Sunday, June 17, 2012

Double Edged Sword: AMYVID

Amyvid ( florbetapir F18 Injection) was approved by the FDA on April 10th for the imaging of amyloid using positron emission tomography (PET) in adults being evaluated for Alzheimer's disease. The problems : what constitutes a definitively abnormal scan ? If a scan reveals significant amyloid burden, then what ? CSF biomarkers can aid the neurological exam and establish a diagnosis with better than ever sensitivity, but then what ? As we have no definitive cure for the disease......stay tuned as hope is on the horizon !
PS. This test is not currently covered by Medicare...cost to consumer $3000.00

1 comment:

  1. Hopefully someday either Medicare will realize the value of such a study or the cost will come down. Otherwise, as in much of medicine, it seems that only the rich survive.

    ReplyDelete