A Norton patient with Alzheimer’s disease is hoping a newly approved at-home version of his treatment will give him back something the illness and a demanding medical schedule have steadily taken away: freedom. David Runge currently receives lecanemab infusions, but a new injectable option could eventually let eligible patients receive the drug without regular trips to an infusion center.
Runge was prescribed lecanemab, sold under the brand name Leqembi, as doctors try to slow the progression of his disease. WLKY reports that he is among the Norton patients watching closely as the treatment moves toward a more convenient format.
The timing is significant because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a subcutaneous starting dose of Leqembi on July 13. The decision means some patients can begin treatment with injections administered at home by themselves or a caregiver, rather than starting with intravenous treatment only, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
At-Home Dosing Could Replace Biweekly Infusions
Traditional lecanemab treatment is delivered through an IV infusion every two weeks, with each session taking about an hour followed by an observation period. The Alzheimer’s Association says the newly approved subcutaneous option can be given weekly with an autoinjector, and the injection itself takes about 15 seconds; a health care provider is expected to guide at least the first two doses.
According to PubMed Central's review by B Bittner (2018), subcutaneous administration is generally simpler than intravenous infusions and can reduce drug delivery-related healthcare costs and resources. PubMed Central includes a 2016 evaluation by Saira Z Sheikh of a novel autoinjector for subcutaneous self-administration (belimumab), indicating autoinjector-based home dosing has been studied in other biologics.
That difference could matter for patients who live far from specialty care or face transportation, mobility and scheduling challenges. Norton Healthcare was one of the first systems in the region to administer lecanemab after its initial approval, and the system has built an early local program around identifying and treating patients in the mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer’s stages, according to Norton Healthcare.
The Drug Slows Decline, But Requires Careful Monitoring
Lecanemab is not a cure and is intended for people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s with confirmed amyloid pathology. In the clinical study supporting approval, the drug reduced decline on a key cognitive and functional measure by 27% compared with placebo after 18 months, according to the FDA’s prescribing information.
The convenience of an injection does not eliminate the medical safeguards. The FDA has warned about amyloid-related imaging abnormalities, including brain swelling or bleeding, and has recommended additional MRI monitoring early in treatment; patients and caregivers still need to follow their medical team’s screening and monitoring plan.
For Runge, the promise is less about a dramatic reversal than about preserving ordinary time. He told WLKY that he wants to spend more time with his wife, Claudia, see his grandchildren and keep reading books.
The injectable version may not erase the uncertainty surrounding Alzheimer’s treatment, but it could make a disease-slowing therapy easier to fit into daily life. For Louisville families already planning their lives around recurring infusions, that is a meaningful shift.
