Eisai Co., Ltd. and Biogen Inc., announced that once weekly lecanemab-irmb subcutaneous injection (brand name: LEQEMBI IQLIK^®) is now available in the U.S. for initiation therapy for early Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild dementia due to AD, collectively referred to as early AD. MCI due to AD is the earliest symptomatic stage of AD and can appear with subtle symptoms such as forgetfulness, confusion, or feeling at a loss for words.

LEQEMBI IQLIK is administered via an autoinjector, introducing a convenient alternative to intravenous (IV) dosing from the start of treatment. For initiation, the approved regimen is 500 mg given once weekly as two consecutive 250 mg injections, each delivered in approximately 15 seconds. LEQEMBI IQLIK may also be used for maintenance dosing at 360 mg once weekly after 18 months of IV or subcutaneous (SC) treatment. Throughout the entire treatment course – from initiation through maintenance – patients may receive LEQEMBI either as IV infusion or as SC injection with LEQEMBI IQLIK. Patients may also switch from IV to SC administration, or vice versa, providing greater convenience and flexibility in LEQEMBI administration.

Expanding Treatment Convenience and Flexibility Across the Alzheimer’s Disease Care Pathway
The availability of LEQEMBI IQLIK for both initiation and maintenance therapy in the U.S. enhances treatment convenience and flexibility, offering early AD patients and their care partners more control in managing their care while lowering barriers to initiating and continuing treatment with LEQEMBI. LEQEMBI IQLIK may reduce the time spent receiving anti-amyloid therapy via IV infusions. In addition, at-home administration allows patients and their care partners to continue treatment without the burden of clinic visits, making it easier to go out and travel. LEQEMBI IQLIK also has the potential to reduce healthcare resources associated with IV dosing, such as infusion preparation and nurse monitoring. These features may help streamline the overall AD treatment pathway. For ARIA monitoring, as with IV administration, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is performed prior to initiating treatment and at specified time points after treatment initiation.

Support Resources for LEQEMBI IQLIK
Eisai and Biogen will provide a range of resources to help patients, care partners, healthcare providers, health systems and pharmacies successfully implement and use LEQEMBI IQLIK.

Patient Support
Resources include an Instructions for Use (IFU) video and IQLIK Welcome Kit. The IQLIK Welcome Kit provides a What to Expect Treatment Tracker, an injection reminder magnet, and a Demo Kit to help patients and care partners understand what to expect, prepare for at-home injections, and administer injections safely at home. The LEQEMBI Companion^® app will also be available. It brings the information patients and care partners need into one experience, including education about the injection process and tools for tracking each dose.

Patients initiating IQLIK will be encouraged to bring the Welcome Kit to their initial dosing appointment. Kits will be available through: 

• The LEQEMBI Specialty Pharmacy Network (CareMed Specialty Pharmacy and Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy)  
• Integrated Delivery Networks (IDNs) or the prescribing physician 
• LEQEMBI Companion^® - a program offering financial support information and options for eligible patients.  

Through the LEQEMBI Specialty Pharmacy Network, patients may receive support with prescription fulfillment, insurance coverage navigation, onboarding, delivery coordination, device-use education, and – if they choose to participate – treatment reminders and educational support during the first six months of therapy. Patients using other eligible specialty pharmacies may have access to similar support, which may vary by pharmacy.