STAT+: Pharmalittle: Patient groups pressure Medicare over Alzheimer’s drug; pharma says it’s duty-bound to sell meds in Russia

Patient groups are mounting a pressure campaign aimed at persuading the U.S. government to loosen proposed restrictions on new Alzheimer's treatments.

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to another working week. We hope the weekend respite was somehow relaxing and invigorating, because that oh-so familiar routine of meetings, online calls, and deadlines has predictably returned. But what can you do? After all, the world — such as it is — keeps spinning. To cope, we are brewing the ritual cups of stimulation. Our choice today is salted caramel mocha, a touch of the Jersey shore, as far as we are concerned. Feel free to join us. Meanwhile, here are some tidbits to get you started on your own journey. We hope all goes well today and you find time to stay on the sunny side. …

Patient groups are mounting a public pressure campaign aimed at persuading the U.S. government to loosen proposed restrictions on new Alzheimer’s treatments, spending millions of dollars on television and local advertisements that began running during the Sunday morning political shows, Reuters writes. The unusual ad campaign comes after a high-profile disagreement between government health agencies over who should have access to Biogen’s (BIIB) Aduhelm, the first treatment for the mind-wasting disease to be approved in 20 years. In January, Medicare proposed paying for Aduhelm and similar treatments in development only for patients enrolled in years-long studies.

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