Biogen Inc. announced that, effective January 1, 2022, it will reduce the wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) of ADUHELM (aducanumab-avwa) 100 mg/mL injection for intravenous use in the United States by approximately 50%.
For a patient of average weight (74 kg), the yearly cost at the maintenance dose (10 mg/kg) will be $28,200.
Michel Vounatsos, Chief Executive Officer at Biogen, commented, ““Too many patients are not being offered the choice of ADUHELM due to financial considerations and are thus progressing beyond the point of benefitting from the first treatment to address an underlying pathology of Alzheimer’s disease. We recognize that this challenge must be addressed in a way that is perceived to be sustainable for the U.S. healthcare system.”
ADUHELM’s reduced price takes into consideration the questions raised about this first class of therapies, the potential eligible population and revised pharmaco-economic assumptions. Biogen believes with insurance coverage, and access to diagnostics and specialized centers, approximately 50,000 patients may initiate treatment with ADUHELM in 2022. The reduced price is part of the Company’s ongoing commitment to further inform treatment choice.
Biogen recently presented new p-tau181 biomarker data at the Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease conference (CTAD) and announced its plan to complete the Phase 4 confirmatory post marketing study of ADUHELM in an accelerated timeline of four years. ADUHELM’s accelerated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has served as a catalyst for significant investment and additional research and innovation for Alzheimer’s disease.
