BioArctic: Professor Lars Lannfelt, awarded Fondation Recherche Alzheimer’s European Grand Prix for his contributions to science and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease

STOCKHOLM, March 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — BioArctic AB (publ) (STO: BIOA B) announced today that BioArctic’s founder, Professor Lars Lannfelt, was awarded the European Grand Prix for his research on Alzheimer’s disease at the anniversary gala for La Fondation Recherche Alzheimer in Paris on March 18. The prize was presented by the President of France, Emmanuel Macron.

Professor Lannfelt received the award for his groundbreaking research, which has played a significant role in the scientific progress in the field over decades, leading to the development of lecanemab, a disease-modifying treatment for early Alzheimer’s disease approved in the U.S., Japan and China.

“Being able to give hope and contribute to the treatment of patients affected by Alzheimer’s disease is what has driven me throughout my research life,” said Professor Lars Lannfelt. “It is inspiring to see how research in this field has now begun to take quantum leaps with the development of treatments such as lecanemab which demonstrated meaningful benefits to patients in the global Phase 3 Clarity AD trial using gold standard endpoints. Coupled with the introduction of modern diagnostic methods, I am convinced that we are facing a paradigm shift where, in time, we will be able to offer not just a slowdown in the progression of the disease but eventually even stopping the disease process.”

Professor Lars Lannfelt founded BioArctic together with Pär Gellerfors in 2003 to develop an antibody treatment based on Lannfelt’s groundbreaking discoveries of the role of amyloid-beta protein in Alzheimer’s disease. These discoveries are the basis for lecanemab, an antibody treatment developed in collaboration with the Japanese company Eisai. By binding to specific forms of amyloid-beta, which causes Alzheimer’s disease, lecanemab helps to clear them from the brain, thereby altering the course of the disease.

La Fondation Recherche Alzheimer was founded in 2004 and aims to improve the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and pave the way for effective treatments. This is done by focusing their operations on financing research with a focus on early detection, development of new drugs and treatments, and improving care and support for patients and their families.

The information was released for public disclosure, through the agency of the contact persons below, on March 19, 2024, at 08.00 a.m. CET.

For further information, please contact: 

Oskar Bosson, VP Communications and IR
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: +46 70 410 71 80 

Jiang Millington, Director Corporate Communication and Social Media
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: +46 79 33 99 166

About lecanemab

Lecanemab is the result of a strategic research collaboration between BioArctic and Eisai. Lecanemab is a humanized IgG1 (immunoglobulin gamma 1) monoclonal antibody targeting aggregated soluble and insoluble forms of amyloid beta (Aβ). Lecanemab is approved in the USA, Japan, and China under the brand name Leqembi®.

About the collaboration between BioArctic and Eisai

Since 2005, BioArctic has a long-term collaboration with Eisai regarding the development and commercialization of drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The most important agreements are the Development and Commercialization Agreement for the lecanemab antibody, which was signed 2007, and the Development and Commercialization agreement for the antibody LEQEMBI back-up for Alzheimer’s disease, which was signed 2015. In 2014, Eisai and Biogen entered into a joint development and commercialization agreement for lecanemab. Eisai is responsible for the clinical development, application for market approval and commercialization of the products for Alzheimer’s disease. BioArctic has the right to commercialize lecanemab in the Nordic region under certain conditions and is currently preparing for commercialization in the Nordics together with Eisai. BioArctic has no development costs for lecanemab in Alzheimer’s disease and is entitled to payments in connection with regulatory approvals, and sales milestones as well as royalties on global sales.

About BioArctic AB

BioArctic AB (publ) is a Swedish research-based biopharma company focusing on disease-modifying treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and ALS. BioArctic focuses on innovative treatments in areas with high unmet medical needs. The company was founded in 2003 based on innovative research from Uppsala University, Sweden. Collaborations with universities are of great importance to the company together with its strategically important global partner Eisai in Alzheimer disease. The project portfolio is a combination of fully funded projects run in partnership with global pharmaceutical companies and innovative in-house projects with significant market and out-licensing potential. BioArctic’s Class B share is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm Large Cap (ticker: BIOA B). For more information about BioArctic, please visit www.bioarctic.com.

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SOURCE BioArctic