On July 28th at the Aduhelm Town Hall, we heard from a variety of speakers enraged by the FDA’s recent approval of Biogen’s new drug aducanumab (Aduhelm). Dr. Aaron Kesselheim cautioned us that there is insufficient evidence that this drug prevents decline of cognitive function. Linda Furlini believes she cannot have confidence in a drug that’s own advisory panel is conflicted over its accelerated approval method. And according to Dr. Peter Whitehouse, member of the RCA Long Term Care Council, instead of wasting money “on a drug whose benefit has not been adequately demonstrated,” we should invest in public health, education, and communities.
After hearing from these speakers, we heard from Sharon Moon, a member of the RCA executive committee, who shared a powerful story about her grandfather who lived with Alzheimer’s.
The Right Care Alliance concluded by calling for the American public to join them in holding pharmaceutical and biotech industries such as the FDA and Biotech responsible for their harmful and predatory actions, and calling on hospitals not to administer Aduhelm.