Bernie Sanders says price of Alzheimer's treatment is unconscionable, calls on HHS to take action
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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) arrives to the U.S. Capitol Building on June 01, 2023 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday called on the U.S. Health and Human Services Department to take action to ensure seniors can actually afford the expensive Alzheimer's treatment Leqembi . Sanders, who chairs the Senate Health Committee, in a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra called the $26,500 annual price tag for Leqembi set by drugmakers Eisai and Biogen "unconscionable." The Vermont independent said the drug's current cost would put a substantial financial burden on Medicare and increase premiums for seniors. Medicare is the federal program that provides health coverage to primarily older Americans. Sanders said the "outrageously high price" of Leqembi "will prevent seniors who need this drug from receiving treatment." The lawmaker wrote that HHS should use its authority to break Leqembi's pa