What We're Reading: Shoring Up the ACA; Alzheimer's Drugs; Hispanics in Clinical Trials

Schumer Offers ACA Fixes

With not enough Senate Republicans on board to pass legislation to repeal and replace, or even just repeal, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-New York) is offering is own ideas on how to proceed. According to The Washington Post, Schumer has provided 3 ways Democrats and Republicans can work together to fix the ACA. However, he did tell his party members that no deals can include tax cuts for wealthy Americans or cuts to Medicaid.

Alzheimer’s Drug Pipeline Booming

The last Alzheimer’s drug to be approved in the United States was in 2003, but that may change soon. There are 27 drugs to treat Alzheimer’s disease in phase 3 clinical trials. Overall, researchers expect nearly 3 dozen new drugs could reach the market in the next 5 years, despite decades of failed drugs in the space and underinvestment. By 2050, there could be as many as 16 million Americans with Alzheimer’s disease.

Few Hispanics Participate in Clinical Trials

A report from Kaiser Health News highlighted how Hispanics are often left out of clinical trials, with detrimental effects. Enrollment in clinical trials provides access to experimental, cutting-edge treatments, which means they could be left out of getting access to potential cures. In addition, lack of representation in clinical trials means researchers have less data on how drugs work among Hispanics. A new campaign from the FDA is trying to fix the situation by educating Hispanics about medical studies.