NCL, patient groups strongly urge CMS to reconsider coverage decision for FDA-approved Alzheimer’s drugs
By the year 2050, approximately 13 million Americans will suffer from Alzheimer’s, with more than 2000 people progressing from a mild to a moderate form of this deadly disease every day. Early diagnosis and access to innovative treatments are critical to change the trajectory of Alzheimer’s.
The FDA continues to make critical approval decisions for a class of medicines designed to treat patients with early Alzheimer’s. On July 6, the FDA granted traditional approval for Leqembi, a medicine that interrupts the progressive cognitive decline associated with the disease. This approval gives patients, families, and caregivers hope for a better future.
While the FDA approval is promising, CMS continues to limit access and coverage for these approved therapies. In order to receive Medicare coverage, CMS’s National Coverage Determination (NCD) requiring Coverage with Evidence Development (CED) unnecessarily burdens patients by requiring participation in a clinical study, which means physicians must submit patient data into a new registry over a period of time, further delaying access and coverage.
On July 11, patient advocates, caregivers, and policy experts came together to discuss the impact of this decision on Capitol Hill. They reiterated that this requirement robs patients and families of valuable time and increases health disparities among rural residents, Black and Hispanic patients, and other underserved populations.
Americans want – and need – permanent, uninhibited access to approved Alzheimer’s medicines as more people are diagnosed with this irreversible disease. In a recent survey commissioned by patient advocacy groups, 9 in 10 voters agreed Medicare should be required to cover the costs of FDA-approved treatments that can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s.
NCL continues to join stakeholder and patient groups to strongly urge CMS to reconsider its decision and has asked Congress and the Administration to intervene. We are proud to join the more than 50 organizations who sent a letter to Congress on this issue.
Policymakers also need to hear from you! Click *here to sign a petition asking Congress and the White House to take immediate action to ensure permanent access and coverage of approved Alzheimer’s medicines and treatments.
Script Your Future (SYF)
Script Your Future is a consumer education campaign launched by NCL and its partners in 2011 to combat the problem of poor medication adherence in the United States, where nearly three out of four patients do not take their medication as directed. This year, we produced a new report on lessons learned from the Script Your Future Campaign and Team Challenge.
We are pleased to be able to share insights gleaned from our new report: the healthcare landscape has changed significantly in the nearly 10 years since the original report; but the importance of continuously improving medication adherence remains. The report highlights a variety of new and inventive methods to improve medication adherence in communities across the nation. We are currently refreshing our focus for Script Your Future and broadening its reach.
NCL is looking to partner with HAC members as we refresh and expand the successful Script Your Future program. We would love to set up a time to talk to see how we can work with you.
Reach out to Robin Strongin at robins@nclnet.org for more information.
We’d love to collaborate with you.
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