Taiwan NHI excludes coverage for new Alzheimer's drug Kisunla

Taipei, July 31 (CNA) Kisunla, a newly approved Alzheimer's drug in Taiwan, will not be covered by the National Health Insurance (NHI) system, while coverage for Leqembi, another Alzheimer's treatment approved this year, is still under review, a health official overseeing the NHI system said Thursday.

Kisunla has already been reviewed by an expert panel, which concluded that although the drug has completed Phase 3 clinical trials, the follow-up period for users was too short and its long-term benefits remain unclear, National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said in a legislative session.

Given the drug's high cost and references to health technology agencies in the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada -- none of which recommended it for coverage by public health insurance -- the panel decided against recommending it for inclusion in the NHI system, Shih said.

As for Leqembi, Shih said its application for NHI coverage was submitted in July and is currently under review.

The drug will undergo a 45-day Health Technology Assessment (HTA) before being reviewed by an expert panel, with a decision expected early next year, he added.

Jointly developed by Eisai in Japan, Biogen in the United States and BioArctic in Sweden, Leqmebi was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in July 2023, while Kisunla, developed by U.S. pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, received a green light in July 2024.

The two medications received approval from Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) earlier in 2025, but have not been covered by the NHI system, requiring patients to pay out of pocket for treatments that cost more than NT$1 million (US$ 33,398) per year.

An estimated 350,000 people in Taiwan have some form of dementia, 60-70 percent of whom have Alzheimer's disease, according to Yan Sui-hing (甄瑞興), director of Far Eastern Memorial Hospital's (FEMH) dementia center.

Yan said about half of those with Alzheimer's may be eligible for the two new treatments, which target patients in the early stages of the disease, totaling fewer than 100,000 people.

Unlike previous medications, Kisunla and Leqembi are the first new treatments for Alzheimer's disease that target the underlying cause rather than just its symptoms, according to FEMH, which administered the first dose of Kisunla in Taiwan on June 23.

In terms of expected outcomes, the complete elimination of amyloid plaques -- which many researchers believe to be a key cause of Alzheimer's disease due to their abnormal accumulation in the brain -- was seen in nearly 70 percent of patients within a year of receiving the two drugs, according to New Taipei Municipal Tucheng Hospital, one of the first hospitals in Taiwan to offer Leqembi.

Leqembi has the potential to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease by 27 percent to 51 percent, while patients receiving Kisunla may see a 29 percent to 36 percent reduction in disease progression, the Tucheng Hospital added.