The biggest milestone of 2022 for Biogen, Inc. and its Alzheimer’s therapy Aduhelm (aducanumab) – a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) national coverage determination (NCD) for anti-amyloid antibodies – also is important for Eli Lilly and Company and its drug donanemab. CMS issued its draft NCD on 11 January, moments before Lilly CEO David Ricks took the virtual stage at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, where he said the proposed decision limiting Medicare coverage to patients enrolled in qualifying clinical trials is a worse scenario than Lilly expected.
“It looks like they're calling for coverage with evidence development, which isn't one of those middle scenarios that we had...