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Eli Lilly has officially launched donanemab, sold as Lormalzi, in India. The treatment costs ₹91,688 for a 350 mg vial and is administered as a monthly intravenous infusion. It targets amyloid plaques in patients with early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease.
This launch positions the US pharmaceutical company to tap into India's growing market for disease-modifying therapies, addressing a critical need as dementia cases are projected to rise.
The introduction of Lormalzi reflects Eli Lilly and Company (India)'s aim to expand its specialty medicine portfolio. Winselow Tucker, President and General Manager, highlighted Alzheimer's as a central focus in the company's long-term innovation pipeline, alongside its established strengths in obesity and metabolic treatments. The company's goal is to provide a disease-modifying option that addresses the underlying pathophysiology, not just symptoms, marking a significant departure from conventional treatments.
India faces a substantial challenge with diagnosis readiness. An estimated 8.8 million people currently live with dementia, with 60-70% of those cases being Alzheimer's. Projections indicate this number could exceed 19 million by 2036. However, only about one in ten dementia patients in India receive a diagnosis or treatment.
This stark reality presents a significant hurdle for the widespread adoption of advanced therapies like donanemab, requiring substantial efforts to improve awareness and early detection.
Eli Lilly has committed nearly $11 billion to Alzheimer's research over three decades, signaling a deep-seated investment in tackling neurodegenerative diseases. The company views introducing a disease-modifying agent like donanemab as a crucial step in its strategy to bring significant innovation to the Indian market. Newer blood-based biomarker tests are anticipated to play a key role in improving early diagnosis rates.