A simple change in the currently available sizes of the leading Alzheimer’s drug Lecambi could save Medicare – the federal health insurance program in the US for people aged 65 and older – hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, a new study says. Might be possible. About 6 percent of Lecambi, also known as lecanumab, is thrown away because patients are mostly prescribed doses smaller than the size of the drug’s single-use vials.

A report recently published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine In a report published Oct. 14 in the journal Medicine, researchers estimate that the waste costs Medicare $1,600 per patient each year. JAMA Internal MedicineThe dose administered is based on each patient’s individual body weight. However, because the drug is currently available only in single-use 500 mg and 200 mg vials, substantial quantities of this expensive drug are discarded when the dose prescribed to the patient is less than the amount contained in the vials.

According to the researchers, providing the 75-milligram vial along with the two existing options could save Medicare up to 74 percent of the loss from the discontinued Lecambi. “It’s important to reduce spending on services that don’t improve patients’ health, and this is a prime example of that,” said lead researcher Dr. Frank, noting that Medicare is willing to throw away some of that money just for a drug. Is paying.” Zhou, a fourth-year medical student at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, wrote in the journal.

How does Lecambi work for Alzheimer’s patients?

The drug, designed for people with mild cognitive impairment or dementia, has a modest net clinical benefit, according to clinical trials. Several previous studies have shown that the cost of Lecambi, as well as ancillary costs such as treating brain inflammation associated with the drug, could cost Medicare $2 billion to $5 billion each year.

Zhou also said that health care costs continue to rise – putting significant pressure on the Medicare budget.

Medicare patients are prescribed Lecambi if they have been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer’s disease and their doctor agrees to participate in ongoing data gathering regarding the drug’s effectiveness. Previous estimates have estimated that Lecambi treatment could cost Medicare $2 billion to $5 billion per year, depending on the number of people eligible for the drug.

According to experts, the drug shows that taking lecanumab for more than 18 months slows the rate of cognitive decline. It is not yet known whether the drug helps in other ways, such as slowing the development of Alzheimer’s in those without symptoms of memory loss.

The medication is given as an IV infusion every two weeks. However, doctors say that people who take lecanumab have side effects such as dizziness, headache, visual changes, confusion, swelling or bleeding in the brain, brain shrinkage and, rarely, death.

Get the latest news live on Times Now with breaking news and top headlines from around the world.