Marc Archambault, who has early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, receives his first dose Wednesday of the newly approved intravenous drug Aduhelm at Butler Hospital in Providence, R.I. (Jessica Rinaldi/Pool/Reuters)
“My greatest concern is around people with families with Alzheimer’s disease,” said Joshua D. Grill, an Alzheimer’s researcher at the University of California at Irvine. “Few can afford the financial burden in the first place, let alone the additional costs of Aduhelm.”
He said the cost of an amyloid PET scan was at least $5,000. “Doctors, families, even we researchers need more guidance,” Grill said. Spinal taps offer a more affordable way of determining amyloid levels, but some patients shy away from them.
