EU Agency greenlights new Alzheimer drug

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has re-evaluated its stance and now recommends partial EU approval for Leqembi, an Alzheimer’s medication initially discouraged due to brain bleeding risks. The new assessment by independent EMA experts suggests the treatment’s benefits outweigh the risks for a specific group of patients with a low risk of brain hemorrhage. Alzheimer’s disease, marked by cognitive decline, memory loss, and disorientation, is a common form of dementia. If the EU Commission follows the EMA’s recommendations, Leqembi could become the first treatment in the EU for early-stage Alzheimer’s by targeting beta-amyloid protein accumulations. Leqembi has been approved in the USA and other countries including China, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, and South Korea.