Eisai-Biogen Alzheimer's drug set for use at 300-plus US hospitals: exec

Head of Japanese drugmaker's neurology division bullish on pricey Aduhelm

Some U.S. medical centers have begun administering Aduhelm to patients, an Eisai executive says. (AP/Kyodo)

KENYA AKAMA, Nikkei staff writer

August 18, 2021 00:52 JST

TOKYO -- The Alzheimer's disease drug developed by Tokyo-based Eisai and U.S. partner Biogen is set to be used by more than 300 American medical institutions and is already being administered to some patients, the head of Eisai's neurology business told Nikkei on Tuesday.

Aducanumab, marketed under the brand name Aduhelm, received conditional approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in June under a cloud of doubts. The drug targets plaques in the brain formed by amyloid proteins, believed to be a major cause of Alzheimer's-related dementia.