Weekly autoinjector Leqembi is available for treatment initiation in Alzheimer’s

Eisai and Biogen’s Leqembi IQLIK is now available for patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease who are beginning their treatment. Leqembi IQLIK is a once-weekly subcutaneous version of Leqembi (lecanemab) IV that can now be used for both maintenance and initiation of treatment. Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking and behavior.

The wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) for Leqembi IQLIK is $385 per autoinjector, or $770 per week, according to an Eisai spokesperson. Initiation dosing requires two autoinjectors provided in a carton of two 250 mg pre-filled autoinjectors. Maintenance dosing is 360 mg once weekly after 18 months of IV or subcutaneous treatment.

Patients covered under Medicare Part D plans are subject to an annual out-of-pocket cap on their total combined spending on covered drugs. The current annual cap is $2,100. Patients with Medicare can also opt-in to spread their out-of-pocket prescription drug costs monthly over the course of a calendar year.

Eisai’s Leqembi Companion program offers patients help with understanding insurance coverage and potential out-of-pocket costs and identifying financial support programs. The copay assistance program offers commercially insured patients a $0 copay with a limit of $10,000 a year toward out-of-pocket costs for deductibles, copays, and coinsurances. Eisai’s Patient Assistance Program (PAP) will provide Leqembi and Leqembi IQLIK at no cost for eligible uninsured patients who meet financial need and other program criteria.

“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,” the spokesperson said.

“For the first time, patients and their care partners have meaningful choice in how anti-amyloid treatment is delivered,” Howard Fillit, M.D., co-founder and chief science officer emeritus of the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF), said in a news release in July 2026 when the initiation dose was approved. Approval of Leqembi IQLIK for maintenance dosing was approved in September 2025.

The subcutaneous version of Leqembi allows for administration at home and reduces the reliance on infusion and healthcare resources. But the Eisai spokesperson said that some patients will want to continue their treatment via IV or may choose IV from the start so they have more in-person interactions with their healthcare team. “Many physicians also tell us that their patients report enjoying the time they spend at the infusion center as they make social connections and talk with other people living with early Alzheimer’s disease,” the spokesperson said.

The FDA approval of Leqembi IQLIK as an initiation dose is supported by a clinical data package evaluating subcutaneous administration of lecanemab across multiple studies and a range of dosing regimens. Sub‑studies within the phase 3 Clarity AD long‑term extension, following the 18‑month core study in individuals with early Alzheimer's disease, showed that once‑weekly subcutaneous administration achieved exposure equivalent to intravenous dosing, supporting similar clinical (efficacy) and biomarker (amyloid removal) benefits.

The overall safety profile of subcutaneous administration was generally similar to intravenous administration. The rate of ARIA-E, or swelling, is expected to be similar to the IV version, and there was no increase in isolated ARIA-H, or hemorrhage. ARIA-E and ARIA-H are two types of amyloid-related imaging abnormalities seen on brain MRIs.

Leqembi IV, approved by the FDA in July 2023, has a list price of $271.83 for a 200-mg vial and $679.60 for a 500-mg vial.

In an analysis sponsored by Eisai and published in July 2025, Leqembi IQLIK could result in per-patient savings of between $72,891 and $80,925 over four years compared with IV Leqembi. These savings are driven by reduced treatment costs attributed to a more efficient fixed-dose autoinjector delivery, lower administrative costs, and reduced time spent by healthcare providers, patients and care partners.