英、エーザイの認知症新薬を承認　公的負担適用は見送りへ

　【ロンドン時事】英医薬品・医療製品規制庁（ＭＨＲＡ）は２２日、日本の製薬大手エーザイなどが開発したアルツハイマー病治療薬「レカネマブ」を承認したと発表した。欧州での承認は初めて。ただ、薬の効果に比べて費用が高過ぎるとして、公的負担による医療制度「国民保健サービス（ＮＨＳ）」での使用は見送られる見通し。
　レカネマブは早期のアルツハイマー病患者を対象とした新薬。臨床試験（治験）では、薬を投与しない患者に比べ、症状の悪化を２７％抑制する効果が確認された。エーザイによると、英国の認知症患者は約９８万人と推定され、そのうち６～７割がアルツハイマー病とみられている。（2024/08/23-06:57）

Britain's medicine regulator said Thursday that it approved a novel Alzheimer's drug developed jointly by Japanese drugmaker Eisai Co. and U.S. partner Biogen Inc.
   The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approved a product license for the drug lecanemab, making Britain the first country in Europe to greenlight the drug.
   But the treatment is expected to be excluded from use in the National Health Service public health care system, due to its high cost relative to its efficacy.
   A clinical trial showed that the administration of lecanemab to patients in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease reduced the decline in their cognitive functions by 27 pct compared with a control group.
   According to Eisai, there are approximately 980,000 dementia patients in Britain, of which between 60 pct and 70 pct are believed to be suffering from Alzheimer's disease.