Alzheimer’s advocates rallied in Washington, D.C., urging Medicare to cover FDA-approved drugs for the disease.
Jon Carroll, a resident of South Dakota, traveled to Washington, D.C., to voice his opposition to the decision made by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to exclude coverage for these two drugs. He emphasized the importance of expanding treatment options and ensuring access to innovative therapies for individuals experiencing cognitive decline due to Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s Association Raises Concerns
Carroll advocates for Alzheimer’s patients as he lost his wife Viola to the disease in 2017.
He advocates for granting access to the drugs to the 250,000 people who were denied coverage, allowing them to spend more quality time with their loved ones before the disease progresses.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the decision to not cover FDA-approved medicines unless patients participate in a clinical trial is unprecedented.
The drugs, Lecanemab and Aduhelm, cost over $26,000 a year out of pocket unless patients are part of a clinical trial, and both were granted accelerated approval by the FDA.
Despite Medicare spending billions on drugs with accelerated approval, restrictions have been placed on Alzheimer’s treatments, leading to calls for answers from South Dakota’s congressional delegation, particularly Sen. Mike Rounds.
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Bipartisan Senate Pressure
Twenty bipartisan US senators, including Sen. Rounds, wrote a letter to Medicare administrators on Feb. 17 demanding answers on the agency’s decision to not cover the new Alzheimer’s drugs for all patients.
The letter pointed out that about 13 million Americans will live with the disease by 2050, costing the nation $321 billion in 2022 alone.
The senators also noted that the decision not to cover treatments unless the patient is part of a clinical trial is especially concerning for smaller states.
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