According to the news article (アルツハイマー病治療薬「レケンビ」20日収載へ…ピーク時売り上げ986億円予測｜トピックス | AnswersNews (ten-navi.com)) released by AnswersNews date 13/Dec/2023, the National Health Insurance (NHI) drug price for “LEQEMBI” (lecanemab) has been set, using the cost accounting method, at 45,777 Japanese yen for a 200 mg 2 mL vial and 114,443 Japanese yen for a 500 mg 5 mL vial. The drug is administered at a dose of 10 mg per kg of body weight bi-weekly, and the annual drug cost for a patient weighing 50 kg would be approximately 2.98 million yen. The number of patients treated annually with “LEQEMBI” is expected to peak at 32,000. The peak sales are expected to reach 98.6 billion yen on an NHI price basis in the ninth year of its launch (i.e. FY2031). The NHI drug price calculation was based on the following factors: (1) the drug has a novel mechanism of action; (2) clinical trials have demonstrated clinically significant efficacy, even in patients who have had an inadequate response/refractory to existing treatments; and (3) it is the first drug that has been shown to inhibit the progression of dementia. As a result, a price premium for its usefulness was granted to LEQEMBI’s drug price.