Japan OKs Insurance Coverage of Alzheimer's Drug Donanemab

Tokyo, Nov. 13 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Central Social Insurance Medical Council, which advises the health minister, approved Wednesday public health insurance coverage for donanemab, an Alzheimer's medicine developed by U.S. drugmaker Eli Lilly & Co.

The government set the drug's price at 66,948 yen per 350-milligram vial. As a dip is required every month, it will cost a patient about 3.08 million yen per year. Treatment with donanemab will last up to 18 months.

Due to the high costs, the government will provide subsidies to cap patients' out-of-pocket expenses. As a result, most of the costs will be shouldered by the government. The insurance coverage will start Nov. 20.

Donanemab became the second Alzheimer's drug targeting causative deposited plaque in the brain to win the coverage after lecanemab, developed by Japanese drugmaker Eisai Co. and its U.S. partner Biogen Inc. Both drugs are designed to slow progression of the cognitive disorder.

A decade later, there would be some 26,000 users of donanemab, whose clinical application is expected to begin by the end of the year, experts said.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]