On Wednesday, Biogen Inc presented data at the International Conference on Alzheimer′s and Parkinsons Diseases, currently underway in Barcelona, from a long-term trial stating that its Alzheimer′s drug ‘Aduhelm’ showed a reduction in two key disease indicators after around two and a half years of treatment.

A significant decrease was seen in the amyloid-beta plaque levels at week 132 and plasma levels of a protein called p-tau181 were reduced at week 128 of the treatment. It also stated that the patients who showed reduced levels of plasma p-tau181 at week 78 of the trial had lesser clinical decline in the extended trial compared to those whose plasma p-tau181 levels were not reduced earlier.

Aduhelm became the first drug to be approved for Alzheimer′s disease in 20 years, despite the fact that one of the two large-scale trials did not show a benefit to patients. The approval of the drug was based on the reduction in the markers for the disease. The U.S. government Medicare program has suggested the drug’s use should be permitted only by patients recruited in a new trial.

(Reuters, March 16, 2022)