Biogen (NASDAQ:BIIB) stock was soaring today on positive results from a recent Alzheimer’s drug trial conducted with Eisai.
The trail was to determine the effectiveness of BAN2401 in slowing the progression of patients’ Alzheimer’s Disease Composite Score. It also sought to determine how well the drug works for “reduction of amyloid accumulated in the brain as measured using amyloid-PET.”
According to Biogen, the study included 856 patients that were then split into five different groups. These groups received different amounts of BAN2401 at different times. The different groups were 2.5 mg/kg biweekly, 5 mg/kg monthly, 5 mg/kg biweekly, 10 mg/kg monthly, 10 mg/kg biweekly and the placebo group.
The results of the study found significant results in patients at the high end of the study that were taking 10 mg of BAN2401 biweekly when compared to those on placebo. This includes being able to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Biogen also notes that there weren’t strong negative reactions to the drug during its 18-month study. It says that negative reactions were mostly mild to moderate. The amount of patients that suffered from these reactions was also low.
“This is the first late-stage anti-amyloid antibody study to successfully achieve statistically significant results at 18 months, further validating the amyloid hypothesis,” Lynn Kramer, M.D., CCO and CMO of Neurology Business Group, Eisai, said in a statement. “We will discuss these very encouraging results with regulatory authorities to determine the best path forward. We continue to work towards the goal of delivering BAN2401 to patients and healthcare professionals as early as possible.”
BIIB stock was up 14% as of Friday morning.
As of this writing, William White did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
