Biogen’s Aducanumab Falls Hard At Panel Review, Leaving US FDA In A Tight Spot
Executive Summary
Successful EMERGE trial does not provide substantial evidence of efficacy in Alzheimer’s because it cannot be divorced from its unsuccessful sister study, advisory committee says; panel’s unequivocal rejection leaves agency’s Office of Neuroscience in a tight spot given its strong support for the drug and the help it gave Biogen to get this far.
You may also be interested in...
US FDA Sees Leqembi Data As Vindicating Its Approach To Alzheimer’s Drugs
Two-and-a-half years after Aduhelm’s tumultuous advisory committee, FDA finally gets positive vote it was looking for, albeit on a different product. Leqembi meeting serves to endorse CDR-SB as clinical endpoint as well as amyloid plaque as surrogate for reduction in decline.
Big Drug, Small Panel: US FDA Adcomm For Eisai/Biogen’s Leqembi Includes Only Six Voting Members
Six is the fewest number of voting experts for a drug or biologic advisory committee dating back to at least 2015, according to the Pink Sheet Performance Tracker. Agency issued two conflict-of-interest waivers for the meeting, one of which was to a site principal investigator on lecanemab and aducanumab studies but who is no longer participating in the Leqembi review.
At Tofersen Panel Review, US FDA Shined A Light On Internal Differences Of Opinion
Agency’s presentations on Biogen/Ionis’ ALS drug included differing viewpoints from the statistical and clinical pharmacology teams; the transparency and emphasis on a multidisciplinary review approach may reflect lessons learned from missteps at the Aduhelm panel review in 2020.