Value-based prices of emerging disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer's disease in 174 countries: a cost-effectiveness and threshold analysis
Alzheimers Dement. 2026 May;22(5):e71308. doi: 10.1002/alz.71308.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Countries have varying, limited healthcare budgets for emerging disease-modifying therapies. Cost-effectiveness analysis, combined with country-level cost-effectiveness thresholds, can be used to estimate value-based prices (VBPs) for lecanemab and donanemab across 174 countries.
METHODS: The cost-effectiveness of lecanemab and donanemab was estimated using incremental cost and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) compared to usual care. Published cost-effectiveness thresholds were used to estimate VBPs of these drugs across 174 countries.
RESULTS: Compared to usual care, lecanemab and donanemab respectively increased average QALYs by 0.38 and 0.51. By country income status, VBPs for lecanemab and donanemab respectively ranged between $254 to $9434 and $387 to $13,964 (high income), $90 to $1025 and $137 to $1507 (upper middle income), $11 to $623 and $21 to $956 (lower middle income) and $4 to $18 and $9 to $32 (low income).
DISCUSSION: VBPs indicate how much 174 countries should be willing to pay. This framework can also be adapted and refined in the negotiation of country pricing.
PMID:42125995 | DOI:10.1002/alz.71308