China has approved a drug to treat Alzheimer’s, becoming only the third country after the US and Japan to fast track its sale to treat the irreversible and progressive brain disorder, reports the South China Morning Post. The nation’s drugs regulator on Tuesday said Leqembi, an antibody that has shown to slow progression of the disease for people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, can be sold in the country.
The drug’s joint developers, Eisai of Japan and Biogen of the US, said the drug will be launched in China as early as the third quarter of 2024. It was fast-tracked by the US Food and Drug Administration in July 2023 followed by Japan’s health ministry in September.
Eisai, which is taking the lead on distributing the drug in China, has yet to announce a price for Leqembi in the country.