Ichilov first hospital outside US to treat Alzheimer’s patients with new drug Lecanemab
Renee Ghert-Zand is the health reporter and a feature writer for The Times of Israel.
Ichilov Hospital announces that this week it began treating patients with Alzheimer’s drug Lecanemab.
Ichilov is the only medical center outside the United States authorized by drugmaker Eisai to administer the medication, which is newly approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
The medication, sold under the brand name Leqembi, is produced by the Japanese company Eisai and its US partner Biogen.
Leqembi is an antibody intravenous infusion therapy that targets and removes beta-amyloid plaques from the brain. The FDA approved its use in treating early Alzheimer’s disease, including people living with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease who have confirmation of elevated beta-amyloid in the brain.
Dr. Tamara Shiner, a neurology specialist and head of Ichilov’s service for frontal neurological syndromes and dementia with Lewy bodies, says that the hospital has set up a system to identify patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s who could benefit from this treatment.
Among the first Israelis to receive a Leqembi infusion this week is 76-year-old Ophira Barkan.
“I am very excited to be among the first patients to get this medication. I hold out a lot of hope for it. This is the first time that there is a drug to treat Alzheimer’s and it’s providing me some light,” she says.
