Eli Lilly: Major Breakthrough in Alzheimer's Disease Treatment is on the Horizon

News

Eli Lilly Chief Scientific Officer: Major Breakthrough in Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment is on the Horizon

Eli Lilly Chief Scientific Officer: Major Breakthrough in Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment is on the Horizon

Dr. Daniel Skovronsky, the Chief Scientific Officer of Eli Lilly, the world’s most valuable pharmaceutical company, expressed “extreme optimism” about a significant breakthrough in Alzheimer’s disease treatment.

The drug currently under development could potentially become the next hot topic, akin to the weight-loss wonder drug “GLP-1.”

Eli Lilly Chief Scientific Officer: Major Breakthrough in Alzheimer's Disease Treatment is on the Horizon

If Dr. Skovronsky’s statements hold true, the upward trajectory of Eli Lilly’s stock price is expected to continue. With substantial advancements in Alzheimer’s disease and obesity treatment, Eli Lilly has now become the world’s most valuable pharmaceutical company, surpassing giants like Pfizer, Merck, and Johnson & Johnson, with a market capitalization exceeding $56 billion.

Eli Lilly and its competitor, Novo Nordisk, have garnered attention for their GLP-1 class weight-loss drugs, with notable efficacy and expanding indications, making headlines and driving stock prices higher. Meanwhile, Wall Street is contemplating how GLP-1 class weight-loss drugs and diabetes medications will impact various related fields, including travel and snack food production.

Significant Results with Donanemab

According to an interview published on Monday, November 6, Dr. Skovronsky stated that Eli Lilly’s drug, Donanemab, is not only capable of slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, but it may also have the potential to prevent the onset of this disease.

In the interview, Skovronsky made it clear, saying, “I am very optimistic about this.”

Dr. Skovronsky published research in this field as early as 1998 while he was at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. He later founded a company called Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, which developed a diagnostic agent to assist in evaluating Alzheimer’s disease patients.

He claimed that researching Alzheimer’s disease has been his lifelong work, and Donanemab has shown positive results in phase III clinical trials. He hopes this drug can prevent the disease. “In the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, Donanemab works best. We hope to provide a drug that can prevent this disease.”

Eli Lilly Chief Scientific Officer: Major Breakthrough in Alzheimer's Disease Treatment is on the Horizon

Dr. Skovronsky stated that Donanemab’s impact on slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease is “truly significant.” As an example, he mentioned that in a clinical trial, nearly half of the patients treated with Donanemab showed no loss of cognitive abilities after one year. This extra year spent with family can have a profound impact.

In May of this year, Eli Lilly announced that Donanemab had met all its trial goals. In 1,182 patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, Donanemab was able to slow clinical decline by 35% and reduce the rate of decline in patients’ ability to perform daily activities by 40% compared to the placebo. Within one year, nearly half of the patients treated with Donanemab did not experience disease progression.

Many doctors believe that Donanemab has been successful, but it remains unclear whether the benefits of slowing the disease outweigh its substantial costs and risks, including potential brain swelling or hemorrhage.

Eli Lilly previously stated that it will work with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other global regulatory agencies to expedite the approval of the drug.

Other Innovative Drugs

Furthermore, Dr. Skovronsky mentioned Eli Lilly’s oral weight-loss drug, Orforglipron, saying, “I believe it will be as effective as some of the best injectable weight-loss drugs.”

He stated that around one billion people worldwide could benefit from Orforglipron, and it is challenging to address global obesity issues through weekly injections. “This is not something the global supply chain can handle, so we definitely need these pills to combat obesity.”

In terms of the outlook for the innovative drug market, Dr. Skovronsky pointed out that in ten years, the drugs that will have an impact on the industry and patients may be “something no one is currently researching.” He cited chronic pain treatment as an example, an area Eli Lilly is currently studying, although there has been little progress in this field for decades.

Dr. Skovronsky also listed the innovative drugs that Eli Lilly may make breakthroughs with in the future, including drugs for ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, atopic dermatitis, and cancer. “Even if Eli Lilly does not have weight-loss or Alzheimer’s disease drugs, we still have one of the most exciting and fastest-growing product lines in the industry.”

Currently, researchers, policymakers, and industry participants are debating whether the benefits of next-generation Alzheimer’s disease drugs can justify their cost and risks and whether healthcare insurance and employers can afford expensive new weight-loss medications without going bankrupt.