No one has any idea how much money seniors could pay for new Alzheimer’s drug

WASHINGTON — Medicare has outlined how it plans to cover the controversial, pricey new Alzheimer’s treatment Aduhelm, but the plan is missing a crucial detail: how much money Medicare patients who receive the drug would actually pay.

The draft coverage policy, announced Tuesday, would severely restrict the number of seniors who can access the drug at all, as Medicare plans to only cover the drug for patients participating in rigorous, agency-approved clinical trials. But Medicare remained mum on the potential cost of the drug for patients enrolled in the clinical trials.

Normally, patients do not pay to participate in clinical trials, as trial sponsors pay the cost of medication and related services. But these wouldn’t be normal clinical trials.

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