Medicare Needs to Test the New Alzheimer’s Drug Before Paying

Since last summer, Medicare has been evaluating whether to pay for a newly approved, exorbitantly priced drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Its decision was always going to be fraught: The data on the drug’s potential benefits are ambiguous at best, and its risks are considerable. About 40% of patients who have taken it have suffered swelling or bleeding in the brain. Others have experienced disabling nausea, dizziness, headaches and confusion. Biogen, the manufacturer, is investigating a patient death.

Then there is the price: $28,200 a year for the average patient. (This is half the drug’s original cost, which Biogen cut to deflect widespread anger.) It’s one reason that Medicare increased its annual premium for 2022 by more than $250.