NHS Rejects Alzheimer's Drug Due to Cost After Approval

Eli Lilly has announced that their drug, donanemab, has been granted marketing authorization by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in Great Britain. This drug is intended for treating mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease. Despite this approval by British regulators, there are ongoing discussions about its accessibility within the National Health Service (NHS).

Concerns have emerged that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the body responsible for determining the availability of medications on the NHS, might find donanemab too costly for patient use. According to a report from The Telegraph, the NHS will indeed restrict access to donanemab due to its high price tag.

NICE has specified that the drug currently lacks sufficient value for the NHS. They have emphasized the necessity for additional evidence regarding the drug's clinical and cost-effectiveness in managing mild Alzheimer's disease. While it is estimated that around 70,000 adults in England could have qualified for this treatment, NICE's director of medicines evaluation, Helen Knight, highlighted that the estimated cost-effectiveness of donanemab is significantly higher than what NICE typically considers reasonable for NHS resources. Specifically, the cost-effectiveness estimate for donanemab is five to six times above NICE's usual threshold.

Knight also remarked that an independent committee had reviewed all available evidence but concluded that the drug's potential to slow cognitive decline by 4-7 months does not provide enough benefit to justify its high cost to the NHS. Therefore, despite its approval by the MHRA, the financial implications and the need for more substantial evidence have led to the decision to withhold the drug from NHS coverage at this time.