Leqembi
Coverage of Leqembi in the Nexus archive.
- STAT+: Medicare’s miss on Alzheimer’s drug spending
Medicare's predicted spending on Alzheimer's drug Leqembi was $3.5 billion in 2025, but the actual cost is expected to be higher. The prediction was made by Medicare's actuaries two years ago. The article discusses the discrepancy in the predicted and actual costs.
- STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about Medicare and Alzheimer’s drugs, estrogen patch shortages, and more
People on Medicare are not getting recently approved Alzheimer's medications as much as anticipated, and uptake for the drugs has been muted. Meanwhile, there is a shortage of estrogen patches, with doctors and patients reporting difficulties in getting certain doses. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not yet included any estrogen patches on its list of drug shortages.
- STAT+: Medicare is spending far less than expected on new Alzheimer’s drugs
Medicare spending on new Alzheimer's drugs, Leqembi and Kisunla, is lower than expected due to challenges in administration, limited patient population, and severe side effects. Medicare does not forecast significant spending on these drugs in 2026 or 2027. The drugs have had little meaningful benefits despite their approval.