Alzheimers sufferers promised biological treatment after threatening court action

A group of 34 patients with Alzheimer’s disease who were denied biological treatment for lack of money have been assured they would get it after threatening to take a health insurance company to court. The insurance company Krajská zdravotní a.s. said it had come to an agreement with the largest health insurer in the country VZP on covering the cost of treatment.

There are approximately 18,000 Alzheimers sufferers in the Czech Republic with around 1,000 more diagnosed every year. Around 800 of them stand to benefit from biological treatment and those who were put on a waiting list for financial reasons protested for fear that putting it off would lead to their health deteriorating faster.