Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biogen Pushes Back Against Medicare Decision Over Alzheimer's Drug
Bloomberg: Biogen Prepares to Fight Medicare Over Alzheimer’s Drug Limits
Biogen Inc. executives vowed to fight hard to reverse Medicare’s preliminary decision that would sharply limit coverage of the company’s Alzheimer’s drug, while saying more cost cuts and strategic measures are possible if the decision stands. The drugmaker is urging patients and physicians to show their disapproval with the proposal to restrict reimbursement for Aduhelm to patients in randomized controlled trials, officials said Thursday on a call with analysts. Only a small number of patients, perhaps in the hundreds, with the resources and time to travel to major hospitals conducting the trials, would get access to the drug under the rule, Chief Executive Officer Michel Vounatsos said. (Langreth and Peebles, 1/13)
Axios: Big Pharma's Last-Ditch Lobbying Blitz For The New Alzheimer's Drugs
The pharmaceutical industry is ready to pressure Medicare and demand the agency reverse its restrictive coverage plan for new Alzheimer's treatments like Aduhelm. Doctors, researchers and health policy experts praised Medicare's proposal as a way to get more data to prove whether Aduhelm works, but with billions of dollars and many other similar Alzheimer's drugs on the line, the industry is prepared for war. (Herman, 1/14)
Stat: Medicare Steps Into Heated Debate Over Equity In Alzheimer’s Treatment
Medicare’s proposal to restrict access to a controversial Alzheimer’s drug has quickly reignited a long-simmering debate over how best to address ongoing, systemic inequities in Alzheimer’s care experienced by Black and Hispanic patients. Medicare on Tuesday put forth a draft plan to only cover Aduhelm for patients enrolled in a randomized clinical trial. Biogen, the company behind the drug, and major Alzheimer’s patient groups all panned the proposal, saying it would make it harder for vulnerable populations to access the medicine. The Alzheimer’s Association called it “shocking discrimination.” (Florko, 1/13)
Stat: No One Knows How Much Seniors Could Pay For The New Alzheimer’s Drug
Medicare has outlined how it plans to cover the controversial, pricey new Alzheimer’s treatment Aduhelm, but the plan is missing a crucial detail: how much money Medicare patients who receive the drug would actually pay. The draft coverage policy, announced Tuesday, would severely restrict the number of seniors who can access the drug at all, as Medicare plans to only cover the drug for patients participating in rigorous, agency-approved clinical trials. But Medicare remained mum on the potential cost of the drug for patients enrolled in the clinical trials. (Cohrs, 1/14)
Stat: With Aduhelm In Turmoil, Biogen Eyes A List Of Potential Acquisitions
Biogen, desperate to reverse the turmoil surrounding its controversial Alzheimer’s treatment Aduhelm, has a shopping list of potential acquisitions, STAT has learned. And the company’s risk-averse board, which has repeatedly rejected potential deals, could be increasingly receptive. The company, whose stock price is down nearly 50% since Aduhelm’s June approval, is working with Goldman Sachs to find potential buyout targets, according to a person familiar with the companies’ relationships who would share internal discussions only on the condition of anonymity. (Garde and Feuerstein, 1/13)
KHN: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Dealing With Drug Prices
Medicare officials have preliminarily decided to restrict reimbursement for Aduhelm, the controversial Alzheimer’s drug, to only patients participating in approved clinical trials. The FDA approved the drug in 2021 over objections of the agency’s outside advisers, who complained the evidence of Aduhelm’s efficacy is thin. But the prospect of wide use of the drug — originally priced at $56,000 a year — helped prompt the largest-ever increase in Medicare Part B premiums. Now the Department of Health and Human Services is looking at whether it can reduce that increase before 2023. (1/13)
