The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) Reaffirms Positive Opinion for Lecanemab in Early Alzheimer's Disease

Core Points - The European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has reaffirmed its positive opinion for the anti-Aβ monoclonal antibody lecanemab, which was initially adopted in November 2024, allowing the European Commission (EC) to resume its decision-making process for marketing authorization [1][2] - Lecanemab is currently under regulatory review in 18 countries and regions, with approvals already granted in multiple countries including the U.S., Japan, and China [7] - The approval of lecanemab would address the significant unmet need for new treatment options for Alzheimer's disease, which currently affects an estimated 15.2 million people with mild cognitive impairment and 6.9 million with Alzheimer's dementia in Europe [3] Company Collaboration - Eisai serves as the lead for lecanemab's development and regulatory submissions globally, with Biogen co-commercializing and co-promoting the product [5][9] - The collaboration between Eisai and Biogen for Alzheimer's disease treatments has been ongoing since 2014, with Eisai holding final decision-making authority [9] - Eisai has a long-term collaboration with BioArctic for the development and commercialization of Alzheimer's treatments, having obtained global rights for lecanemab in December 2007 [10][11] Clinical Studies - The Phase 3 clinical study AHEAD 3-45 for individuals with preclinical Alzheimer's disease is ongoing, funded by the National Institute on Aging, Eisai, and Biogen [8] - The Tau NexGen clinical study for Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer's Disease (DIAD) is also ongoing and includes lecanemab as the backbone anti-amyloid therapy [8]