that the drug can cause serious allergic reactions.
Clinicians confirm elevated beta-amyloid before starting treatment, typically through a PET scan or lumbar puncture.
Lecanemab is given by intravenous infusion every two weeks, though newer subcutaneous options now exist.
The US FDA approved a subcutaneous starter dose in July 2026.
