science
Medicare Spending on Alzheimer’s Drugs Leqembi and Kisunla Far Below Initial Projections
Uptake of the recently approved intravenous medications has been far lower than anticipated, prompting the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to project no significant spending in 2026 or 2027. The muted adoption marks a sharp reversal from projections made two years ago.
May 11, 4:30 AM·1m read1 source
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Medicare payments for the Alzheimer’s medications Leqembi and Kisunla are coming in well below forecasts. People on Medicare are not getting the recently approved drugs nearly as much as federal officials anticipated. Uptake for Leqembi and Kisunla has been so muted that Medicare is not forecasting significant spending on them in 2026 or 2027, a spokesperson for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services told STAT.
The lower-than-expected Medicare spending lines up with the challenges that the Alzheimer’s drugs have faced since their approvals. Two years ago, Medicare projected it would spend billions of dollars annually on Leqembi alone.
The drugs are not easy to administer and require a lot of imaging, neurologists and Medicare experts told STAT. The population of eligible patients for Leqembi and Kisunla is limited, according to the same group of neurologists and Medicare experts.
The medications continue to have little meaningful benefits while carrying a risk of severe side effects like brain bleeding. STAT reported that the lower-than-expected spending aligns with those longstanding difficulties. Bob Herman wrote the article, which was published on May 11, 2026.
