SSKM Hospital Administers First US-Approved Alzheimer's Drug in Eastern India
核心洞察
Kolkata's state-run SSKM Hospital (搜索) administered the first dose in eastern India of the US FDA (搜索)-approved Alzheimer's drug Lormalzi (搜索) (donanemab) to a 72-year-old patient with mild cognitive impairment (搜索).
The therapy spans 18 months with monthly intravenous infusions intended to remove amyloid plaques (搜索) from the brain, with doctors hoping it will stall disease progression.
The full treatment is priced at Rs 60 lakh, but the patient receives a 50% discount with costs funded through a central government health scheme.
Kolkata's state-run SSKM Hospital (搜索) has become the first center in eastern India to administer a US FDA (搜索)-approved Alzheimer's disease (搜索) therapy, delivering an initial dose of Lormalzi (搜索) (donanemab) to a 72-year-old former air hostess with mild cognitive impairment (搜索). Neurology department doctors administered the imported drug, marking the region's first use of the newly launched medicine.
Mechanism and Indication
According to neurology professor and head of department Atanu Biswas, the drug is given once a month as an intravenous infusion and is known to remove amyloid plaques (搜索), described as the toxic peptide in the brain. "This drug is meant for patients with mild cognitive impairment (搜索) due to Alzheimer's disease (搜索)," Biswas said. Amyloid deposits in the brain are associated with Alzheimer's disease, and the therapy is intended for patients in the early stage of progression.
Biswas noted that Alzheimer's disease (搜索) is the most common cause of dementia (搜索), in which a person gradually loses memory and other cognitive functions, and that the burden of the disease is rising in the country as the number of elderly people increases.
Treatment Course and Cost
The therapy is planned for 18 months, during which the patient must take the drug every month. The full cost of the drug for the entire therapy is pegged at Rs 60 lakh, but the patient at the state hospital will receive it at a 50% discount. Covered by a central government health scheme, her therapy cost is being funded from that scheme.
Confirmation and Monitoring
The patient underwent several tests to confirm that the mild cognitive loss she began facing a few months ago was due to Alzheimer's disease (搜索). "Since this is our first case, we have not released her from hospital after administering the drug. While everything is fine with her, we wanted to closely monitor her for at least 24 hours," Biswas said. "We are hopeful that the therapy would stall the progression of the disease and she can lead a quality life ahead."
Regional Access
An official said that in Bengal, apart from SSKM, at least two private hospitals—Apollo Multispecialty (搜索) and Institute of Neurosciences—have the testing facility and expertise to administer the newly launched drug.