FILE - This Dec. 21, 2022, image provided by Eisai in January 2023 shows vials and packaging for their medication Leqembi. On Friday, June 9, 2023, health advisers backed the full approval of the closely watched Alzheimers drug, a key step toward opening insurance coverage to U.S. seniors with early stages of the brain-robbing disease.
But the decision could also have other implications, including who would get access to it. Six years ago, Joe Montminy saw a neurologist for what he thought were a few minor problems with his memory. Now 59-years-old, Montminy is one of millions of Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease. But this year, new hope has emerged. A drug aiming to slow down the disease’s progression got accelerated FDA approval in January based on the fact that it clears amyloid plaque buildups in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s.
“You had this treatment at your fingertips and suddenly you had Medicare saying, yeah, but you can’t quite get access to that at this point in time,” Montminy said.