The pharmaceutical company Biogen presented «highly convincing» evidence that its experimental drug antucanumab (aducanumab) is effective against the disease Alzheimer's, as announced by the competent US supervisory authority, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This increases the chances that the drug - the first in decades for this neurodegenerative condition - will be approved quickly (by March), which led to a significant 44% rise in Biogen's shares on the US stock exchange.
The drug appears to be able to slow down the deterioration - such as the gradual loss of memory- of the disease, which affects millions of people around the world. aducanumab is a Reverse designed specifically to removes the toxic plaques of amyloid beta protein, which build up in the patients' brains, destroying their cells.
FDA reviewers find the results of the first clinical trial of the drug convincing and positive, although a second trial did not have equally good results, according to the agency Reuters and them «The Financial Times». The final decision of the Fda does not necessarily have to follow the opinion of the expert rapporteurs when it comes to the marketing authorisation of a new medicine, but this is usually the case.
Alzheimer's patient support groups have come out in favour of direct marketing of the medicinal product, without doing a third clinical trial, which some scientists and analysts are calling for, so that years do not pass before FDA approval is granted. If aducanumab is indeed approved, its annual sales are expected to reach 5.3 billion dollars by 2025, which explains the premature enthusiasm of investors for Biogen, which is based in Massachusetts and its market value grew by $17 billion in one day, from $38 billion to $55 billion, thanks to a sharp rise in its stock price.
