Scott Berkheiser, 57, who has Alzheimer’s disease, sits for a portrait at his home Friday, April 5, 2024, in Venice, Fla. Insurance denials delayed Berkheiser’s first Leqembi infusion a few months until last December. He said the drugmaker eventually agreed to give it to him for free while he makes co-payments for the infusions. “It was a little crazy,” he said. “It seemed like it was kind of a game that must make sense for some monetary reason.
Studies showed that it can delay the progression of the disease by a few months when given to people with mild symptoms. Some experts say the delay may be too subtle for patients to notice.France is proposing to allow terminally ill patients to take lethal medicationThe Food and Drug Administration gave Leqembi full approval last summer for patients with early stages of the disease.
The Cedars-Sinai health system in Los Angeles started administering the drug in early March. Getting there required months of meetings to iron out a plan to coordinate diagnosis, treatment and then monitoring for problems.Banner Health in Arizona also recently started using Leqembi at a couple specialty clinics in Phoenix, a spokeswoman said.
An Eisai spokeswoman said nearly three-quarters of commercial plans in the U.S. cover the drug outside Medicare. If people mention memory trouble, doctors must rule out reversible causes like thyroid problems, vitamin deficiencies, medication issues or depression, Kulshreshtha said. Then memory tests for dementia can take a few visits.