Don’t limit access to Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm

Published 1:30 am Monday, February 7, 2022

Alzheimer’s patients deserve the same access to treatment as those with cancer, heart disease and HIV/AIDS. In January, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) restricted the FDA- approved drug Aduhelm to only those qualifying for clinical trials. This is shocking. It is the first new treatment approved for Alzheimer’s since 2003.

By limiting the access to only those who can be enrolled in a clinical trial, the CMS is effectively asking those who don’t have access to one to pay out of pocket and risk medical bankruptcy. I don’t think this can even be considered coverage.

People living with Alzheimer’s deserve access without added hurdles that add time between diagnosis and treatment. Time is something they don’t have. Every hurdle added is a memory lost. When my mom was diagnosed, I would have paid anything to get back precious days of her memory, shared conversation, and time spent with her grandkids. You can’t put a price on memories, and I would have paid anything for more time.

This decision doesn’t seem consistent with other FDA approved drugs that are covered. Treating people living with Alzheimer’s disease differently is discrimination and is not acceptable.

I stand with the Alzheimer’s Association in imploring the CMS to reconsider this decision and call on U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene to help make that happen. Since this decision not only affects Aduhelm, but future treatments targeting amyloid plaques, it could have ramifications for Alzheimer’s patients for generations to come.

Michele Rufer

Mill Creek