Exclusive: Lilly expects US Medicare to reverse course, fully cover Alzheimer’s drugs

Reuters exclusively reported that Eli Lilly and Co expects the U.S. Medicare health plan to lift strict coverage limits on new Alzheimer’s drugs as data emerges on the treatment’s ability to clear amyloid brain plaques and help patients. Derek Asay, Lilly’s SVP of Government Strategy and Federal Accounts, told Reuters that the agency will soon have the evidence it needs to provide robust reimbursement for amyloid-reducing drugs like the company’s experimental donanemab. The agency’s current plan would only require it to pay for the drug once it receives US Food and Drug Administration approval if patients are part of a registry, a move Lilly said would create inequity in its use. Lilly has not previously discussed publicly its optimism about a change at Medicare, which covers 85% of the Americans who have the mind-wasting disease. The news lifted shares of Lilly by $11.13, or 3%, to $385.96 on Friday.