Leqembi for Alzheimer’s Patients in US Available Through Soleo Health
Specialty pharmacy named as sole distributor of therapy for early-stage disease
Soleo Health was selected by Eisai as the sole specialty pharmacy to carry Leqembi (lecanemab) for Alzheimer’s disease patients prescribed the treatment.
Leqembi, approved for use in the U.S. earlier this month, is an anti-amyloid targeted antibody, used to treat mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s.
“The selection of Soleo Health as the sole specialty pharmacy distributor for Leqembi reflects confidence in our clinical expertise and differentiated patient care model supporting patients in the neurology space,” Drew Walk, CEO of Soleo Health, said in a press release.
Leqembi eased cognitive decline and plaque buildup in a clinical trial
In Alzheimer’s disease, the accumulation of beta-amyloid protein in the brain leads to the formation of clumps that disrupt nerve cell function and ultimately kills the cells. This contributes to cognitive impairment and functional disability in people with the disease.
Leqembi, co-developed by Eisai and Biogen, targets a toxic form of beta-amyloid that’s likely to aggregate, working to neutralize the protein and marking it for clearance by the immune system before clumping occurs. The result is fewer beta-amyloid aggregates, or plaques, in the brain, potentially slowing disease progression.
Findings in a Phase 2 clinical trial, Study 201 (NCT01767311), showed that Leqembi, infused twice a month, eased cognitive decline and prevented beta-amyloid accumulation in the brains of treated patients relative to those given a placebo over 18 months. Study results supported the therapy’s accelerated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The treatment is administered as an into-the-vein (intravenous) infusion once every two weeks, at a recommended dose of 10 mg/kg.
Soleo Health will distribute Leqembi to provider offices and infusion centers, and administer it across the company’s ambulatory infusion centers nationwide, including those operated by its provider division, Virtis Health. This division offers therapeutic and diagnostic services to people with complex diseases requiring special management.
The company reported that it operates more than 40 infusion centers across the U.S.
Patients treated with Leqembi also can receive support through Soleo Health’s Alzheimer’s disease Therapeutic Care Management Center, or TCMC, whose interdisciplinary staff includes physician specialists, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, therapy-care pharmacists, reimbursement specialists, and patient care ambassadors. The center is supported by the company’s nationwide specialty pharmacies, Soleo Health stated.
“Our partnership with Eisai will afford the Alzheimer’s community continued hope while we assist patients and their caregivers as they navigate their healthcare journey,” Walk said.
More information on Soleo Health’s services for Leqembi and Alzheimer’s disease is available by contacting its Alzheimer’s TCMC at 844-960-9090 or via email at [email protected].
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