Medicare Approves New Coverage for Alzheimer's Drugs After Full FDA Approval

Medicare will broaden coverage for new Alzheimer's drugs if they gain full U.S. approval.
Medicare currently only pays for Alzheimer's drugs approved under the FDA's accelerated review if patients are enrolled in a clinical trial.
Broader Medicare coverage would begin on the same day the FDA grants traditional approval.
To get Medicare coverage, patients need to be diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or early dementia caused by Alzheimer's and have a qualified physician participating in a registry.
Medicare now specifies that doctors must take part in registries that provide information on how the drugs work.