Medicare Proposal on Alzheimer’s Drug Draws Criticism From Drugmakers

Drugmakers and patient advocacy groups are pushing back against a federal proposal to cut off most Medicare payments for Biogen Inc.’s new Alzheimer’s drug, contending the healthcare agency is overstepping the bounds of its expertise.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed last month to limit coverage of Biogen’s drug Aduhelm to patients enrolled in clinical trials sanctioned by the agency. The proposal would also apply to similar drugs still in development and not yet approved, including those from Eisai Co. , Eli Lilly & Co., and Roche Holding AG , that work by reducing amyloid protein, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s, in the brain.