Insurers Refuse to Pay for New Alzheimer’s Drug Without Evidence of Efficacy

November 29, 2021

Twenty-five major insurers will not pay for Biogen’s Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm without further proof of efficacy, according to results from a Bloomberg News survey. The controversial drug costs $56,000 dollars a year and is not shown to appreciably improve cognitive function. Because of this, insurers and providers have been wary of the drug, despite FDA approval in June, resulting in dramatically lower than expected sales numbers.

In an article from Fierce Healthcare, author Robert King writes, “In October, Biogen revealed shockingly low sales of the newly launched Alzheimer’s treatment. Third-quarter sales of the drug—once hailed as a first-of-its-kind breakthrough—only came to $300,000. The paltry figure didn’t approach the analyst consensus of $14 million, Fierce Pharma reported.”