We just got the first new Alzheimer’s drug in nearly 2 decades

Hello,

Welcome to Insider Healthcare. I'm Lydia Ramsey Pflanzer, and today in healthcare news:

• On Monday, the FDA approved the first new Alzheimer's drug in nearly two decades;
• Primary care company One Medical wants to tap into senior care by acquiring competitor Iora Health;
• We looked into an old Medicare policy that could get in the way of patients accessing the newly approved Alzheimer's drug.

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The FDA just approved the first new Alzheimer's drug in 18 years

• The FDA on Monday approved the first new Alzheimer's disease treatment in nearly two decades.
• Biogen had initially deemed the drug a failure and shut down two late-stage trials.
• Experts were divided on the drug. One analyst had estimated a 15% chance the FDA would approve it.

Here's what you need to know>>

One Medical is making a $2.1 billion bet on a rival that upended medical care for seniors

• Primary care company One Medical plans to acquire competitor Iora Health in a $2.1 billion deal.
• The deal would set One Medical up to expand beyond the commercially insured market into caring for seniors 65 and up.
• It's the latest example of primary care companies chasing seniors.

Get the full story>>

An old Medicare policy could stand in the way of millions of Alzheimer's patients looking to get the first approved treatment in nearly 2 decades

• The FDA just approved a new Alzheimer's disease drug that targets a plaque that builds up in some patients' brains.
• Doctors will likely need to perform a scan to see if patients are eligible for the drug.
• Medicare, which insures more than 5 million people with Alzheimer's, doesn't cover the scan.

Find out more>>

More stories we're reading:

• US officials may have avoided the coronavirus lab-leak theory to avoid associations with controversial gain-of-function research (Insider)
• Vaccination rates are falling, and that's putting Biden's goal of getting 70% of the US vaccinated by July 4 in jeopardy (Washington Post)
• People who've had COVID-19 vaccines should get a state-issued 'driver's license' to party, top bioethicist says (Insider)
• Biogen's newly approved Alzheimer's drug might be the most lucrative medicine in history (Stat News)

- Lydia