The $26,000 Alzheimer’s Gamble: Buying Six Months of Memory with Brain Bleeds

Leqembi and Kisunla promise to slow down cognitive decline, but the fine print reveals a brutal risk-reward calculation for families.

In July 2023, the FDA fully approved Leqembi, a drug designed to strip amyloid plaques from the brain. The headlines screamed "breakthrough" and "miracle." What they left out was the math: the drug delays the progression of Alzheimer’s by about five to six months over an 18-month trial, while carrying a 21% rate of brain swelling or bleeding for certain genetic carriers.

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