Biogen unswayed by ICER assessment in aducanumab pricing

Biogen’s list price for aducanumab would only be cost-effective for a drug that completely halted dementia progression, according to ICER, adding controversy to the already contentious debate over whether the Alzheimer’s disease therapy should have been approved at all.

Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB) assigned Aduhelm aducanumab a wholesale acquisition cost of $4,312 per infusion for a 74 kg patient, the average weight of a U.S. patient with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). With infusions every four months, that translates to an annual cost of $56,000 after the first year. The cost during the first year of treatment is lower because of a titration period, according to the company...