June 8, 2021 —
Bloomberg recently published insight from Rena Conti, Associate Professor in the Department of Markets, Public Policy and Law. Rena spoke on the recent FDA approval of Biogen Inc.’s $56,000-a-year Alzheimer’s therapy Aduhelm, sparking a reignition of America’s debate on drug prices and access to medical care. Her comments centered on how Medicare’s financial structure would impact the new drug’s prescription and administration.
“The Part B payment mechanism creates incentives for providers to prescribe the drugs, because they earn a percentage fee on the sale of the drug. ‘There are financial incentives inherent to our system that are going to push for the utilization of this drug,’ Boston University’s Conti said.”
Rena Conti
Associate Professor, Markets, Public Policy, & Law
This latest FDA approval for Biogen is the latest front in a long-running conversation about pharmaceutical pricing, which Rena focuses on through her work with the Council for Informed Drug Spending Analysis (CIDSA).
