The furious debate over Biogen’s Alzheimer’s treatment has now sparked controversy at the Alliance for Aging Research, an advocacy group that has seen half of its scientific advisory board members resign after learning the organization had lobbied against a Medicare proposal to restrict coverage of the medication.
The resignations by nine of 17 board members followed a rally the organization held last month in front of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services offices to protest a preliminary decision concerning the Alzheimer’s treatment. The advocacy group is upset that the agency proposed paying only for patients enrolled in clinical trials, a decision the agency confirmed in its final ruling Thursday