More than half of the people questioned by the France Alzheimer association believe that the abrupt cessation of treatment led to a precipitous aggravation of the disorders of Alzheimer’s disease.
Seven months after the entry into force of Agnès Buzyn’s decision to delist anti-Alzheimer’s drugs, the France Alzheimer association draws a very negative conclusion. 52% of people questioned by the organization believe that the abrupt cessation of treatment led to a precipitous aggravation of the disorders.
“After 8 days of withdrawal, his motor skills have drastically decreased”
“My husband was a scientist, a practicing veterinary doctor sensitive to the problem of “unnecessary” drugs. He therefore decided to stop the skin patches supposed to relieve the symptoms related to his disease. After 8 days of withdrawal, his motor skills decreased drastically. He had difficulty performing simple gestures such as eating on his own, climbing stairs, moving around. Very quickly, he complained of pain in his hip. His doctor then prescribed him physiotherapy sessions as well as analgesics. His suffering did not diminish, we decided to buy the patches again, at our expense. 4 days later, his movements were fluid again, but the pain due to the discontinuation of his treatment was, as for them, , still very present… In this lapse of time, his immediate memory has also been affected. He now regularly forgets his coffee in the microwave, for example, and may no longer know what he is doing or should do in a fraction one of second”, testifies Régine.
Out-of-pocket costs have also increased for families: 2 out of 3 respondents were taking at least one of the medications when the reimbursement was announced, and 70% of them do not plan to stop treatment for its effectiveness. 20% have ended their treatment and 10% plan to stop it soon, mainly because the cost is too high.
“700 euros per year to pay out of our pockets”
“In the event that the treatment is no longer applied, the patient must then go to a specialized establishment. The monthly remainder to be paid for by the public authorities would then be equivalent to the financing of a full year of reimbursement for the drug… For for us, families, this reimbursement is equivalent to 57 euros per month and 700 euros per year to be paid out of our pockets. It’s huge when you know that over time new charges will be added”, adds Raymond, whose the woman suffers from the disease.
Only 55% of people who have decided not to take any more treatments will continue to consult a specialist doctor and 38% have stopped visiting him. For 80% of respondents, the ineffectiveness of anti-Alzheimer’s drugs put forward by the government is unfounded.
“I confirm the delisting of anti-Alzheimer’s drugs, and it is absolutely not for budgetary reasons. It is because these drugs have been shown by the HAS to be harmful and cause many side effects, with fractures and falls. We de-reimburse so that people no longer use them”, explained the Minister of Health Agnès Buzyn, Wednesday, May 30, on the set of “19/20” of France 3.
The risk of occurrence of sometimes serious adverse effects
The Transparency Committee of HAS reassessed the four drugs used in the symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer’s disease: Ebixa (Lundbeck), Aricept (Eisai), Exelon (Novartis Pharma) and Reminyl (Janssen Cilag). It considered that the data accumulated since the marketing of these drugs confirmed the risk of the occurrence of adverse effects that are sometimes serious (syncope, severe skin reactions, etc.) and/or of a nature to alter the quality of life of patients (digestive disorders, cardiovascular , neuropsychiatry, etc.).
Furthermore, the HAS recalled that the population affected by Alzheimer’s disease is often polypathological and polymedicated, which implies that the risks of drug interactions and serious adverse effects are increased.
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