A path has opened for Alzheimer's patients to receive initial treatment at home in 15 seconds without going to the hospital. Japan's Eisai and U.S.-based Biogen said on the 13th (local time) that the subcutaneous injection of the Alzheimer's treatment Leqembi was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for initial treatment.
Alzheimer's is generally a degenerative neurological disease caused by excessive accumulation of proteins in the brain. People lose memory and daily life becomes difficult, but it cannot be cured 100%. Leqembi works by preventing the buildup of amyloid beta proteins to slow disease progression. Eisai and Biogen co-developed it, and it was approved by the FDA in 2023. In Korea, it was launched in 2024 after approval by the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety. Some side effects such as brain edema and microhemorrhages have been reported.
Leqembi was initially introduced as an intravenous injection formulation. The company developed it as a subcutaneous injection and received FDA approval last year. At the time, patients were directed to use subcutaneous injections after first receiving intravenous treatment for 18 months. This time, authorization was granted to administer subcutaneous injections from the start.
With this, Alzheimer's patients can administer the Leqembi subcutaneous injection at home in 15 seconds. Like an insulin shot, patients can easily inject it into the abdomen or thigh. The existing intravenous injection took more than an hour to administer and required going to the hospital.
Eisai and Biogen said, "From initiation to maintenance, patients can administer Leqembi via subcutaneous injection at every step," adding, "It is possible to flexibly switch the route of administration between intravenous and subcutaneous, in either direction."