Do Caregivers Value the New Antiamyloid Treatments for Alzheimer's Disease More Than Home-Based Care?

Abstract

Objective: The new antiamyloid medications Lecanemab (Leqembi) and donanemab (Kisunla) are the first disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD) to receive full FDA approval. However, some commentators question whether the drugs' benefits outweigh their risks, burdens, and costs to patients. This study assessed the perceived value of these medications by asking caregivers of persons with AD to compare them to a widely used intervention in AD management: home-based care.

Design: Online survey (March 27th-April 17th, 2024) of 392 AD caregivers recruited via CloudResearch Prime Panels to match the U.S. public in education, household income, race, and ethnicity. The survey used vignettes describing antiamyloid medication and 25 hours/week of home-based care (estimated to be of similar monetary value). After rating the desirability of medication and home-based care, respondents indicated their preference for which intervention they wanted their loved one's insurance to cover.

Results: Respondents expressed a desire for their loved ones to receive both the medication and home-based care. Over half (56.9%) favored home-based care coverage. Those preferring medication coverage were more likely to believe its benefits outweigh its risks and burdens. Preference for medication coverage was also associated with being male, Hispanic, less educated, and correctly answering fewer comprehension questions.

Conclusions: Our findings show most caregivers perceive modest clinical value in the novel antiamyloid therapies, and the decision to use these drugs will be preference-sensitive, pointing to the need for thorough informed consent discussions.