As a child I was unfortunate to see my grandmother suffer with Alzheimer's, and the strain it can put on loved ones. The CMS proposal for Medicare to cover drugs that target the treatment of Alzheimer's in Clinical Trials will hopefully further improve innovation in this area.
However, it is vital that it doesn't have a major negative impact on those already suffering with Alzheimer's having affordable access to medication already approved by the FDA.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released Tuesday a proposed national coverage determination for Medicare to cover drugs that target amyloid for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease or mild Alzheimer's dementia. However, the decision only extends to patients that are in a qualifying clinical trial. Such coverage determinations can also take “months to years to initiate and hundreds of Alzheimer’s patients — the majority of whom are Medicare beneficiaries — are progressing each day from mild to moderate disease stages, where treatment may no longer be an option.”
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