
Medicare Alzheimer's Drug Uptake Falls Short as Estrogen Patch Shortages Mount
247 Health News Editorial
·12 May 2026
·3 min read
·healthtechMedicare uptake of new Alzheimer's drugs remains far below projections due to administration challenges and limited benefits. Meanwhile, estrogen patch shortages are affecting hormone replacement therapy access across healthcare systems.
Originally reported by STAT News
References
- 1.American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. (2026). Drug Shortage Database. ASHP. https://www.ashp.org/drug-shortages
- 2.Baber, R. J., Panay, N., Fenton, A., et al. (2016). 2016 IMS Recommendations on women's midlife health and menopause hormone therapy. Climacteric, 19(2), 109-150. https://doi.org/10.1080/13697137.2016.1181613
- 3.Rabinovici, G. D. (2023). Controversy and progress in Alzheimer's disease — FDA approval of aducanumab. New England Journal of Medicine, 385(9), 771-774. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp2111320
- 4.Silverman, E. (2026). Pharmalittle: We're reading about Medicare and Alzheimer's drugs, estrogen patch shortages, and more. STAT News. https://www.statnews.com/pharmalot/2026/05/11/medicare-alzheimers-drugs-estrogen-patch-shortage/
- 5.Sims, J. R., Zimmer, J. A., Evans, C. D., et al. (2023). Donanemab in early symptomatic Alzheimer disease. JAMA, 330(6), 512-527. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2023.13239
- 6.Stuenkel, C. A., Davis, S. R., Gompel, A., et al. (2015). Treatment of symptoms of the menopause: an Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 100(11), 3975-4011. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2015-2236
- 7.Tucker, M. E. (2022). Drug shortages: A persistent problem with no easy solutions. JAMA, 327(16), 1543-1544. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2022.11928
- 8.van Dyck, C. H., Swanson, C. J., Aisen, P., et al. (2023). Lecanemab in early Alzheimer's disease. New England Journal of Medicine, 388(1), 9-21. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2212948
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