FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
13 April 2022
Washington D.C. – Today, Representatives Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44) and Barbara Lee (CA-13) issued the following joint statement regarding the recently announced Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) national coverage policy for the entire class of monoclonal antibodies directed against amyloid in treating Alzheimer’s disease approved by the FDA.
“We are deeply disappointed by CMS’ decision to restrict coverage to the entire and only known class of disease-modifying drugs for Alzheimer’s disease,” said the Representatives. “People living with Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia deserve the same access to therapies given to those living with other conditions like cancer, heart disease and HIV/AIDS.”
“CMS decided to create unnecessary barriers to limit patient access not seen for other disease areas. This decision will inadvertently chill the progress of Alzheimer’s and dementia research and innovation.”
“CMS has a responsibility to ensure that people with Medicare have equitable and appropriate access to therapies and this finalized coverage policy fails to do so. As it stands, individuals living with this heartbreaking, fatal disease, will have extensively delayed access to the only known class of therapies that could slow the progression of their cognitive decline. We strongly urge CMS to revise the national coverage determination to ensure that another generation of Alzheimer’s patients are not left without access to therapeutics.”
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