My Alzheimer's Journey
Part 113 - Lecanemab Update
Last week, at the 2026 International Conference on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases, Eisai presented new real-world findings on the long-term usage of Lecanemab. Analyzing data from the PurpleLab claims database (a comprehensive dataset based on medical insurance claims across the United States), Eisai determined the percentage of patients that continued using Lecanemab after the initial 18 months of treatment. The analysis showed:
78.4% of individuals continued Lecanemab treatment at 18 months
71.7% at 20 months
67.3% at 24 months
These high percentages compare to the Phase 3 Clarity AD study where 94% of patients who completed the initial 18 months of Lecanemab infusions chose to continue with the maintenance treatment.
Previous studies have shown that patients with chronic diseases who stay on their treatments longer tend to experience better clinical outcomes. The announcement at the conference did not mention the success of Lecanemab in removing amyloid-beta. I assume many of the patients from the database had a PET scan at the 18-month treatment point. Continuing with my assumption, if there is evidence that Lecanemab is effective and doing its job, then moving into maintenance treatment would be an easy decision to make.
As someone who is receiving Lecanemab infusions, this report is extremely encouraging.
Held in Copenhagen this year, the Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases describes itself as the world’s largest gathering of experts in neurology and neuroscience. They present and discuss the latest advances in the science and treatment of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Frontotemporal Dementia, Lewy body dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases.
I reviewed the conference program and discovered several interesting presentations and discussions. One panel discussion that grabbed my attention was called, “Personalizing Alzheimer’s Care: Biomarker-Driven Strategies for Precision Medicine.” This panel discussed the shift toward a “precision medicine approach in Alzheimer's research”. One of the presenters was Pallavi Sachdev with Eisai. According to her Linkedin profile, Dr. Sachdev is a big deal at Eisai. (Big deal means that she is one of the smartest people in any room.) In her summary of the panel discussion, she stated, “The consensus is clear—to beat Alzheimer's, we must treat the diverse biological pathways of aging. The road to a cure isn’t a single path; it’s a personalized map!”
I believe all of us can agree that the road to a cure isn’t a single path.
Eisai is a Tokyo based pharmaceutical company. Lecanemab was developed by Eisai in partnership with the Swedish company BioArctic. Biogen collaborates on the drug's development and commercialization.