sWild rabbits from Biogen and other drug makers looking Alzheimer’s disease It rose early Wednesday after Japan’s Eisai said its potential treatment appeared to slow the progression of the deadly disease in a late-stage study.
Isai announced the results of a global study late Tuesday of nearly 1,800 people with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.
The drug’s manufacturer said early results showed its treatment, lecanemab, reduced patients’ clinical regression by 27% when compared to a placebo or a dummy drug after 18 months of the injected treatment. Patients were monitored using a scale that measured their performance in areas such as memory, judgment, problem solving, and personal care.
Eisai Ltd. said it will discuss the full results of the research at a conference in late November. It also plans to publish its findings in a peer-reviewed medical journal.
The company is already seeking fast-track approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the agency is expected to make a decision by early next year. Eisai and Biogen will be involved in promoting the drug.
The initial results appear “very robust” and likely to support regulatory approval, Greg Sovanavig, an analyst at Mizuho Securities, said in a research note.
A statement from the Alzheimer’s Association described the findings as the most encouraging to date for potential treatments for the underlying causes of the disease.
Alzheimer’s disease is progressive nervous disease With no known cure. Long-term treatments on the market only manage symptoms, researchers I do not fully understand the causes of the disease.
Last year, Biogen’s adolhelm It became the first new Alzheimer’s drug to be introduced in nearly two decades. But it largely failed after debuting at $56,000 a year, which Biogen later cut.
Doctors are reluctant to prescribe it, due to weak evidence that the drug slows the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Insurance companies have prohibited or restricted coverage on the drug’s high price and uncertain benefits.
Like Aduhelm, lecanemab, which was developed by Eisai and conducted clinical trials, seeks to remove a protein called beta-amyloid from the brain.
But Eisai executives say lecanemab focuses more on floating clumps of protein before it forms a plaque, which is what Aduhelm is targeting.
Eli Lilly and Co. operates. They are also developing a potential treatment, donanemab, to help remove the protein.
Shares of Biogen Inc. jumped. In Cambridge, Massachusetts, it rose more than 50% in premarket trading Wednesday morning to reach $300. The stock has fallen significantly since the advent of Aduhelm last year.
Shares of Eli Lilly and Co. It is based in Indianapolis, with an 8% stake.
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