Two new Alzheimer’s treatments will not be made available on the NHS as they do not provide enough value for money. The two drugs, donanemab and lecanemab, were rejected after the appraisal committee from NICE discussed evidence of their use. Despite showing the ability to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease by a few months, the committee found that the benefits were too limited compared to the high costs of the drugs and their delivery, and were therefore not a good use of NHS resources.
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‘We have done everything we possibly can to try and achieve a positive outcome in our assessments of these treatments, including providing an additional opportunity for new evidence to be submitted,’ said Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at NICE. ‘However, the committee concluded the small benefits of donanemab and lecanemab shown in the clinical trials and the lack of long-term evidence of effectiveness, together with the substantial resources the NHS would need to commit to the treatments means if they were approved they could displace other essential treatments and services that deliver significant benefits to patients.’
Alzheimer’s charities and organisations have expressed their disappointment at the decision. Charities, including the Alzheimer’s Society, funded research into trials of these drugs and claim that even though the ruling was not unexpected, it has disappointed many in the dementia community. While acknowledging the rigorous process behind NICE’s judgment, they also called for a renewed focus on diagnosis and readiness for future breakthroughs.
‘These NICE recommendations will remain disappointing for people eager to see these treatments readily available, though we continue to respect the decisions of the regulator,’ said Professor Fiona Carragher, Chief Policy and Research Officer at Alzheimer’s Society. ‘We need significant, long-term government investment into the diagnosis workforce and infrastructure to benefit people with dementia today and to get health systems ready to deliver groundbreaking future treatments.’