Jan. 25, 2026 -- Eisai Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo, CEO: Haruo Naito, "Eisai") and Biogen Inc. (Nasdaq: BIIB, Corporate headquarters: Cambridge, Massachusetts, CEO: Christopher A. Viehbacher, "Biogen") announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review Eisai's Supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for lecanemab-irmb (U.S. brand name: LEQEMBI®) subcutaneous autoinjector (SC-AI), LEQEMBI IQLIK, as a weekly starting dose. LEQEMBI is indicated for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or mild dementia stage of disease (collectively referred to as early AD). The sBLA has been granted Priority Review, with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date of May 24, 2026.
Should the FDA approve the LEQEMBI IQLIK 500 mg SC dosing regimen (two 250 mg injections), the autoinjector could be used to administer a once-weekly starting dose, as an alternative to the current bi-weekly intravenous (IV) dosing. This would enable patients and care partners to choose SC administration at home for both treatment initiation and the currently approved maintenance therapy (360 mg), offering the option of SC or IV administration throughout the entire treatment journey. The injection time for LEQEMBI IQLIK autoinjector takes approximately 15 seconds per each 250 mg injection. The SC formulation also has the potential to reduce healthcare resources associated with IV dosing, such as infusion preparation and nurse monitoring, while streamlining the overall AD treatment pathway.
The sBLA is supported by data evaluating SC administration of lecanemab across a range of doses and as part of sub-studies within the Phase 3 Clarity AD open-label extension (OLE) following the 18-month core study in individuals with early AD. Data show that once-weekly administration of the 500 mg of SC-AI achieved equivalent exposure to once every two weeks IV administration and similar clinical and biomarker benefits. SC administration demonstrated a safety profile similar to IV administration, with less than 2% incidence of systemic injection or infusion-related reactions.
AD is a progressive, relentless disease, with amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau as hallmarks, that is caused by a continuous underlying neurotoxic process driven by protofibrils* (PF) that begins before amyloid plaque removal and continues afterward.1,2,3 Only LEQEMBI fights AD in two ways – targeting both PF and amyloid plaque, which can impact tau downstream.
LEQEMBI is currently approved in 53 countries and regions and is under regulatory review in 7 countries. In August 2025, the US FDA approved LEQEMBI IQLIK 360 mg for weekly subcutaneous maintenance dosing after 18 months of IV treatment every two weeks.
Eisai serves as the lead for lecanemab's development and regulatory submissions globally, with Eisai and Biogen co-commercializing and co-promoting the product and Eisai having final decision-making authority.
*Protofibrils are thought to be the most toxic Aβ species that contribute to brain damage in AD and play a major role in the cognitive decline of this progressive and devastating disease. Protofibrils can cause neuronal and synaptic damage in the brain, which can subsequently adversely affect cognitive function through multiple mechanisms.1 The mechanism by which this occurs as been reported not only by increasing the formation of insoluble Aβ plaques, but also by directly damaging signaling between neurons and other cells. It is believed that reducing protofibrils may reduce neuronal damage and cognitive impairment, potentially preventing the progression of AD.2
Lecanemab is the result of a strategic research alliance between Eisai and BioArctic. It is a humanized immunoglobulin gamma (IgG1) monoclonal antibody directed against aggregated soluble (protofibril) and insoluble forms of amyloid-beta (Aβ).
Lecanemab has been approved in 53 countries and regions including Japan, the United States, Europe, China, South Korea, Taiwan, and Saudi Arabia, and is under regulatory review in 7 countries. Following the initial phase with treatment every two weeks for 18 months, intravenous (IV) maintenance dosing with treatment every four weeks was approved in 7 countries including the U.S., China, the United Kingdom, and applications have been filed in 7 countries and regions. The U.S. FDA approved Eisai's Biologics License Application (BLA) for subcutaneous maintenance dosing with LEQEMBI IQLIK in August 2025.
Since July 2020 the Phase 3 clinical study (AHEAD 3-45) for individuals with preclinical AD, meaning they are clinically normal and have intermediate or elevated levels of amyloid in their brains, is ongoing. AHEAD 3-45 is conducted as a public-private partnership between the Alzheimer's Clinical Trial Consortium that provides the infrastructure for academic clinical trials in AD and related dementias in the U.S, funded by the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health, Eisai and Biogen. Since January 2022, the Tau NexGen clinical study for Dominantly Inherited AD (DIAD), that is conducted by Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network Trials Unit (DIAN-TU), led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is ongoing and includes lecanemab as the backbone anti-amyloid therapy.
Eisai and Biogen have been collaborating on the joint development and commercialization of AD treatments since 2014. Eisai serves as the lead of lecanemab development and regulatory submissions globally with both companies co-commercializing and co-promoting the product and Eisai having final decision-making authority.
Since 2005, Eisai and BioArctic have had a long-term collaboration regarding the development and commercialization of AD treatments. Eisai obtained the global rights to study, develop, manufacture and market lecanemab for the treatment of AD pursuant to an agreement with BioArctic in December 2007. The development and commercialization agreement on the antibody lecanemab back-up was signed in May 2015.
Eisai's Corporate Concept is "to give first thought to patients and people in the daily living domain, and to increase the benefits that health care provides." Under this Concept (also known as human health care (hhc) Concept), we aim to effectively achieve social good in the form of relieving anxiety over health and reducing health disparities. With a global network of R&D facilities, manufacturing sites and marketing subsidiaries, we strive to create and deliver innovative products to target diseases with high unmet medical needs, with a particular focus in our strategic areas of Neurology and Oncology.
In addition, we demonstrate our commitment to the elimination of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), which is a target (3.3) of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), by working on various activities together with global partners.
Founded in 1978, Biogen is a leading biotechnology company that pioneers innovative science to deliver new medicines to transform patient's lives and to create value for shareholders and our communities. We apply deep understanding of human biology and leverage different modalities to advance first-in-class treatments or therapies that deliver superior outcomes. Our approach is to take bold risks, balanced with return on investment to deliver long-term growth.
References
Amin L, Harris DA. Aβ receptors specifically recognize molecular features displayed by fibril ends and neurotoxic oligomers. Nat Commun. 2021;12:3451. doi:10.1038/s41467-021-23507-z.
Ono K, Tsuji M. Protofibrils of Amyloid-β are Important Targets of a Disease-Modifying Approach for Alzheimer's Disease. Int J Mol Sci. 2020;21(3):952. doi: 10.3390/ijms21030952. PMID: 32023927; PMCID: PMC7037706.
Hampel H, Hardy J, Blennow K, et al. The amyloid-β pathway in Alzheimer's disease. Mol Psychiatry. 2021;26(10):5481-5503.
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