Ensuring access and coverage remains a top priority
July 3, 2024 (WASHINGTON, D.C.) The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) released the following statement in response to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) traditional approval of KisunlaTM (donanemab), a therapy developed by Eli Lilly to treat early stage Alzheimer’s disease.
“Today’s FDA approval of a new treatment for those in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease is another important step forward in the fight against this devastatingly cruel, fatal disease. For almost 100 years, people had no treatments shown to slow disease progression. Thanks to decades of investment in the research and development of Alzheimer’s treatments, we now have two disease-modifying therapies with traditional FDA approval and a promising pipeline of more.
Next, we need to work to improve patient access through better Medicare and private insurance coverage of these therapies and the scans needed for diagnosis. We remain concerned by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ continued efforts to restrict access to this class of FDA-approved therapies. Maintaining independence for as long as possible is a goal many living with Alzheimer’s disease share. These sentiments align well with the FDA’s approval of KisunlaTM just two days before Independence Day.
The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease applauds all those who contributed to the many steps along the way of making new Alzheimer’s treatments a reality for people living with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, their care partners, and their families.”
To learn more about the value of access to Alzheimer’s treatment, please visit: https://www.pfcdalz.org.
###
The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) is an international coalition of patient, provider, community, business and labor groups, and health policy experts, committed to raising awareness of the number one cause of death, disability, and rising health care costs: chronic disease.
