NPR: Alzheimer’s drug gets full FDA approval. Medicare coverage will likely follow

 

The Food and Drug Administration has fully approved Leqembi, the first drug shown to slow down Alzheimer’s disease.

Andrew Harnik/AP

The Food and Drug Administration has fully approved the first drug shown to slow down Alzheimer’s disease.

The action means that Leqembi, whose generic name is lecanemab, should be widely covered by the federal Medicare health insurance program, which primarily serves adults age 65 and older. So more people who are in the early stages of the disease will have access to the drug – and be able to afford it.