The high price of new Alzheimer’s drugs will affect various stakeholders, including patients, healthcare systems, insurers, and the pharma industry. It will add billions to Medicare spending in a healthcare system trying to reduce costs. Here are some way it will impact our healthcare.

Access and Affordability: The high cost of new Alzheimer’s drugs may limit access to treatment for patients, particularly those without adequate insurance coverage or who cannot afford the high out-of-pocket expenses. This could result in disparities in access to treatment, with only a select group of patients being able to afford the medications.

Healthcare Budget Impact: The high prices of these drugs can strain healthcare budgets and have significant financial implications for public and private healthcare systems. The costs may result in increased healthcare expenditures, potentially leading to higher insurance premiums or taxes to cover the expenses.

Pricing Pressure on Insurers: Insurers and pharmacy benefit managers may face challenges in covering the cost of these high-priced drugs. This could increase pressure to negotiate lower prices with pharmaceutical companies or implement more stringent reimbursement criteria, such as requiring prior authorization or limiting coverage to specific patient populations.

Research and Development Incentives: The high price of Alzheimer’s drugs can provide financial incentives for pharmaceutical companies to invest in research and development in this field. The potential for significant profits may encourage companies to allocate resources toward developing new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. However, the extent to which high prices drive innovation versus affordability concerns is debatable.

Ethical and Policy Considerations: The high cost of Alzheimer’s drugs raises ethical questions about access to life-saving treatments and the fairness of pricing. It also calls attention to the broader issue of balancing the need for incentivizing innovation with ensuring affordable access to medications for patients with severe health conditions.

The impact of high drug prices will depend on various factors, including the specific drug in question, the pricing strategies employed, regulatory policies, and the response of stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem. Medicare should only allow one Alzheimer’s drug into the formulary and should directly negotiate with the pharma company for a lower price. A company’s stock and shareholders should not benefit from the sick.