Lecanemab deliberations at the CHMP regarding the Marketing Authorisation Application in the EU have been rescheduled due to procedural reasons

STOCKHOLM, March 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- BioArctic AB’s (publ) (Nasdaq Stockholm: BIOA B) partner Eisai announced today that the Oral Explanation scheduled for March 19 at the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) for lecanemab, which is currently under review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), did not take place due to procedural reasons at EMA.

On March 14, 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled on the organization of EMA’s Scientific Advisory Groups (SAGs) attendance. The judgement has implications on EMA’s policy on the handling of competing interests of experts, in relation to SAG members. For this reason, EMA has decided to annul the advice obtained at the SAG-N (Scientific Advisory Group on Neurology) meeting for lecanemab held on March 11, 2024. The EMA will reconvene another SAG-N meeting for lecanemab. The timing for the new meeting has not been determined yet.

The decision is entirely related to procedural reasons at EMA and is not related to the Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) for lecanemab itself. Eisai will continue to collaborate with EMA during the ongoing review procedure of lecanemab.

Lecanemab is the result of a long-standing collaboration between BioArctic and Eisai, and the antibody was originally developed by BioArctic based on the work of Professor Lars Lannfelt and his discovery of the Arctic mutation in Alzheimer’s disease.

Eisai serves as the lead of lecanemab development and regulatory submissions globally with both Eisai and Biogen co-commercializing and co-promoting the product and Eisai having final decision-making authority. BioArctic has the right to commercialize lecanemab in the Nordic region, pending European approval, and currently Eisai and BioArctic are preparing for a joint commercialization in the region.

This information is information that BioArctic AB (publ) is obliged to disclose pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was released for public disclosure, through the agency of the contact persons below, on March 22, 2024, at 12:30 p.m. CET.

For further information, please contact:
Oskar Bosson, VP Communications and IR
E-mail: oskar.bosson@bioarctic.se
Phone: +46 70 410 71 80

About lecanemab (Leqembi®)
Lecanemab (Leqembi) is the result of a strategic research alliance between BioArctic and Eisai. It is a humanized immunoglobulin gamma 1 (IgG1) monoclonal antibody directed against aggregated soluble (protofibril) and insoluble forms of amyloid-beta (Aβ). Lecanemab is approved in the U.S., Japan, and China with the following indications:

• U.S.: For the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It should be initiated in patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia stage of disease. See full US prescribing information.
  
• Japan: For slowing progression of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mild dementia due to AD.
  
• China: For the treatment of MCI due to AD and mild AD dementia.

Lecanemab approvals were based on the large global Phase 3 Clarity AD study. In the Clarity AD study, lecanemab met its primary endpoint and all key secondary endpoints with statistically significant results. In November 2022, the results of the Clarity AD study were presented at the 2022 Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease (CTAD) conference, and simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine, a peer-reviewed medical journal.

Eisai has also submitted applications for approval of lecanemab in 14 countries and regions, including the European Union (EU).

Eisai has completed a lecanemab subcutaneous bioavailability study, and subcutaneous dosing is currently being evaluated in the Clarity AD (Study 301) open-label extension (OLE) study. A maintenance dosing regimen has been evaluated as part of the Phase 2b study (Study 201).

Since July 2020 Eisai’s Phase 3 clinical study (AHEAD 3-45) for individuals with preclinical AD, meaning they are clinically normal and have intermediate or elevated levels of amyloid in their brains, is ongoing. AHEAD 3-45 is conducted as a public-private partnership between the Alzheimer’s Clinical Trial Consortium that provides the infrastructure for academic clinical trials in AD and related dementias in the U.S, funded by the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health and Eisai. Since January 2022, the Tau NexGen clinical study for Dominantly Inherited AD (DIAD), that is conducted by Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network Trials Unit (DIAN-TU), led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is ongoing and includes lecanemab as the backbone anti-amyloid therapy.

About the collaboration between BioArctic and Eisai
Since 2005, BioArctic has a long-term collaboration with Eisai regarding the development and commercialization of drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The most important agreements are the Development and Commercialization Agreement for the lecanemab antibody, which was signed 2007, and the Development and Commercialization agreement for the antibody Leqembi back-up for Alzheimer’s disease, which was signed 2015. In 2014, Eisai and Biogen entered into a joint development and commercialization agreement for lecanemab. Eisai is responsible for the clinical development, application for market approval and commercialization of the products for Alzheimer’s disease. BioArctic has the right to commercialize lecanemab in the Nordic region under certain conditions and is currently preparing for commercialization in the Nordics together with Eisai. BioArctic has no development costs for lecanemab in Alzheimer’s disease and is entitled to payments in connection with regulatory approvals, and sales milestones as well as royalties on global sales.

About BioArctic AB
BioArctic AB (publ) is a Swedish research-based biopharma company focusing on innovative treatments that can delay or stop the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. The company invented Leqembi® (lecanemab) – the world’s first drug proven to slow the progression of the disease and reduce cognitive impairment in early Alzheimer’s disease. Leqembi has been developed together with BioArctic’s partner Eisai, who are responsible for regulatory interactions and commercialization globally. In addition to Leqembi, BioArctic has a broad research portfolio with antibodies against Parkinson’s disease and ALS as well as additional projects against Alzheimer’s disease. Several of the projects utilize the company’s proprietary BrainTransporter™ technology, which has the potential to actively transport antibodies across the blood-brain barrier to enhance the efficacy of the treatment. BioArctic’s B share (BIOA B) is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm Large Cap. For further information, please visit www.bioarctic.com.

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SOURCE BioArctic