Biogen's Leqembi Gains Traction in Alzheimer's Treatment, Eyes Presymptomatic Market

Biogen's Alzheimer's drug Leqembi is making steady progress in the market, with the company reporting significant sales growth and exploring new avenues for expansion. As the pharmaceutical industry shifts towards earlier intervention in Alzheimer's disease, Biogen and its competitors are positioning themselves for a potential paradigm shift in treatment approaches.

Leqembi Sales Show Promise Amid Challenges

Biogen's third-quarter earnings report revealed that Leqembi, its anti-amyloid beta therapy for Alzheimer's disease, generated $121 million in sales. This represents an impressive 82% growth, with U.S. sales accounting for $69 million. Despite this positive trend, the uptake of Leqembi and similar therapies like Eli Lilly's Kisunla has been slower than anticipated, as physicians grapple with adapting to the new treatment paradigm.

Expanding Horizons: Presymptomatic Alzheimer's Treatment

In a bold move to broaden the patient population for anti-amyloid drugs, both Biogen and Eli Lilly are conducting clinical trials focused on presymptomatic Alzheimer's patients. Biogen's AHEAD 3-45 study and Lilly's TRAILBLAZER-ALZ-3 study aim to demonstrate the efficacy of their respective drugs in slowing disease progression before symptoms manifest.

Chris Viehbacher, Biogen's CEO, emphasized the company's strategy to leverage lessons learned from the symptomatic rollout of Leqembi to address the presymptomatic market. A key component of this approach is the recent launch of Leqembi IQLIK, a subcutaneous formulation designed to simplify treatment administration and potentially encourage earlier therapy initiation.

Simplifying Diagnosis and Treatment Pathways

To facilitate broader adoption of Alzheimer's treatments, the industry is focusing on streamlining diagnostic procedures and treatment pathways. Recent developments include:

1. The introduction of blood-based biomarker tests, such as Roche and Lilly's Elecsys pTau181 test, which can help rule out Alzheimer's and identify patients requiring further evaluation.

2. The launch of Leqembi IQLIK, a subcutaneous version of the drug that aims to reduce the treatment burden on patients and healthcare providers.

Alicia Alaimo, Biogen's president and head of North America commercial operations, noted that these advancements are already showing promise in improving patient triage and increasing the proportion of eligible patients seen by neurologists.

As the industry prepares for a potential shift towards treating presymptomatic Alzheimer's, Biogen is engaging with commercial payers to address coverage for younger patients who may not qualify for Medicare. The company remains optimistic that by the time clinical trial results for presymptomatic treatment are available, the healthcare system will be better equipped to handle the increased demand for early intervention in Alzheimer's disease.