Alzheimer milestones & vaccine politics: a BioCentury podcast

Alzheimer’s disease therapies continue to tease and torment biotech investors. In the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury editors discuss the road ahead for Biogen’s closely watched therapy aducanumab and anti-tau therapies, whose most significant clinical readout to date disappointed. The editors also discuss the key takeaways from BioCentury’s interview with Operation Warp Speed co-leader Moncef Slaoui, who arguably has the best line of sight into the state of play for COVID-19 countermeasures of anyone in the world. 

Selina Koch joins fellow Executive Editor Jeff Cranmer to discuss FDA’s announcement of an earlier than expected advisory panel meeting to discuss aducanumab to treat Alzheimer’s. Koch says the timing of the meeting suggests a decision on the anti-amyloid therapy could come earlier than its March 7 PDUFA date. While Cranmer argues that the approval is no slam dunk, Koch says that even if the therapy were approved  Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB) will have to overcome multiple market access hurdles to ensure a successful launch...