The lessons of Aduhelm, Biogen’s Alzheimer’s drug that was not to be

Aduhelm, a pioneering treatment for Alzheimer’s disease that collapsed under corporate mistakes and regulatory controversy, is now a cautionary tale in pharmaceutical history.

This week Biogen said it would no longer sell or study the medicine, which first won approval in 2021, ending an era for one of biotech’s storied companies and leaving the rest of the industry to piece together the lessons of a would-be blockbuster that never took off.

STAT reporters took a stab at the Aduhelm legacy — for biotech, Biogen, and Alzheimer’s research — on a recent episode of the Readout LOUD. Here’s an edited transcript of that conversation.

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