The price of a new Alzheimer's drug more than doubled in the first six months of this year despite the fact that the drug was covered by Medicare and Medicaid, according to a new study.
The study, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, found that the price of Alzheimer's drug aducanumab more than doubled to $375,000 for a 28-day supply, even though the drug was covered by both Medicare and Medicaid, the New York Times reports.
The study, which looked at the impact of the Alzheimer's drug on Medicare and Medicaid patients, also found that patients in low-income areas were more likely to be uninsured than those in higher-income areas.
The study's lead author, Paige Nong, tells the Times that the Alzheimer's drug is "one of the most expensive drugs in the world" for a lot of reasons, including the fact that it's given to people who don't qualify for Medicaid or Medicare.
Nong, a professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, tells the Times that her research shows that medical centers need to do a better job of ensuring that patients in low-income areas have equal access to the drug.
"If we want to reduce health care costs
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