New drug could cost the Government as much as it spends on NASA

New York Times

22 June 2021 - The Alzheimer’s treatment will cost $56,000 per patient, and millions may use it. The result: “crazy numbers” for Medicare.

A newly approved drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease is expected to become a multibillion dollar expense for Medicare. By one projection, spending on the drug for Medicare’s patients could end up being higher than the budgets for the Environmental Protection Agency or NASA.

There’s little evidence that the drug, Aduhelm, slows the progression of dementia, but the FDA approved it this month. Analysts expect that Medicare and its enrollees, who pay a share of their prescription drug costs, will spend $5.8 billion to $29 billion on the drug in a single year.

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Michael Wonder

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Michael Wonder