Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New Alzheimer's Drug Under Scrutiny For Cost, Patient Benefits
Stat: Burning Questions Left Unanswered About The Latest Alzheimer’s Therapy
News of the first clearly successful clinical trial for a new Alzheimer’s disease treatment in two decades has brought hope, scrutiny, and skepticism to a field accustomed to disappointment. (Feuerstein, Garde and Cohrs, 9/29)
The Wall Street Journal: Alzheimer’s Blockbuster Might Spur Investor Bonanza, Higher Medicare Costs
The Alzheimer’s drug data released Tuesday night aren’t only going to be transformative for Biogen, which has been struggling to get love from investors after its botched launch of Aduhelm. The results are also breathing new life into a class of anti-amyloid drugs that had been partially written off, increasing investor confidence that drugs from Eli Lilly and Roche Holding could also deliver positive results. (Wainer, 9/28)
Bloomberg: How Japanese Drugmaker Eisai Got The ‘Clean Win’ Over Alzheimer’s
Three decades after the presumed cause of Alzheimer’s disease was identified, a Japanese company little known outside of the pharmaceutical industry has become the first drugmaker to prove the debilitating condition can be slowed. (Matsuyama and Fay Cortez, 9/28)
Stat: An Alzheimer’s Therapy Scores Winning Results, But What Could It Mean For Patients?
The news Tuesday night that a clinical trial of an experimental Alzheimer’s therapy had succeeded hit like a blast — at last, a rare win in a disease devastating nearly 6 million Americans and countless more caregivers. The trumpeting from the companies Eisai and Biogen relied on data that showed that people receiving the therapy, lecanemab, saw a slower decline versus those on a placebo. (Joseph, 9/28)
Axios: Another Prospect For An Alzheimer's Drug Renews Cost Concerns
The prospect of an effective new Alzheimer's treatment came roaring back this week with the announcement of preliminary clinical trial data, giving millions of seniors renewed hope after a tumultuous year. (Owens and Bettelheim, 9/29)
