Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is urging Biden to delay the increase in the Medicare premiums for 2022 that is linked to a controversial, pricey Alzheimer’s drug.
Sanders to Biden Asking to Delay the Increase in Medicare Part B Premiums that links to the Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm
Sanders to President Biden
In a letter forwarded to President Biden on Friday, Sanders addressed the president asking to delay increment of the Medicare saying “prevent the outrageous increase in Medicare Part B premiums that are associated with the potential acknowledgment of Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm.”
He was urging the administration to at least delay the approval of Medicare for the use of Aduhelm until it is proven safe and effective. Furthermore, to take executive action to restore and expand the reasonable pricing clause requiring drug makers that receive federal funding to charge rational prices for prescription drugs and treatment.
In Addition, Biogen, the manufacturer of Aduhelm the first new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, has set the price of this Alzheimer’s drug costing $56,000 even though the Institute of Clinical and Economic assessment from the independent non-profit organization, the price of this drug should not be exceeding more than $3,000-$8,400.
Biogen the Manufacturer of the Alzheimer’s Drug Aduhelm
As Biogen looks to make unreasonably high net profits to it. the rate from 10 out of 11 experts on the FDA’s advisory committee that votes against approving Aduhelm drug in the US. The Veterans Health Administration has declared that it would not cover the Aduhelm because of the safety concerns and insufficient evidence of a robust and meaningful clinical benefit. Moreover, half of the private health insurance companies have also denied covering Aduhelm.
In Addition, despite the concern in the scientific community and the unreasonable price, still the FDA approved it over the summer for the Aduhelm to use in the United States. As a result, Medicare that covers all FDA-approved drugs will increase Part B premiums starting January 1, 2022, for the program to afford the new treatment. In June, as the approval was a pass to the table, three members of the FDA’s advisory committee file a resignation in protest of the approval.
