EU medicines regulator rejects Eisai-Biogen Alzheimer's drug
Adds company response in paragraphs 3,4 and 10, updates share movement
By Manas Mishra and Puyaan Singh
July 26 (Reuters) -The European Union's drugs regulator has rejected Eisai 4523.T and Biogen's BIIB.O treatment for early Alzheimer's disease, saying the risk of potentially lethal brain swelling did not outweigh the drug's small impact on slowing cognitive decline.
The recommendation by the agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), released on Friday, is a blow to the companies as the drug faces slow take-up in the United States. Biogen's shares fell 6.3% to $213.08 in U.S. premarket trading.
Eisai and Biogen said they will seek re-examination of the recommendation.
"We are extremely disappointed by the CHMP's negative opinion and understand that this may also be disappointing for the wider Alzheimer's disease community," said Eisai's Chief Clinical Officer Lynn Kramer.
The therapy, lecanemab, is sold as Leqembi in the U.S. and was set to be Europe's first drug to treat the neurodegenerative condition rather than its symptoms.
The infusion, given twice a month, removes sticky clumps of the protein amyloid beta from the brain believed to be a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease.
The committee's main concerns were around amyloid-related imaging abnormalities, a type of temporary brain swelling frequently seen with drugs that remove amyloid from the brain.
"The seriousness of this side effect should be considered in the context of the small effect seen with the medicine," the regulator said.
In clinical trials, the drug slowed cognitive decline by 27% in early Alzheimer's patients, compared with a placebo.
"We strongly believe that the lecanemab data submitted to CHMP clearly demonstrates its potential to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease," Biogen's head of development Priya Singhal said in a statement.
The committee's recommendation has to be formally backed by the European Commission, which usually follows the regulator's decision automatically.
In Europe, seven million people are living with the brain-wasting disease, and that figure is expected to double by 2050, according to Alzheimer's Europe, a non-profit organization.
The drug has been under review in the region since January 2023 and gained traditional approval in the U.S. last year.
Leqembi's U.S. launch has so far been lackluster, with bottlenecks due to its requirements such as additional diagnostic tests, twice-monthly infusions and regular brain scans.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on July 2 approved Eli Lilly's LLY.N Alzheimer's drug Kisunla.
Who can get the newly approved Eisai and Biogen Alzheimer's drug? https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/who-can-get-newly-approved-eisai-biogen-alzheimers-drug-2023-01-06/
Reporting by Manas Mishra and Puyaan Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Josephine Mason, Arun Koyyur and Mrigank Dhaniwala
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