Alliance Advocates for Improved Patent Protection, Access to TAVR, and More

Testimony Before Senate Judiciary Committee Supports PERA Act

Alliance President & CEO Sue Peschin, MHS, delivered testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary at the hearing, “From Genes to Machines: The Patent Eligibility Debate.”

The Alliance strongly supports the bipartisan Patent Eligibility Restoration Act (PERA) which aims to restore clarity to Section 101 of the Patent Act, and predictability to the patent system. Learn more about our previous work on IP.

Read the written testimony

Related media coverage

Tillis Signals Willingness to Tweak PERA Amid Gene Patenting Concerns (IP Watchdog)

Senate Patent Hearing Puts Software, Gene, and AI Patents at Crossroads Before Tillis Exits (Tech Times)

Gene patent concerns dominate Senate hearing on restoring US patent eligibility (IAM)

Patent News: Senate Judiciary Committee hears varying opinions on patent eligibility rules (VitalLaw)

20 Organizations to CMS:
Finalize Improved Access to TAVR

The Alliance and the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) — along with 18 additional patient, family caregiver, and health professional organizations — sent a letter to CMS this month urging the agency to finalize proposed plans to expand access to TAVR.

The letter applauds and thanks CMS for its proposed National Coverage Determination (NCD) update for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) — and stressed the need to get it over the finish line. The proposed updates to Medicare’s national TAVR coverage policy represent a transformative milestone for heart-valve disease patients and their families.

Read the full letter

Groups Urge USP to Create New Class to Distinguish FDA-approved Treatments for Alzheimer’s

Last month, the Alliance partnered with the LEAD Coalition, Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, and Voices of Alzheimer’s on a comment letter to the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) in response to its draft Medicare Model Guidelines V.10.0 (the “MMG V.10.0”).

The MMG are a USP–developed classification system for CMS, which groups Medicare Part D–covered prescription drugs into categories and classes to guide Part D formulary design.

The letter urges the USP to create a new class within the “Antidementia Agents” category for “Disease Modifying Therapies” to distinguish FDA-approved treatment options that target the underlying disease from those approved for symptomatic treatment. These therapies are currently listed in a general, catch-all “Antidementia Agents, Other” class.

Read the full letter

Podcast: Removing Barriers to Alzheimer’s Screening on The Check-Up

Until recently, receiving an Alzheimer’s diagnosis often required an expensive brain scan or invasive procedure. The introduction of the Alzheimer’s Screening and Prevention (ASAP) Act aims to change that by expanding access to innovative diagnostic tools that could make screening more affordable and accessible.

Last month, we were joined by Alliance for Aging Research Board Member and Alzheimer's patient-advocate Jay Reinstein to discuss the ASAP Act and its potential to remove barriers to care.