Jan 11, 2023 | Business
Eisai Co., Ltd. and Biogen Inc. (Nasdaq: BIIB) announced today that Eisai has submitted a marketing authorization application (MAA) for lecanemab (Brand Name in the U.S.: LEQEMBI), an investigational anti-amyloid beta (Abeta) protofibril antibody, for the treatment of early Alzheimer’s disease (mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and mild AD dementia) to the European Medicines Agency (EMA). This application is based on the results of the Phase III Clarity AD study and the Phase IIb clinical study (Study 201), which demonstrated that lecanemab treatment showed a reduction of clinical decline in early AD, and is subject to a validation to determine whether the EMA accepts the application for review.
The Clarity AD study met its primary endpoint (CDR-SB(1): Clinical Dementia Rating-Sum of Boxes) and all key secondary endpoints with highly statistically significant results. The most common adverse events (>10%) in the lecanemab group were infusion reactions, ARIA-H (combined cerebral microhemorrhages, cerebral macrohemorrhages, and superficial siderosis), ARIA-E (edema/effusion), headache, and fall.
In November 2022, the results of the Clarity AD study were presented at the 2022 Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease (CTAD) conference, and simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine, peer-reviewed medical journals.
In the U.S., lecanemab was granted accelerated approval as a treatment for AD by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 6, 2023. Eisai submitted a Supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) to the FDA for approval under the traditional pathway on the same day. In China, Eisai has initiated submission of data for BLA to the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China in December 2022. In Japan, Eisai plans to submit a marketing authorization application by the end of Eisai’s fiscal year 2022, which ends March 31, 2023.
Eisai serves as the lead of lecanemab development and regulatory submissions globally with both Eisai and Biogen co-commercializing and co-promoting the product and Eisai having final decision-making authority.
(1) CDR-SB is a numeric scale used to quantify the various severity of symptoms of dementia. Based on interviews of people living with AD and family/caregivers, qualified healthcare professionals assess cognitive and functional performance in six areas: memory, orientation, judgment and problem solving, community affairs, home and hobbies, and personal care. The total score of the six areas is the score of CDR-SB, and CDR-SB is also used as an appropriate item for evaluating the effectiveness of therapeutic drugs targeting the early stages of AD.
Media Contacts:
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Public Relations Department
TEL: +81 (0)3-3817-5120
Eisai Europe, Ltd.
(Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Russia)
EMEA Communications Department
+44 (0) 786 601 1272
EMEA-comms@eisai.net
Biogen Inc.
Natacha Gassenbach
+ 1-857-777-6573
public.affairs@biogen.com
Investor Contacts:
Eisai Co., Ltd.
Investor Relations Department
TEL: +81 (0) 3-3817-5122
Biogen Inc.
Mike Hencke
+ 1-781-464-2442
IR@biogen.com
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Jan 10, 2023 | Business
Eisai Co., Ltd. and Biogen Inc. announced Eisai has submitted a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) supporting the conversion of the Accelerated Approval of LEQEMBI (lecanemab-irmb) 100 mg/mL injection for intravenous use to a traditional approval. This sBLA is subject to validation of whether the FDA accepts the application for review. LEQEMBI is a humanized immunoglobulin gamma 1 (IgG1) monoclonal antibody directed against aggregated soluble (“protofibrils”)* and insoluble forms of amyloid beta (Abeta), approved under Accelerated Approval Pathway by the FDA on January 6, 2023, for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Treatment with LEQEMBI should only be initiated in patients with the mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia stage of disease and confirmed presence of Aβ pathology.
Accelerated Approval of LEQEMBI was based on Phase 2 data that demonstrated LEQEMBI reduced the accumulation of Aβ plaque in the brain, a defining feature of AD. Continued approval for this indication is contingent upon verification of LEQEMBI’s clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial. The sBLA for LEQEMBI is based on the data from the Phase 3 confirmatory Clarity AD clinical trial. In Clarity AD, LEQEMBI met the primary endpoint and all key secondary endpoints with highly statistically significant results, and the profile of Amyloid-Related Imaging Abnormalities (ARIA) incidence was within expectations. In November 2022, the results of the Clarity AD study were presented at the 2022 Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease (CTAD) conference, and simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine, peer-reviewed medical journals.
“We deeply appreciate the cooperation of people living with Alzheimer’s disease and healthcare professionals who participated in LEQEMBI’s Phase 3 Clarity AD clinical study, which enabled us to submit this sBLA. Alzheimer’s disease causes significant impairment and burden to both the people living with this disease and their families, as well as having a profound impact on society,” said Haruo Naito, Chief Executive Officer at Eisai. “The fact that Eisai was able to file LEQEMBI’s supplemental Biologics License Application for traditional FDA approval on the same day we received accelerated approval demonstrates our commitment to the Alzheimer’s disease community and is a major step forward in ensuring access for all those in the U.S living with this disease in need of this medicine. We will continue to actively cooperate with the FDA’s review.”
Eisai has initiated submission of data for BLA to the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China in December 2022. Eisai plans to file for marketing authorization applications of lecanemab in Japan and EU by the end of Eisai’s FY2022, which ends March 31, 2023.
“Today’s filing is an important milestone for people living with Alzheimer’s disease, demonstrating the resilience of the scientific and medical communities in their fight against this terrible disease despite the many setbacks and the challenges they’ve faced,” said Christopher A. Viehbacher, President and Chief Executive Officer of Biogen. “We commend Eisai for their leadership on the development of lecanemab and for the speed in which they were able to complete this filing, which is based on important new data from the pivotal late-stage Clarity AD study.”
Eisai serves as the lead of LEQEMBI development and regulatory submissions globally with both Eisai and Biogen co-commercializing and co-promoting the product and Eisai having final decision-making authority.
* Protofibrils are large Abeta aggregated soluble species of 75-500 Kd. 1, 2
To learn more, visit www.LEQEMBI.com.
For more information, visit www.eisai.com/news/2023/pdf/enews202304pdf.pdf.
Copyright ©2023 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. A division of Japan Corporate News Network.
Jan 2, 2022 | Business
, including in the sections captioned Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Item 1A. Risk Factors, and in the companys most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the companys subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. None of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies nor Johnson & Johnson undertakes to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments.
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