Lilly (LLY.US) CEO: Alzheimer's drug can have 'preventative' effect
Zhitong Finance learned that media reports on Sunday said that David Ricks, CEO of Eli Lilly (LLY.US), told then-UK Health Secretary Victoria Atkins in December last year that the company's new Alzheimer's disease candidate drug may be a one-time treatment, although the data supporting this claim is limited. Ricks reportedly said that donanemab, which reduces amyloid plaques in the brain believed to cause Alzheimer's disease, "could treat those diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease before symptoms appear." The report quoted Atkins as emphasizing the "game-changing potential" of the candidate drug.
However, Eli Lilly has not yet proven the drug's potential. The report also said that the study plan to assess donanemab's potential preventive benefits will not be completed until the end of 2027, and this was not clearly stated in the meeting records disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act.
Eli Lilly said in an interview that "the possibility of treating Alzheimer's disease before symptoms appear, and we are verifying this through ongoing trials." Donanemab is under review by the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for the treatment of early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease. Donanemab is marketed under the Kisunla brand and has been approved this year in the US and Japan. Its competitors are Biogen's (BIIB.US) Leqembi (lecanemab) and Eisai.