According to the CDC, approximately six million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease, but access to experimental, potentially life-saving drugs is limited. For impacted veterans, the Veterans Health Administration is looking for ways to provide that access.
Last year, Biogen, in partnership with Japanese drug company Eisai, announced that the drug called Leqembi showed promise in slowing cognitive decline in Alzaheimer's patients by 27 percent. The VHA announced it will shell out more than $26,000 annually for each veteran on Leqembi. If the FDA grants a full approval by July 6, Medicare and Medicaid services said it would immediately provide broad coverage of the drug to customers.
The experimental treatment received Accelerated Approval by the Food and Drug administration earlier this year. The specific pathway to approval had been introduced by the agency to provide speedier clearance on drugs that treat serious conditions.
Last month the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services declined to provide unrestricted coverage of the drug because "there is not yet evidence meeting the criteria for reconsideration."
"This standard differs from the criteria used by the FDA to assess whether medications are safe and effective. We are aware that additional publications may be forthcoming that include information relevant to the questions included in the current NCD," the agency added in its statement.
Two people died from what the CDC suspects was a meningitis outbreak in Mexico.
Virgin Galactic completed its final test flight on Thursday before its long-awaited commercial access for customers.
Yellowstone National Park officials killed a newborn bison because its herd wouldn’t take the animal back after a man picked it up.
The FDA has approved Opvee, which can reverse fentanyl and other opioid overdoses.
Powerful Typhoon Mawar churned slowly over the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam on Thursday, lashing the island with wind and rain, tearing down trees, walls and power lines, flipping cars, and pushing dangerous storm surge ashore as first-responders waited for daylight to see the full extent of the damage.
U.S. health regulators on Monday approved a new easy-to-use version of a medication to reverse overdoses caused by fentanyl and other opioids driving the nation’s drug crisis.
Be Well: Toni Braxton Shares Her Experience of Living With Lupus
Millions of Americans are impacted by mental health issues and a growing number of them are teenagers, causing concerns for parents across the country. Psychiatrist Dr. Liat Jarkon spoke with Cheddar News about how parents can have open and honest conversations with their kids.
A new study shows that climate change is making it harder to fall asleep. The study, published in Cell Press over the weekend, shows that millions of people are already sleeping less because of higher overnight temperatures.
Jeff Bezos' rocket company has won a NASA contract to land astronauts on the moon, two years after it lost out to SpaceX.
