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Michael Zuendel and his family beamed at a Gilbert clinic on Friday as he became the first person to receive a dose of Aduhelm, the first drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration in nearly two decades to treat Alzheimer’s disease .
Zuendel is a co-resident of Iowa and Colorado, and with help from the Virtis Health Facility in Gilbert and the National Alzheimer’s Association, began treatment for cognitive impairment caused by Alzheimer’s disease on Friday. Early-stage Alzheimer’s.
“I hope to be one of the first people to survive Alzheimer’s disease,” Zuendel said. “I hope to spend some more time with my family. If I can get an extra year, an extra two years, an extra day, an extra week – anytime I can delay the progression of this disease with my family would make me extremely happy.
In June, the FDA approved Biogen’s aducanumab, which they now sell as Aduhelm, a drug that is given intravenously every four weeks to slow the decline in people with mild memory and thinking problems. caused by Alzheimer’s disease.
Aduhelm is an antibody designed to attack protein structures, also called amyloid plaques, that cause Alzheimer’s disease. Amyloid plaques essentially act as “barriers” that prevent neurons from connecting and disrupt communication with the brain, according to family nurse practitioner Jenifer Clark, who administered the drug to Zuendel.
Aduhelm is currently recommended for Alzheimer’s patients in the early or mild stages of the disease, Clark said.
Biogen said the list price would be $ 4,312 per treatment for an average weight person – a price that would add up to about $ 56,000 per year, before insurance.
Hoping to “win a few years”
Zuendel was joined by his wife and two daughters who all came from Colorado for the transfusion at Gilbert’s health facility. He is expected to return monthly to receive treatment.
“Today is a big day for me, I’m really there not only for myself, but for my mom and dad, who both passed away from Alzheimer’s disease,” Zuendel said.
Zuendel’s daughter, Dianne Zuendel, remembers seeing her father looking after her parents, who also have Alzheimer’s disease, for 15 years.
“It’s a very bright day for us. We really look forward to the future and see where this journey takes us, ”said Dianne. “I really hope that helps us save even a few years, if not, you know, months or weeks with him.”
Zuendel was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in October last year, and her family said they knew hearing about the drug was the next step.
According to Kathy Mayberry, a spokesperson for Virtis Health, Zuendel searched for the Aduhelm treatment on Google and contacted the clinic to start the process. About six weeks later, after conducting medical studies on Zuendel, it was approved to be the drug’s first recipient, Mayberry said.
“Mike has been very proactive in getting to this point, and we’re just super excited to start this journey with the drug and the infusion,” Zuendel’s wife Brooks West said. “Because hopefully this will be the start of a slowdown in the disease, and possibly a cure.”
Zuendel said his diagnosis last year sounded like a “punch,” but is at a point where he’s ready to “go fight Alzheimer’s disease.”
The sooner detected and treated, the better
Katie Skvarce, communications director for the Alzheimer’s Association Desert Southwest Chapter, said today marks an incredibly important day for the future of Alzheimer’s disease treatment.
In Arizona, about 150,000 people aged 65 and over have been diagnosed with the disease, Skvarce said, while in the United States, about 6.2 million people aged 65 and over are living with the disease. ‘Alzheimer’s, according to statistics from the Alzheimer’s Association.
Skvarce stressed the importance of staying alert for warning signs, such as personality changes and decline in spatial awareness, because the earlier the disease is detected and treated, the better.
“This will bring a lot of hope to families, not only in Arizona but across the country, who then potentially have more time with their families and can create more memories with their families,” Skvarce said.
Mayberry said Vertis Health is looking to expand treatment to other patients with Alzheimer’s disease. To start the process on interested patients, the clinic would work with their doctors to determine eligibility and oversee treatment, Mayberry said.
Virtis Health is a national provider of therapeutic and diagnostic services and support for patients with complex illnesses requiring specialized infusion and injection drugs, said Virtis Health spokesperson Teri Burgess.
Patients interested in learning more about the drug can contact Virtis Health at 480-448-3999 or visit www.virtishealth.com
USA Today reporter Ken Alltucker contributed to this report.
Contact last-minute reporter Salma Reyes at [email protected] or on Twitter @r_salma_
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