NHS draft rollout plan for Alzheimer's drug lecanemab faces capacity gap

The document estimates that around 80,000 early-stage Alzheimer's patients in the United Kingdom may be eligible, but the protocol of fortnightly infusions means current infrastructure can serve only a third of them. The drug, developed by Eisai and Biogen, costs about 17,000 pounds a year after NHS pricing.

Deputy chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, Sara Imarisio, told the BBC: 'The plan is an acceptable starting point but it must be scaled up quickly.' The health secretary is expected next week to open a new regional infusion centre in Tower Hamlets.

Other UK trials are advancing, including next-generation drugs such as donanemab and remternetug. Australia, Japan and Canada have, through their NHS-equivalent bodies, added lecanemab to their reimbursement lists at varying rates.