Lecanemab in Alzheimer’s disease: a profile of its use

Lecanemab (also known as lecanemab-irmb in the USA; LEQEMBI^®), an immunoglobulin (Ig)G1 monoclonal antibody directed against aggregated soluble and insoluble forms of amyloid-β, is an emerging treatment option for patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Lecanemab is approved for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease in multiple countries worldwide, including the USA. Lecanemab is administered as an intravenous infusion once every 2 weeks, with treatment initiated early in the disease process (i.e. when patients have mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia). In the phase 3 Clarity AD trial in patients with early Alzheimer’s disease, lecanemab reduced brain amyloid-β levels and was associated with significantly less decline in measures of cognition and function than placebo. The benefits of lecanemab on clinical progression were maintained over the longer term, with the drug demonstrating a disease-modifying effect. Lecanemab was associated with relatively preserved health-related quality of life and less worsening of caregiver burden than placebo. However, lecanemab was also associated with adverse events (AEs), the most common being infusion-related reactions and amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA).