Developing Treatment Models for the Delivery of the Antiamyloid Therapy, Lecanemab: Considerations for Implementation of Lecanemab in Healthcare Systems

Clinical Core leaders Drs. Kim Johnson and Heidi Roth recently published an article with collaborators Drs. Michael Weber and Amy Abramowitz, comparing how two different hospital systems set up programs to give the Alzheimer’s Disease drug, lecanemab, to patients with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia. The information is based on current guidelines and the experiences of these two systems as they created their lecanemab programs.

The paper details how they determined patient eligibility, collaborated with other medical specialists, monitored patients for side effects, and implemented the programs at a system-wide level. Geriatric psychiatrists play a significant role in prescribing and monitoring this drug in both systems. The paper emphasizes the unique and important role of geriatric psychiatrists, as memory care specialists, in the future delivery of Alzheimer’s therapies.

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Michael Weber, Heidi L. Roth, Amy Abramowitz, Kim G. Johnson,
Developing Treatment Models for the Delivery of the Antiamyloid Therapy, Lecanemab: Considerations for Implementation of Lecanemab in Healthcare Systems,
The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry,
2025,
ISSN 1064-7481,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2025.02.007.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1064748125000405)
Abstract: We describe the model developed by two separate healthcare systems to deliver the antiamyloid therapy, lecanemab, to patients with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia. Based on current guidelines, the experience of two separate healthcare systems that developed lecanemab clinical care delivery programs is described in detail including the development of patient eligibility criteria, cooperation with specialty services, patient monitoring, and practical steps required to safely implement lecanemab programs at a systems level. Geriatric psychiatrists have a prominent role in prescribing and monitoring antiamyloid therapy in both systems and we highlight the unique role of the geriatric psychiatrist in the future delivery of antiamyloid therapies as memory care specialists.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Antiamyloid therapy; Treatment considerations; Clinical delivery models