The Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai said today that the country’s Ministry of Health has approved the use of Likembe to treat Alzheimer’s disease, which Eisai developed with US-based Biogen.
This comes after a committee affiliated with the Ministry of Health recommended approval of the drug in August, following its approval by the US Food and Drug Administration in July, reports Al-Rai daily.
This drug is the first treatment proven to slow the progression of the disease in its early stages.
However, US regulators ordered a warning to be placed on the drug indicating the risk of serious brain swelling, like other Alzheimer’s drugs in the same class.
An Eisai chief executive said in August that the company expected to begin marketing Lekembe in Japan within about 60 days of receiving regulatory approval.