Aduhelm, One Year Later: US FDA’s Credibility, Accelerated Approval Pathway Feel The Bite From Alzheimer’s Drug Approval

June 7 marks the one-year anniversary of the accelerated approval of Biogen’s aducanumab, an event that still reverberates throughout the drug development community. While the FDA continues to defend the approval, experts say the backlash has caused the agency to become more reluctant to use the expedited pathway. Meanwhile, Alzheimer’s patients find themselves where they were a year ago: without ready access to a disease-modifying therapy.

Aduhelm: One Year Later
• Source: Shutterstock

One year after the US Food and Drug Administration’s accelerated approval of Biogen, Inc.’s Aduhelm (aducanumab-avwa), the Alzheimer’s treatment remains a hot and divisive topic in drug development circles.

Reflecting back on the controversy, it appears the approval and the following pricing and reimbursement decisions could have long-lasting implications,...

Read the full article – start your free trial today!

Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on Pink Sheet for daily insights

  • Start your 7-day free trial
  • Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
  • Access comprehensive global coverage
  • Enjoy instant access – no credit card required

More from Approvals

Slowdown: US FDA’s 2025 Novel Approvals Are On Below-Average Pace

 

US FDA's 25 novel approvals in 2025 fell short of the agency's five-year average count, driven by a drop in drugs center approvals; 45 user fee goals remain in second half of year.

EMA’s PRIME Scheme Explored: Growing Designations - But Are Accelerated Assessments Slipping?

 

While the first six months of the year saw eight new drugs targeting a range of diseases enter the European Medicines Agency’s priority medicines scheme, and three PRIME-designated treatments go on to win EU marketing approval, use of the accelerated assessment mechanism appears to be limited.

What Pharma Needs To Know About Vietnam’s Drug Registration Reforms

 

Newly introduced rules for streamlining drug registration in Vietnam are said to present both opportunities and challenges for stakeholders.

EU Biosimilar Filings, Opinions And Approvals

 

A list of EU biosimilar filings, CHMP opinions and EU marketing authorizations, including details of the biosimilar company, the brand name/INN, indication(s), the reference product/company, and the date and type of event.

More from Product Reviews

US FDA’s CRL Release More Incremental Than ‘Radical’ Transparency

 

The transparency initiative collects CRLs already made public in approval packages on its drugs@fda site to post on the openFDA public portal.

US FDA Advisory Committee Supports Vaccine Safety, Scrutinizes AE Reporting Quality

 
• By 

The Pediatric Advisory Committee supported routine safety monitoring for three vaccines and 21 drugs, but the panel’s consumer representative said adverse event reporting needs improvement and FDA literature reviews should include lawsuits as well as social media.

US FDA Pediatric Adcomm To Examine HPV, Flu, Dengue Vaccines: No News Is Good News?

 
• By 

Pediatric Advisory Committee will weigh the FDA's recommendation that routine safety monitoring continue for Merck & Co's Gardasil and Sanofi's Fluzone and Dengvaxia despite a political climate that has been unkind to vaccines.