Annual Wasteful Spending on Lecanemab Estimated at $133 to $336 Million
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Oct. 18, 2024 -- Annual wasteful spending on discarded lecanemab is anticipated to range between $133 and $336 million, given current vial sizes, according to a research letter published online Oct. 14 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Noting that lecanemab dosing is weight-based and only available in 500- and 200-mg vials, Frank F. Zhou, from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in Los Angeles, and colleagues quantified the projected cost of discarded lecanemab in the U.S. Medicare program. Participants from the 2020 Health Retirement Study aged 65 years and older who were potentially eligible for lecanemab by having mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia were included; the required dose and most cost-efficient number of vials to provide that dose were determined for each patient.
A total of 1,490 participants were included, representing about 7.2 million eligible individuals. The researchers found that the current vial sizes could result in 5.8 percent of dispensed lecanemab being wasted among this population, representing 1.6 wasted doses and $1,619 of wasteful spending per patient per year. The total annual wasteful spending on discarded lecanemab would range between $133 and $336 million assuming lower and upper estimates of 1.1 and 2.9 percent drug uptake. In simulations of alternative vial sizes, adding a 75-mg vial would achieve the greatest reduction in waste (74 percent), representing annual savings of $99 million.
"We anticipate $133 million to $336 million in annual wasteful spending on discarded lecanemab in the Medicare population, which would rank lecanemab as the second or third costliest Medicare Part B drug in terms of waste," the authors write.
One author disclosed ties to Milliman MedInsight.
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted October 2024
Read this next
Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Account for More Than One-Third of Dementia Risk
THURSDAY, June 5, 2025 -- A substantial number of U.S. dementia cases could be eliminated by mitigating modifiable cardiometabolic risk factors, according to a study published...
Parental Education Tied to Cognitive Function in Middle-Aged, Older Adults
WEDNESDAY, June 4, 2025 -- Parental education may protect offspring's cognitive health later in life, according to a study published online May 30 in JAMA Network...
Depression Across the Life Course Linked to Increased Risk for Dementia
TUESDAY, June 3, 2025 -- Depression across the life course is associated with an increased risk for dementia, according to a study published online May 29 in...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.