FDA approves Eli Lilly’s early Alzheimer’s treatment

Eli Lilly’s early Alzheimer’s treatment was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday, making it the second drug on the U.S. market aimed at slowing progression of the debilitating neurological disease.

The treatment, whose scientific name is donanemab and will be sold under the brand name Kisunla, will compete with Eisai and Biogen’s Leqembi, which got full approval last year. Both therapies are monoclonal antibodies designed to clear amyloid in the brain.

The clearance of Kisunla comes after several regulatory hurdles. The drug was originally expected to be approved earlier this year, but the FDA convened a panel of advisers to weigh the risks and benefits of the treatment. The committee unanimously backed the treatment in a meeting last month.

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