Policy Support for New Alzheimer's Treatments: Regulation and Taxation

Several new drugs for Alzheimer's prevention have shown efficacy in trials. In the US, such drugs received regulatory approval and are also now insured by Medicare. Canada is currently lagging, with no regulatory approval for Alzheimer's prevention drugs and few discussions of insurance. However, with widespread adoption in other jurisdictions and a growing population at risk, inevitable pressures are to be expected gain access to such treatments. Public programs to provide insurance for Alzheimer's drugs will likely lead to high aggregate costs due to both high disease incidence and costs per drug. This has substantial implications for taxation levels.