TORONTO – Health Canada has approved a drug that slows the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
Lecanemab is the first drug approved in Canada that targets the buildup of amyloid plaques in the brain, which is believed to be the underlying cause of Alzheimer's disease.
The drug is a lab-created antibody that binds to amyloid proteins and helps neutralize them and clear them from the brain.
Lecanemab should be prescribed in the early stages of dementia when mild cognitive impairment is observed.
Adam Morrison, a spokesman for the Alzheimer's Society of Ontario, says patients and their families are eagerly awaiting approval of lecanemab, also known by the brand name Lekembi, in Canada.
Morrison said Alzheimer's societies are calling on the Canadian Drug Agency and provincial governments to quickly bring the drug to market and publicly fund it so that all eligible patients can afford it, noting that it costs about $26,000 a year in other countries.
Lecanemab is a treatment, not a drug, that must be given intravenously every two weeks, Morrison said.
“What we hear from our clients is, 'This is like a drug that can give me more time. It could give me more time with my family,' and that's a really important thing that we've heard a lot about,” he said.
Lecanemab is approved in about 50 countries, manufacturer Eisai Co., Ltd. said in a press release Monday.
It was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2023.
Lecanemab was tested in a global Phase 3 clinical trial, Eisai said in a press release, noting that it will continue to “provide clinical evaluation data from real-world clinical participants.”
Possible side effects of lecanemab include brain swelling or bleeding, although in most cases these are visible on an MRI but do not cause any symptoms, says Dr. Andrew Frank, a cognitive neurologist and medical director of the Bruyère Memory Program in Ottawa.
“This is likely because the antibodies react with the amyloid, and as the amyloid protein is cleared, inflammation can occur, which can lead to brain swelling and/or brain bleeding,” Frank told The Canadian Press last year while awaiting lecanemab's approval.
Frank, who advised Eisai Canada, said symptoms can include headache, dizziness or lightheadedness, but in rare cases can also include serious conditions such as seizures or stroke-like symptoms.
Less than one percent of clinical trial participants had “persistent or possibly persistent side effects or symptoms” after stopping the drug, he said.
“I support making these medications available to Canadians so that they can make risk-benefit decisions for themselves, along with their families and their doctors, to make a choice about whether the benefit of slowing the disease outweighs the risk of these serious side effects,” Frank said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2025.
The Canadian Press' health coverage is supported through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
