Medicare beneficiaries are not accessing the newly approved Alzheimer’s medications at the rates federal officials expected, according to a STAT report. The drugs in question—Leqembi and Kisunla—have seen such low adoption that Medicare is not projecting significant spending on them in 2026 or 2027. This marks a stark contrast from 2022, when the agency anticipated spending billions annually on Leqembi alone.
The muted uptake aligns with ongoing challenges surrounding these Alzheimer’s treatments. Administered intravenously, the medications require extensive imaging and cater to a limited patient population. Additionally, they offer minimal clinical benefits while posing risks of severe side effects, including brain bleeding.
Separately, NBC News reports that patients and doctors are struggling to obtain certain doses of estrogen patches, despite the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) not yet listing any on its official drug shortage roster. The FDA removed the black box warning from hormone replacement therapies late last year, contributing to a surge in demand for estrogen patches. However, supply shortages have emerged as a persistent issue.
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), a professional organization for pharmacists, currently lists 14 brands or dosages of estrogen patches on its most recent shortage report. The organization first began including estrogen patches on its shortage list in January.
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