In harsh tones, the Alzheimer’s Association sharply criticized Biogen (BIIB) for the $56,000 price tag placed on its newly approved Alzheimer’s treatment, a move that threatens to embroil the biotech company and its medication in yet another national controversy.
The patient advocacy group released a brief statement on Saturday calling the wholesale price “simply unacceptable” and that, for many people, it “will pose an insurmountable barrier to access … and may further deepen issues of health equity.” The organization expressed gratitude that the drug was approved in response to a “vast unmet need,” but called on Biogen to change the price.
The criticism is another sign that the Biogen drug, which was approved this past week by the Food and Drug Administration amid rancorous debate over effectiveness data, may become the latest treatment to get caught up in the furor over the rising cost of prescription medicines. Already, signals are emanating from Washington.
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