Upon reexamination, the European Medicines Agency has made a U-turn on Eisai and Biogen’s Alzheimer’s disease drug Leqembi. | Upon reexamination, the EMA has made a U-turn on Eisai and Biogen’s Alzheimer’s disease drug Leqembi.

A key regulatory committee sided against the drug this summer. But an appeal from Eisai appears to have worked, teeing Leqembi up for authorization in a major market.

The European Union's drugs regulator reversed its decision to block the Alzheimer's drug lecanemab, a treatment aimed at slowing cognitive decline in patients. In July, the Amsterdam-based European Medicines Agency (EMA) denied recommending approval of the drug made by Eisai and Biogen because it considered the risks - especially bleeding and swelling in the brain - to be greater than the potential benefits in a broad population.

A European regulatory committee now recommends approval of the Alzheimer’s treatment lecanemab a few months after rejecting the drug.

The European Union's drugs regulator on Thursday said it recommends approval of Eisai and Biogen's Leqembi in patients with early Alzheimer's disease, months after the agency first rejected the treatment.