Alzheimer’s disease
While the biotech’s third-quarter revenue beat Wall Street expectations, its $7.3 billion acquisition of Reata Pharmaceuticals—which closed in September—negatively impacted 2023 per-share earnings.
After winning traditional approval from the U.S. regulator, Eisai’s Alzheimer’s disease therapy Leqembi has seen a sharp increase in patient uptake, with a target of 10,000 patients by March 2024.
A third-party audit found no integrity and reliability problems with data from BioXcel Therapeutics’ Phase III trial. The company intends to file a supplemental New Drug Application for its candidate BXCL501.
Subcutaneous injections of Eisai and Biogen’s Leqembi led to numerically greater amyloid removal than the intravenous version of the Alzheimer’s disease therapy, though risks of brain swelling and bleeding remained.
While the trial was designed to test safety and not efficacy, patients treated with Araclon Biotech’s experimental ABvac40 vaccine saw a 38% drop in disease progression compared to placebo.
While sensitive and specific biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease have recently taken a leap forward, the Parkinson’s space has lagged behind. Neurofilament Light Chain could change that.
The biopharma’s data manipulation controversy continues with a recently leaked City University of New York report, which found signs of “egregious” and “deliberate” misconduct by a company advisor.
Data from the Mayo Clinic shows limited eligibility for the anti-amyloid treatment. However, Michael Irizarry, Eisai’s deputy chief clinical officer, says some patients could still be eligible.
After a groundbreaking year in the Alzheimer’s space, Parkinson’s disease researchers express renewed hope based on a greater biological understanding of neurodegeneration.
The companies, which have been partners for a decade on various research programs, are pooling their efforts in two early-stage programs for Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s diseases using RNA-targeting medicines.
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