Medicare could potentially waste up to $605 million annually from the packaging of controversial Alzheimer’s drug aducanumab if it is approved for widespread use, according to a University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) study.
“Given Medicare’s premium increase in 2022 partly due to aducanumab, greater focus on efficient vial packaging could improve the value of future Medicare spending, slow premium growth, and reduce beneficiaries’ out‐of‐pocket costs,” said Dr. Carlos Irwin Oronce in the study’s media release.
To reduce wastage, the authors proposed flexible packaging rather than vials set at fixed dosages. Since the drug is fixed in its dosage volume and given to patients based on their weight, what remains after it is administered is discarded, resulting in waste….