Biogen pushes for broad CMS coverage of Alzheimer's drug — while Eli Lilly looks to escape an NCD
The nine-month quest for CMS to figure out how (or how not) to cover Biogen’s new Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm, and potentially more amyloid-targeted monoclonal antibodies, kicked off in earnest on Tuesday with an open public hearing of comments from various stakeholders stressing the pros and cons of covering this new, pricey drug with unknown clinical benefits.
Biogen and its affiliates stressed the need for a quick and positive National Coverage Determination from CMS as other physicians and a speaker from ICER called on CMS to not cover the drug or to limit coverage in certain ways as Biogen’s clinical trials didn’t show strong signs of clinical benefit, the $56,000 annual price tag doesn’t match those benefits, and as the trials didn’t address a diverse group of populations, like African Americans or Latinx, who are frequently affected by Alzheimer’s.
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