Charles Piller

This is a drug that was regarded at the outset as what they call a blockbuster in the pharma industry, namely a billion dollars a year or more in sales. Well, the uptake of this drug has been very, very slow.

This is a drug that was regarded at the outset as what they call a blockbuster in the pharma industry, namely a billion dollars a year or more in sales. Well, the uptake of this drug has been very, very slow.

This is a drug that was regarded at the outset as what they call a blockbuster in the pharma industry, namely a billion dollars a year or more in sales. Well, the uptake of this drug has been very, very slow.

And the reason is, number one, the benefits of Lekembe are so small and so subtle that many doctors and scientists say that they're imperceptible to patients taking the drug or to their family members. So I'm not saying they do nothing. There's Studies that have shown they do something, but the effects are very, very subtle and small. So statistically significant, but perhaps not clinically.

And the reason is, number one, the benefits of Lekembe are so small and so subtle that many doctors and scientists say that they're imperceptible to patients taking the drug or to their family members. So I'm not saying they do nothing. There's Studies that have shown they do something, but the effects are very, very subtle and small. So statistically significant, but perhaps not clinically.

And the reason is, number one, the benefits of Lekembe are so small and so subtle that many doctors and scientists say that they're imperceptible to patients taking the drug or to their family members. So I'm not saying they do nothing. There's Studies that have shown they do something, but the effects are very, very subtle and small. So statistically significant, but perhaps not clinically.

There you go. Those are the terms I was reaching for. Thank you, Mike. So there's that, but also these drugs come with very serious risks, risks of death or brain damage from brain swelling and bleeding. And of course, not every patient who takes it has those problems, but many do. And so it's a trade-off.

There you go. Those are the terms I was reaching for. Thank you, Mike. So there's that, but also these drugs come with very serious risks, risks of death or brain damage from brain swelling and bleeding. And of course, not every patient who takes it has those problems, but many do. And so it's a trade-off.

There you go. Those are the terms I was reaching for. Thank you, Mike. So there's that, but also these drugs come with very serious risks, risks of death or brain damage from brain swelling and bleeding. And of course, not every patient who takes it has those problems, but many do. And so it's a trade-off.

Do you want to risk the possibility of dying for benefits that are so subtle, as you say, to be not clinically significant? And so the uptake of these drugs has been very slow. Only a few thousand people in this country so far, when it was thought that within a very short period of time, there would be a dramatic uptake, so large of an uptake that it could be the biggest cost for Medicare.

Do you want to risk the possibility of dying for benefits that are so subtle, as you say, to be not clinically significant? And so the uptake of these drugs has been very slow. Only a few thousand people in this country so far, when it was thought that within a very short period of time, there would be a dramatic uptake, so large of an uptake that it could be the biggest cost for Medicare.

Do you want to risk the possibility of dying for benefits that are so subtle, as you say, to be not clinically significant? And so the uptake of these drugs has been very slow. Only a few thousand people in this country so far, when it was thought that within a very short period of time, there would be a dramatic uptake, so large of an uptake that it could be the biggest cost for Medicare.

But that just hasn't happened yet. Has that not happened because the real-world outcomes were not as good as the research outcomes? And if that's the case, why did that play out that way?

But that just hasn't happened yet. Has that not happened because the real-world outcomes were not as good as the research outcomes? And if that's the case, why did that play out that way?

But that just hasn't happened yet. Has that not happened because the real-world outcomes were not as good as the research outcomes? And if that's the case, why did that play out that way?

Well, we're really not sure yet of all the real-world outcomes because it's such a slow uptake and there are so few people that... Is it a cost-prohibitive issue? It's also a cost-prohibitive issue, although now with Medicare paying for it for most patients, it's much easier to afford.

Well, we're really not sure yet of all the real-world outcomes because it's such a slow uptake and there are so few people that... Is it a cost-prohibitive issue? It's also a cost-prohibitive issue, although now with Medicare paying for it for most patients, it's much easier to afford.

Well, we're really not sure yet of all the real-world outcomes because it's such a slow uptake and there are so few people that... Is it a cost-prohibitive issue? It's also a cost-prohibitive issue, although now with Medicare paying for it for most patients, it's much easier to afford.

But for people who are living on fixed incomes, they're still having out-of-pocket costs of thousands and thousands of dollars a year for this drug. To pay for it outright without insurance would cost in the many tens of thousands a year when you include the necessary brain scans to check for safety issues associated with this.

But for people who are living on fixed incomes, they're still having out-of-pocket costs of thousands and thousands of dollars a year for this drug. To pay for it outright without insurance would cost in the many tens of thousands a year when you include the necessary brain scans to check for safety issues associated with this.