First patient given controversial new Alzheimer’s treatment drug

A Rhode Island man on Wednesday got the first transfusion of a newly approved drug to treat Alzheimer’s — despite questions over the drug’s cost and effectiveness.

Mark Archambault, 70, is the first person outside of clinical trials to get a dose of Biogen’s Aduhelm, which is taken intravenously each month, can cost an average of $56,000 a year – and is not yet officially covered by Medicare. Butler Hospital’s Memory and Aging Program gave the first dosage, Reuters reported.