Should Patients Take the New Alzheimer's Drug? Three Takeaways from the Latest Hastings Conversations Webinar
In a discussion that went beyond the headlines, the latest Hastings Conversations webinar delved into the Food and Drug Administration’s controversial approval last month of Aduhelm for Alzheimer’s disease and the consequences for patients and families, the health care system, and the integrity of regulatory oversight. The discussion included Hastings Center President Mildred Solomon; Aaron Kesselheim, one of the three FDA advisory committee members who resigned in protest over the decision; and Jason Karlawish, a Hastings Center fellow and physician who has publicly stated that he will counsel his patients against use of the drug. They identified three broad areas of concern: for society, including an erosion of trust in the FDA’s drug approval process and enormous costs to Medicare; for patients, including the risk of the drug, which include brain swelling and bleeding; and for families in the form of false expectations and out-of-pocket costs. Learn more and watch the webinar.
"This Investigation is Crucial." Hastings President on Probe of Alzheimer's Drug Approval Process
In a commentary in MedPage Today, Hastings Center President Mildred Solomon affirmed the need for an investigation of the FDA’s process for approving the new Alzheimer’s drug, noting that the acting FDA commissioner has called for an independent investigation and Congress is preparing for possible hearings. “This investigation is crucial,” she writes. “Clinicians, policymakers, and legislators charged with FDA oversight have a major responsibility to raise a number of tough questions in the coming weeks.” Read the commentary.
In the Media: "Technological Doping"
With the Tokyo Olympics beginning on Friday, Hastings Center President Emeritus Tom Murray spoke with the South China Morning Post about the use of wearable tech and other cutting-edge means of enhancing performance. Are they "technological doping," as critics charge? While there is no general answer to that question, Murray said technological advancements should not take away from the values and meaning of a discipline. "So, the sport has to look at itself and ask, what do we care about?" He added that "the governance of sport, the rules of sport more specifically, are necessarily part of an ongoing, always-changing conversation. The athletes change, the equipment changes, people's expectations change. You have to engage in that conversation in an honest and authentic way." Read the article. Murray's most recent book is Good Sport: Why Our Games Matter—and How Doping Undermines Them.
Upcoming Events
"Do Justice and Equity Concerns Bolster or Hinder the Case for the Use of Gene Drive Applications?" a panel with Hastings Center research scholar Carolyn Neuhaus organized by the Foundation for the NIH GeneConvene Global Collaborative and McMaster University's Institute on Ethics & Policy for Innovation. August 10, 10 AM EST.
"Democratic Deliberation and Gene Editing," a presentation by Hastings Center research scholars Michael Gusmano and Karen Maschke at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association. September 29.
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