When veteran ABC News anchor Bill Ritter announced in June that he was stepping down due to an early-stage Alzheimer's diagnosis, it put a familiar face on a disease that millions of Americans are navigating in silence. Writing in DC Journal, USC neurologist Paul Aisen and senior visiting scholar Joe Grogan argue that the policies currently blocking access to proven treatments are doing a disservice to patients like Ritter — and that the science demands a second look. Read the full piece here →

From DC Journal, by Paul Aisen and Joe Grogan:

"Two drugs, donanemab and lecanemab, have been proven in multiple randomized clinical trials to be effective in slowing Alzheimer's disease in its early symptomatic stage by about 30 percent. Follow-up studies indicate that the benefits persist even after stopping treatment."

"Anti-amyloid drugs aren't for everyone, but we believe the U.S. healthcare system shouldn't — as it is currently doing — hinder people who could benefit from choosing them."

"Based on this evidence, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should consider the costs to patients of maintaining the Coverage with Evidence Development program instituted in 2022, which requires seniors to enroll in a Medicare-approved registry to receive coverage for these drugs. That's been a significant barrier for many patients, particularly in rural areas."

"It is certain that removing amyloid plaque is now a foundational strategy for how we battle Alzheimer's disease. Our approach to these drugs should be to build on them, not to block them."

Aisen and Grogan's piece in DC Journal makes a compelling scientific and policy case for removing the barriers standing between Alzheimer's patients and treatments that work. Read the full commentary here.

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