UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, a nonprofit organization committed to stopping Alzheimer’s disease, is hoping to get more information related to CMS’s national coverage determination related to coverage for Aduhelm (aducanumab) from Biogen (Nasdaq:BIIB) and other monoclonal antibodies targeting amyloid to treat Alzheimer’s disease.
The organization has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for information about the decision.
UsAgainstAlzheimer’s is seeking information describing the potentially harmful impact of refusing to cover such monoclonal antibodies outside of clinical trials.
CMS announced their national coverage determination for Aduhelm and other similar future monoclonal antibodies last week.
UsAgainstAlzheimer’s concluded that CMS has denied access to millions of people in the U.S. living with Alzheimer’s.
“The National Coverage Determination is historic – and not in a good way. CMS has covered every FDA-approved drug, but now there are two classes of patients within Medicare: people with Alzheimer’s and everyone else,” said UsAgainstAlzheimer’s chairman and co-founder George Vradenburg, in a press release.
“Patients deserve the same level of transparency from CMS that they get from the FDA, which is why we are demanding answers on how this decision was crafted and what it means for future treatments.”
Aduhelm earned Biogen just $3 million in 2021.