Alzheimer New Drug (Leqembi/Lecanemab) Cost Calculator
Alzheimer New Drug (Leqembi/Lecanemab) Cost Calculator helps estimate Korea-related chronic treatment, biologic drug, dialysis, obesity medication, and long-term management assumptions in English.
Health cost scenario inputs
Enter Korea-related chronic care, eldercare, therapy, procedure, fertility, diagnostic, or medical tourism assumptions. Results are simplified planning estimates.
Treatment cost over period
₩561,600,000
Monitoring or support cost
₩0
Increase reserve
₩561,600,000
Planning window cost
₩1,123,200,000
18 months
This English page explains Korea Leqembi (lecanemab) cost for early Alzheimer’s disease. Leqembi, an anti-amyloid monoclonal antibody co-developed by Biogen and Eisai, was approved by Korea’s MFDS in May 2024 and clears amyloid-beta to slow early Alzheimer’s progression (about 27% over 18 months in the Clarity-AD trial). It is dosed at 10 mg/kg by IV infusion (about 1 hour) every 2 weeks — roughly 26 infusions a year — so the cost scales with body weight. Crucially, the drug is fully NON-COVERED (bigeupyeo) in Korea as of 2026: from the clinical field, a 50 kg patient pays about KRW 1,000,000 per infusion (500 mg, i.e. about KRW 2,000/mg) and about KRW 24–26 million a year, a 40 kg patient about KRW 800,000, a 70 kg patient about KRW 1.4 million per dose. Because the drug is non-covered, neither the annual out-of-pocket ceiling nor the special-case (sanjeong-teukrye) reduction applies to the drug or to the non-covered amyloid PET; only covered items — the ARIA-monitoring brain MRI (covered under a dementia diagnosis), the IV-injection fee, and the consultation fee — fall under the ceiling. Safety requires an amyloid PET (non-covered, about KRW 1.2 million) and APOE genotyping (non-covered) before treatment, and ARIA-monitoring MRI before the 5th, 7th and 14th infusions, with an extra scan before the 26th (week 52) for APOE-ε4 carriers. The biggest saving lever is the medical-expense tax credit (Income Tax Act Article 59-4): because Leqembi is a treatment drug, even the non-covered drug cost qualifies, and patients who are the taxpayer, 65+, disabled, or a registered serious-illness patient have no KRW 7,000,000 cap — most Alzheimer’s patients are 65+, so 15% of the amount over 3% of total salary can be credited. Private indemnity (silson) insurance usually excludes or tightly caps new high-cost non-covered injections like Leqembi, so treat drug reimbursement as unlikely unless the policy explicitly covers it. For reference, the reported list price is about KRW 35 million/year in the US and KRW 27 million/year in Japan. The drug price is hospital-set (non-covered) — replace the default with the real quote. This is planning guidance based on 2026 Korean rules, not medical advice or an insurer decision.
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What is the Leqembi (Lecanemab) cost calculator?
This calculator estimates the yearly drug cost and real out-of-pocket burden of Leqembi (generic name lecanemab), a new Alzheimer’s drug, from your body weight, treatment period, and hospital price.
Leqembi is an anti-amyloid monoclonal antibody that clears amyloid-beta from the brain to slow the progression of early Alzheimer’s disease. It is dosed at 10 mg per kg of body weight by IV infusion every 2 weeks.
In Korea the drug is fully non-covered (bigeupyeo), so patients pay tens of millions of KRW a year out of pocket, and because the dose is weight-based the cost differs from person to person.
This tool splits the bill into the non-covered drug, pre-treatment tests (amyloid PET and APOE), ARIA-monitoring MRI, and the IV-injection fee, then applies the annual out-of-pocket ceiling (covered items only), private indemnity insurance, and the treatment-purpose medical-expense tax credit to show the real burden step by step.
Korea-based estimate. This calculator is based on 2026 Korean rules, drug prices, and insurance rules. It is planning guidance, not medical advice, and does not replace diagnosis, a doctor’s treatment decision, a hospital quote, or an insurer decision.
What is Leqembi (lecanemab)?
Leqembi was co-developed by Biogen (US) and Eisai (Japan) and received Korean MFDS approval in May 2024 — the fourth country in the world to approve it.
It works by removing amyloid-beta protein (especially protofibrils) that accumulates in the brain, slowing the pace of neuronal damage and cognitive decline.
Key facts
- • Indication: mild cognitive impairment (MCI due to AD) to mild (early) Alzheimer’s dementia. Moderate or advanced dementia is not an indication.
- • Dose/schedule: 10 mg per kg by IV infusion (about 1 hour) every 2 weeks — about 26 infusions a year.
- • Vials: 200 mg/2 mL and 500 mg/5 mL (100 mg/mL).
- • Clinical effect: in the Clarity-AD trial it cleared about 68% of amyloid and slowed 18-month progression by about 27%.
- • Not a cure: it slows progression rather than reversing disease, so early diagnosis and early treatment matter.
Why does the cost differ per person? — weight-based dosing
Each Leqembi dose is 10 mg per kg of body weight, so a heavier patient needs more drug and the non-covered price rises in proportion.
Per-infusion dose and price (at about KRW 2,000/mg)
- • 40 kg: 400 mg → about KRW 800,000
- • 50 kg: 500 mg → about KRW 1,000,000 (one 500 mg vial)
- • 60 kg: 600 mg → about KRW 1,200,000
- • 70 kg: 700 mg → about KRW 1,400,000
- • 80 kg: 800 mg → about KRW 1,600,000
Korean clinical-field reports confirm a 50 kg patient pays about KRW 1,000,000 per infusion and a 40 kg patient about KRW 800,000, i.e. about KRW 2,000/mg.
At every-2-weeks dosing (about 24–26 times a year), a 50 kg patient pays roughly KRW 24–26 million a year. Because the drug is non-covered, hospitals set the price, so it varies by hospital.
Leqembi is non-covered — no ceiling or special case applies
Many people assume such an expensive drug must qualify for the annual out-of-pocket ceiling or the serious-illness special case (sanjeong-teukrye), but as of 2026 the Leqembi drug cost is fully non-covered.
Non-covered items are outside health insurance, so they are eligible for neither a ceiling refund nor the reduced special-case self-pay rate used for cancer (5%) or serious chronic disease (10%).
Covered vs non-covered items
- • Non-covered (full self-pay): the Leqembi drug, amyloid PET-CT, APOE genotyping.
- • Covered (under the ceiling): the ARIA-monitoring brain MRI, the IV-injection (procedure) fee, the outpatient consultation fee.
- • Out-of-pocket ceiling: refunds covered self-pay above the income-tier cap (about KRW 900,000–8,430,000 in 2026), but the non-covered drug is not eligible.
- • Special case: Alzheimer’s (dementia) is not a registered special-case serious illness, so there is no extra reduction.
In short, the health-insurance safety nets barely apply to the drug cost, which is most of the bill.
Pharma-government price negotiations are ongoing, so future coverage may change — check the latest news.
The non-covered drug still qualifies for the medical-expense tax credit
Because Leqembi is a treatment drug, its non-covered cost and test fees are eligible for the year-end medical-expense tax credit.
Only cosmetic/aesthetic procedures and health-promotion supplements are excluded (Enforcement Decree of the Income Tax Act Article 118-5); costs paid to a medical institution for disease treatment are included whether covered or not.
Tax-credit essentials (Income Tax Act Article 59-4)
- • Rate: 15% of medical expenses exceeding 3% of total salary is credited against income tax.
- • No KRW 7,000,000 cap: medical expenses of the taxpayer, those 65+, the disabled, or registered serious-illness patients have no annual cap.
- • Favors the elderly: most Alzheimer’s patients are 65+, so they typically qualify for the no-cap rule.
- • Exclude reimbursements: amounts reimbursed by indemnity insurance and by the out-of-pocket ceiling must be subtracted.
For example, a 65+ patient who paid about KRW 24 million a year could have a supporting working family member reclaim 15% of the amount over 3% of salary — potentially several million KRW.
So for Leqembi the tax credit is often a bigger saving than either the ceiling or indemnity insurance.
Pre-treatment tests and ARIA-monitoring MRI
Leqembi is not for everyone: before treatment you must confirm brain amyloid and assess side-effect risk, and during treatment you must watch for ARIA (amyloid-related imaging abnormalities) such as brain swelling and micro-bleeds with regular MRI.
Tests and monitoring
- • Amyloid PET-CT (non-covered): confirms brain amyloid. About KRW 1.0–1.5 million.
- • APOE genotyping (non-covered): checks APOE-ε4 carrier status to assess ARIA risk. About KRW 100,000–200,000.
- • Neuropsychological testing: stages cognitive function (MCI/mild).
- • Brain MRI (covered): covered under a dementia diagnosis; done at baseline and before the 5th, 7th and 14th infusions.
- • APOE-ε4 carriers add one: higher ARIA risk means an extra MRI before the 26th infusion (week 52) is recommended.
ARIA is usually asymptomatic but can rarely cause headache, seizures, or reduced consciousness, so regular MRI monitoring is an essential safety step.
This calculator automatically reflects the number of ARIA MRIs by total infusions and adds one scan (the 26th) for APOE-ε4 carriers.
How to use the calculator
Step 1: Treatment inputs
Enter body weight (kg) — the per-dose amount (weight × 10 mg) and drug price are computed automatically.
Choose the non-covered price (KRW/mg), the schedule (every 2 or 4 weeks), the treatment period, whether to include tests, and APOE-ε4 carrier status.
Step 2: Tests and self-pay
Set the per-scan ARIA MRI self-pay, the injection/consultation fee, income tier, and whether to apply the out-of-pocket ceiling.
Remember the ceiling applies only to covered items (MRI, injection fee).
Step 3: Insurance and tax credit
Enter the indemnity-insurance generation and whether it covers non-covered new-drug injections, total salary, and the 65+/disabled no-cap status.
Step 4: Review results
See the per-dose/annual/total drug cost, non-covered vs covered split, ceiling refund, indemnity reimbursement, tax credit, a per-weight price table, a cross-country comparison, and the final real burden.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Q. Is Leqembi covered by health insurance?
A. As of 2026 the Leqembi drug is fully non-covered.
Brain MRI is covered under a dementia diagnosis, but the drug and amyloid PET are non-covered, so the ceiling and special case do not apply.
Q. How much does it cost per year?
A. It depends on weight.
A 50 kg patient pays about KRW 1,000,000 per infusion, roughly KRW 24–26 million a year at every-2-weeks dosing; a 70 kg patient pays about KRW 1,400,000 per dose. Tests, MRI, and injection fees are added.
Q. Does the non-covered drug qualify for the tax credit?
A. Yes.
Leqembi is a treatment drug, so its non-covered cost is eligible; if the patient is 65+, there is no KRW 7,000,000 cap, and 15% of the amount over 3% of total salary can be credited.
Q. Can indemnity insurance reimburse it?
A. Only to a limited extent.
High-cost non-covered new-drug injections like Leqembi are often excluded or tightly capped per visit, so check your policy’s non-covered injection clause.
Q. Can anyone receive it?
A. No.
Only MCI to mild (early) Alzheimer’s qualifies, an amyloid test must be positive, and APOE-ε4 carriers need careful decisions due to higher ARIA risk. Moderate or advanced dementia is not an indication.
Cautions
- Estimate only: Leqembi is non-covered, so hospitals set the price. This tool uses a benchmark (about KRW 2,000/mg) and may differ from the actual hospital quote.
- Not medical advice: treatment eligibility, dose, and duration are decided by a neurology/dementia specialist. This tool is for cost planning only.
- Rules may change: coverage, drug price, the out-of-pocket ceiling, and tax-credit rules can change each year — check the latest notices and hospital guidance.
- Extra costs: neuropsychological testing, admission fees, and unexpected ARIA treatment may be billed separately.