New drugs for Alzheimer's have been hailed as a breakthrough – but their shortcomings are profound
Unlike their many predecessors, these drugs were the first to slow cognitive decline.
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Unlike their many predecessors, these drugs were the first to slow cognitive decline.
The prominent economist Milton Friedman said that in order to understand the motivation of a person or organization, you must look for the self-interest. So where do regulators' interests lie? Not always in the public interest, alas, but in increased responsibilities, budgets, bureaucratic empires, and avoiding bad decisions.
Medicare's decision to limit coverage for a controversial new Alzheimer's drug has prompted an outcry among Alzheimer's advocates. The drug is Aduhelm, and despite widespread enthusiasm for it among Alzheimer's patients and advocates, it hasn't been proven to slow the disease. The drug was given accelerated approval by the Food and Drug Administration because it reduces the plaque that develops in the brains of most Alzheimer’s patients.