Reuters, January 15: Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai Co., Ltd. announced on Monday that it has submitted an application for marketing authorization in Japan for its Alzheimer's disease treatment drug "Lecanemab." The drug received accelerated approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 6.
Lecanemab, jointly developed by Eisai and Biogen of the United States, targets patients with early-stage Alzheimer's disease and has been proven to remove "beta-amyloid protein," which is considered one of the causative substances, from the brain.
According to the Phase III clinical trial results released by the two companies in September last year, lecanemab slowed the rate of cognitive decline in early Alzheimer's patients by 27% over 18 months, achieving the primary goal and all key secondary goals. Although the effect was modest, the results were highly significant.