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How Biogen’s Aduhelm Bet Became A Commercial Bust

 
• By Mandy Jackson and Mary Jo Laffler

Biogen caught a lucky break in getting the first FDA approval for a potentially disease-modifying Alzheimer’s therapy, but doubt over clinical benefit and commercial missteps have left Biogen in a precarious position a year later. 

Aduhelm: One Year Later
Biogen's big Aduhelm bet has resulted in big financial and personnel losses • Source: Shutterstock

Biogen, Inc.’s push to bring Aduhelm (aducanumab-avwa) to market as the first disease-modifying Alzheimer’s therapy seems to have backfired one year later. Instead of changing the lives of millions of patients and boosting the company’s profile and profits, the success of gaining accelerated approval from the US Food and Drug Administration was followed by commercial failure.

Aduhelm’s endorsement by the FDA created doubt about clinical benefit because the accelerated approval was based on the amyloid-clearing antibody’s...

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