Sue Bell, diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's, was among the first to receive Leqembi, a drug approved in 2023 aimed at clearing beta-amyloid plaques from the brain. Four years later, she and her husband stopped treatment due to progressing Alzheimer's, reflecting the mixed efficacy of the drug. While it may help some patients, its effectiveness varies, usually requiring patients to bear high costs exceeding $25,000 annually, with associated risks like brain swelling. The uncertain outcomes raise questions about the overall benefits against the backdrop of staggering costs and potential side effects.
"I think it helped," says her husband, Ken Bell. "But I'm not sure." That sort of uncertainty is common when it comes to Leqembi and Kisunla, two new Alzheimer's drugs approved since 2023.
"Some people progress, other people do pretty well," says Dr. Joy Snider, a professor of neurology and one of Sue's doctors at Washington University School of Medicine.
Both drugs also cost more than $25,000 a year, and can cause brain swelling and bleeding.
Sue began having memory problems around 2019, when she was working as a substitute teacher.
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