© 2024 WXPR
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Alzheimer's Association Wisconsin Chapter Reacts to New Treatment

Pixabay.com

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug for Alzheimer’s disease.

It’s the first new drug approved to treat the disease in nearly 20 years.

More than 100,000 people have Alzheimer’s Disease in Wisconsin.

There’s no cure for it and the last drug approved to treat the disease came out in 2003.

That’s why people like Wendy Betley are excited about aducanumab, a drug just approved by the FDA to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

Betley is the senior program director of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Wisconsin chapter.

“It is going to allow more time for families, overall, both the person who is living with memory loss as well as their families, to do more things longer,” she said.

Aducanumab is intended for people in the very early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Instead of addressing the disease’s symptoms like other Alzheimer’s medications, this drug is the first to actually slow down the progression of the disease.

But there’s been controversy over the drug’s effectiveness.

Of 11 outside experts the FDA brought in to examine drug trials, 10 said it needed more study.

However, from a caregiver perspective, Betley said this drug is an important breakthrough.

“We don’t have anything to stop this disease,” she said. “This is the first drug to slow the progression down, so in my opinion we are giving something to the families they’ve never had before. We’re giving them the gift of hope.”

The drug isn’t in Wisconsin yet, but Betley said it will be soon.

She’s expecting the drug to become available in the next two weeks, as distribution plans are finalized.

But even after the drug becomes physically available, there are barriers to access it.

For one, the drug is extremely expensive.

Some experts say it’s among the most expensive drugs marketed to primary care physicians.

Betley said the Alzheimer’s Association is working to address this.

“For the Alzheimer’s Association it’s a high priority to make this drug accessible to all,” she said. “So they’ve been working and are continuing to have conversations and will be having conversations with Medicare and Medicaid as they start to move forward.”

Betley is also hopeful that approval of this drug will prompt further research into Alzheimer’s disease, and the discovery of new medications in the future.

Erin Gottsacker worked at WXPR as a Morning Edition host and reporter from December 2020 to January 2023. During her time at the station, Erin reported on the issues that matter most in the Northwoods.
Up North Updates
* indicates required
Related Content