FDA approves expensive Alzheimer’s drug and continues to ignore cannabis

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article belong solely to the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Fresh Toast.

It’s easy to see why everyone is desperately looking for something to help with Alzheimer’s disease. Patients and their families fear the relentless onslaught. The pressure on them was correspondingly great FDA authorize Aduhelm (aducanumab), from Biogen and Eisai.

However, its approval met widespread criticism as it is both expensive, with an expected annual price tag of $ 56,000, but of limited effectiveness.

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Aducanumab is taken as an infusion in a doctor’s office for one hour every four weeks. This could be difficult for a patient suffering from excitement who may not understand why they are there.

SEE: Doctors Should Not Get Rich From An Unproven Alzheimer’s Drug

The high cost of Biogen’s newly approved and controversial treatment is compounded by a misguided Medicare policy that encourages doctors to prescribe the most expensive drugs.

SEE: If the FDA Approves Biogen’s Alzheimer’s Treatment, I Will Not Prescribe ItAND: 3 experts have resigned from an FDA committee because of the approval of Alzheimer’s drugs

Given the disagreement among experts, we can only wonder about the process. What is the appropriate role for the FDA?

SEE: FDA Abolition. The role of the state is to protect rights and protect against fraud, not to prevent people from making risky decisions

Of course, like any government agency, the FDA has been undermined in support of the drug war.

GO TO: The FDA and I: Medical Cannabis and Regulatory RegistrationAND: Seniors have even more reason to demand an end to the cannabis ban

I have been Criticism of the American Alzheimer’s Association (SEE: Does the Alzheimer’s Association hope we’ll just forget about CBD?), HaIn Great Britain, however, the situation is only marginally better. The British Alzheimer’s Association says: “Research suggests that high concentrations of CBD oil could be useful in treating some of the symptoms of dementia such as arousal and anxiety. “

However, they also acknowledged that the “Alzheimer’s Society has never funded research on cannabis and the risk of dementia, or on cannabis as a potential treatment for the symptoms of dementia. This is because we have not received high quality applications from researchers who want to investigate these questions. “

Photo by Nicole De Khors via Burst

The obvious question is “why?” Why has the medical establishment failed to support research into cannabinoid medicine when obviously nothing else has worked?

SEE: The individual courage and collective cowardice of the medical profession

Cannabinoid drugs are also of low toxicity. however, according to Dementia Care Central, “People who took aducanumab had swelling and bleeding in the brain, a side effect called ‘amyloid-related imaging abnormalities’ (ARIA). Headaches, imbalances that lead to falls, stomach problems including diarrhea, and disorientation are also possible side effects.

“The swelling or bleeding caused by ARIA can be monitored by brain scans in people taking aducanumab. The drug manufacturer recommends MRI scans that detect ARIA before the 7th and 12th infusions, as the problems typically develop in the first 12 to 16 weeks of treatment and are asymptomatic (meaning a person cannot feel them). During the studies, ARIA was detected in 41% of people taking aducanumab compared to 10% of people in the control group who did not take the drug. “

Perhaps medicinal cannabis could at least help with the side effects of the FDA-approved drug. Ending the marijuana ban could also help with the other problems related to aging, such as the extreme cynicism of being lied to all our lives.

Richard Cowan is a former national NORML director and author of the study of the effects of cannabidiol on the adult liver.