Medicare recipients to see premium cut — but not until 2023
Medicare recipients will get a premium reduction — but not until next year — reflecting what Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said Friday was an overestimate in costs of covering an expensive and controversial new Alzheimer's drug. Becerra’s statement said the 2022 premium should be adjusted downward but legal and operational hurdles prevented officials from doing that in the middle of the year. Medicare Part B premiums jumped by $22 a month, to $170.10, for 2022, in part because of the cost of the drug Aduhelm, which was approved despite weak evidence that it could slow the progression of Alzheimer's.
news.yahoo.comAlzheimer's drug cited as Medicare premium jumps by $21.60
Medicare's “Part B” outpatient premium will jump by $21.60 next year, one of the largest increases ever. Officials said Friday a new Alzheimer's drug is responsible for about half of that. The increase guarantees that health care will gobble up a big chunk of the recently announced Social Security cost-of-living allowance, a boost that had worked out to $92 a month for the average retired worker, intended to help cover rising prices for gas and food that are pinching seniors.
news.yahoo.comBiogen stock falls after FDA calls for federal investigation into Alzheimer's drug approval
Biogen shares fell on Friday after the head of the Food and Drug Administration called for an investigation into the recent approval of the company's Alzheimer's drug, Aduhelm. In a letter dated and made public Friday, Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock asked the independent Office of the Inspector General to investigate interactions between the U.S. agency and Biogen representatives prior to the drug's approval on June 7. But the FDA's decision was controversial as it was a departure from the advice of its independent panel of outside experts, who unexpectedly declined to endorse the drug last fall, citing unconvincing data. Federal regulators have faced intense pressure from friends and family members of Alzheimer's patients asking to fast-track the drug, scientifically known as aducanumab. STAT News and other media outlets have since reported the controversial ways FDA officials worked with biogen executives to get the drug on the market, including using a regulatory shortcut to gain approval.
cnbc.comFormer AG Holder says he could support voter ID laws
Speaking on Thursday during a House panel on voting, former Attorney General Eric Holder said he could support voter ID laws, if in those rules “you expand the number of things that somebody can use to prove they are who they claim to be.”
news.yahoo.comFDA approves much-debated Alzheimer’s drug panned by experts
Government health officials on Monday approved the first new drug for Alzheimer’s disease in nearly 20 years, disregarding warnings from independent advisers that the much-debated treatment hasn’t been shown to help slow the brain-destroying disease. The Food and Drug Administration approved the drug from Biogen based on study results showing it seemed “reasonably likely” to benefit Alzheimer's patients. The new drug, which Biogen developed with Japan’s Eisai Co., did not reverse mental decline, only slowing it in one study.
news.yahoo.comAlzheimer’s Gender Gap: Why more women are being diagnosed
Researchers used to think that more women got Alzheimer’s because they lived longer. But why does Alzheimer’s affect more women than men? Scientists scanned the brains of women and men and found declines in estrogen were involved in Alzheimer’s abnormalities. Specifically, women with a higher waist circumference had a 39% increased risk of dementia in 15 years. Specifically, one of the genes was linked to Alzheimer’s risk in women and three were linked to risk in men.
Reporting on frontotemporal dementia
Frontotemporal dementia is a cruel disease. This week on 60 Minutes, correspondent Bill Whitaker reports on frontotemporal dementia. She was 61 years old when she began to notice the signs of frontotemporal dementia. Mark Johnson, 40, has the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia. To watch Bill Whitaker's 60 Minutes report on frontotemporal dementia, click here.
cbsnews.comLifestyle changes improve cognition in people at risk for Alzheimer's
(CNN) - A new study finds personalized lifestyle interventions not only stopped cognitive decline in people at risk for Alzheimer's, but actually increased their memory and thinking skills within 18 months. "This is the first study in a real-world clinic setting showing individualized clinical management may improve cognitive function and also reduce Alzheimer's and cardiovascular risk," Isaacson said. The study was published Wednesday in the journal "Alzheimer's and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association." "Our study was designed to look at the effects of lifestyle intervention on cognitive function," Isaacson said. The study was not designed to prevent Alzheimer's, only to see if lifestyle changes affected cognitive function.
Biotech stocks soar following shock Biogen drug announcement
Biotech stocks surged after Biogen announced plans to revive its Alzheimer's drug aducanumab. Shares of Biogen are up more than 25% and tracking for one of their best days on record ever after the company said it was once again seeking regulatory approval for its Alzheimer's drug. But given the drug trial's history, the Street isn't completely convinced that the outcome will be different this time around. But he also said that if the drug were successful it could "completely change the profile of the company." Following the nearly 30% gain on Tuesday, shares of Biogen were trading around $285.
cnbc.comCramer says Biogen's Alzheimer's treatment could be 'the biggest drug ever' as shares soar nearly 30%
Shares of Biogen soared nearly 30% on Tuesday after the drugmaker announced it was seeking regulatory approval for an Alzheimer's drug, aducanumab, it said it was giving up on earlier this year. "It would be the biggest drug ever," CNBC's Jim Cramer said on "Squawk on the Street." The announcement comes just months after Biogen discontinued clinical studies of the same drug following a data analysis that did not achieve its objective. Biogen erased its entire 25% year-to-date decline when it said a new analysis of a larger dataset showed that aducanumab "reduced clinical decline in patients with early Alzheimer's disease." Patients who received the drug "experienced significant benefits on measures of cognition and function such as memory, orientation, and language."
cnbc.comRegular aerobic exercise may slow progression to Alzheimer's
Subjects were randomized to 12 months of aerobic exercise or stretching and toning. Both aerobic and stretching may prevent or slow cognitive decline, according to the researchers, but aerobic exercise had more benefits on reducing hippocampal shrinkage than stretching. But MRI and PET imaging showed those who did aerobic exercise had slower degeneration in the hippocampus than those who did flexibility training. "The brains of participants with amyloid responded more to the aerobic exercise than the others," Zhang said. "Most physicians believe in the power of exercise to support overall brain health, but fewer believe that exercise can specifically impact people with early Alzheimer's," Isaacson said.
The Signs Dr. Oz Says He Missed That His Mom Had Alzheimer's
Dr. Mehmet Oz has revealed that his mother has Alzheimer's disease. Im feeling guilty because I completely missed the signs until fairly late in the process, Oz told People. If the right word was, You look beautiful today, she would use, You look pretty prettier today. I missed those clues, Oz said. Oz said there are other signs to look out for if you suspect your loved one has early-stage Alzheimer's, including confusing time and place, misplacing things and trouble with visuals. Oz revealed he was tested in the wake of learning about his mother's diagnosis and he too has one of the genes for Alzheimer's.
Untangling the Facebook data scandal, Inside MIT's "Future Factory," For better or worse: Living with Alzheimer's
Untangling the Facebook data scandal, Inside MIT's "Future Factory," For better or worse: Living with Alzheimer's Lesley Stahl reports on Aleksandr Kogan, the link between Facebook and Cambridge Analytica; then, Scott Pelley goes inside MIT's "Future Factory"; and, for better or worse, living with Alzheimer's
cbsnews.comPope slams Vatican leaders in Christmas message
Pope slams Vatican leaders in Christmas message Pope Francis turned the traditional Christmas greeting to cardinals, bishops and priests into a catalog of sins he hoped would be atoned for in the new year. Francis castigated what he called "spiritual Alzheimer's" that made the clergy forget they're supposed to be joyful men of God. Allen Pizzey reports.
cbsnews.comSiblings swim English Channel for Alzheimer's awareness
Siblings swim English Channel for Alzheimer's awareness Devin, Dustin and Danielle Wahl could be the first trio of siblings to swim across the English Channel at the same time. They're doing it in part to raise awareness about Alzheimer's, a disease that affected their loved ones. Norah O'Donnell reports.
cbsnews.comNew test may help detect Alzheimer's earlier
New test may help detect Alzheimer's earlier More than 5 million people in the U.S. are living with Alzheimer's. Now British researchers say they have developed a blood test that could reveal early changes in the brain related to the disease - before a patient has symptoms. CBS News' Alphonso Van Marsh reports.
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