A $3,000 test, approved by regulators in 2012, has been developed which accurately identifies the brain plaques which occur in Alzheimer’s disease. Some in the medical profession favor covering this test under federal health insurance – the results will lower the level of anxiety among families struggling to provide an appropriate level of care, and the test could create a pool of early Alzheimer patients to provide subjects for research. Opponents of coverage contend that, since the disease remains incurable, a patient knowing the disease is present or not provides no benefit.
To provide appropriate treatment, specialists have noted that it is important to obtain an accurate diagnosis. Alzheimer’s presents in a manner similar to multi-infarct dementia and establishes memory loss similar to tumors or dietary deficiencies.
Elizabeth Lopatto of Bloomberg reported on June 30th:
Amyvid, the first drug of its kind, was approved for sale last year by U.S. regulators, and in January in Europe. It binds to beta-amyloid plaques in the brain that are a suspected cause of Alzheimer’s. The dye’s radiation allows an image to be produced using a PET scan, showing where amyloid plaques exist in the brain and how extensive they may be.
In January, after Lilly requested a determination on coverage from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a panel of U.S. advisers said it wasn’t confident the tests would improve the health of people with Alzheimer’s. A final decision will come July 9, according to Don McLeod, an agency spokesman who declined to comment further. The agency oversees Medicare, the U.S. health program for the elderly and disabled, and Medicaid, the joint-state medical plan for the poor.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-01/scientists-back-alzheimer-s-test-amid-doubts-over-value.html?cmpid=yhoo
To provide appropriate treatment, specialists have noted that it is important to obtain an accurate diagnosis. Alzheimer’s presents in a manner similar to multi-infarct dementia and establishes memory loss similar to tumors or dietary deficiencies.
Elizabeth Lopatto of Bloomberg reported on June 30th:
In January, after Lilly requested a determination on coverage from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a panel of U.S. advisers said it wasn’t confident the tests would improve the health of people with Alzheimer’s. A final decision will come July 9, according to Don McLeod, an agency spokesman who declined to comment further. The agency oversees Medicare, the U.S. health program for the elderly and disabled, and Medicaid, the joint-state medical plan for the poor.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-01/scientists-back-alzheimer-s-test-amid-doubts-over-value.html?cmpid=yhoo
To contact the reporter on this story: Elizabeth Lopatto in New York at elopatto@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reg Gale at rgale5@bloomberg.net
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