A new Alzheimer’s drug developed and manufactured in the United Kingdom has been licensed for use in Europe but remains inaccessible to National Health Service (NHS) patients amid ongoing cost-effectiveness debates. The drug, known as lecanemab and marketed under the name Leqembi, demonstrated in clinical trials that it slowed cognitive and functional decline by approximately one-third in eligible patients. Despite this, the NHS has declined to fund the treatment, citing concerns over whether the benefits justify the expense.
The UK government has announced plans to support a £48 million expansion of a manufacturing facility in Hatfield, operated by the Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai. This site is already certified to produce lecanemab and will, following the expansion, serve as a hub for distributing the drug across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. A government grant from the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund may cover up to 25 percent of the project costs, although the exact amount has not been disclosed.
This decision has drawn criticism from figures such as Lord Bethell, a former life sciences minister, who called the situation “extraordinary.” He highlighted the perceived contradiction of investing in the UK’s capacity to manufacture and supply the drug internationally while NHS patients are denied access on grounds of disputed cost and benefit assessments. Lord Bethell questioned whether the current system for evaluating Alzheimer’s treatments adequately reflects the profound impact of the disease on patients and their families in the UK.
Although the UK medicines regulator approved lecanemab in August 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended against its routine NHS funding on the same day. NICE and NHS England have acknowledged ongoing challenges in capturing the full societal and familial burden of dementia within their evaluations. Representatives from NICE, NHS England, and Eisai confirmed that negotiations are underway to reach agreed pricing arrangements for both lecanemab and a competitor drug, donanemab, with the goal of achieving a “positive outcome for patients and the NHS.”
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care emphasized that decisions regarding new Alzheimer’s treatments are made independently and pointed to recent changes in medicine assessment processes aimed at facilitating patient access to innovative therapies. The department also noted the appointment of a dementia tsar to promote advances in care and innovation, as well as plans to accelerate social care reforms to ensure dignity and support for those affected.
To date, no treatment shown to slow Alzheimer’s progression has been approved for NHS rollout, underscoring ongoing challenges in balancing clinical benefits, cost considerations, and system-wide priorities within the UK’s healthcare framework.