It took decades to develop the first treatments to address the root causes of Alzheimer’s disease, and when they first reached patients, they weren’t exactly convenient to take. Patients have to visit infusion centers to receive the IV drug every two weeks for about an hour. Dr. Lynn Kramer, chief clinical officer at Eisai, which developed one of the medications, Leqembi, spearheaded a program to transfer the IV infusions into an auto-injector pen that patients can use themselves at home—similar to the pens that dispense the GLP-1 diabetes and weight loss medications. In September, the FDA approved Leqembi iqlik, a self-injecting pen that Alzheimer’s patients can use once they finish a course of the IV infusions. Eisai is now also studying whether people with early Alzheimer’s who don’t yet show signs of memory loss could start giving themselves the drug and potentially slow down the progress of their disease.
