Eisai Lowers Sales Expectations for Leqembi Again, Citing Slow US Uptake

 

Eisai’s new fiscal 2027 forecast for Leqembi is roughly 50% lower than its projections a year ago.

Eisai has lowered its fiscal year 2027 sales projections for its Biogen-partnered Alzheimer’s disease therapy Leqembi, pointing to the drug’s “delayed uptake in the US market.”

In a corporate presentation on Tuesday, Eisai’s sales simulations for Leqembi came out to ¥250 billion to ¥280 billion (approximately $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion) in sales for the fiscal year 2027, which ends in March 2028. This projection represents a roughly 50% drop from its previous forecast in March 2024, when the pharma set a fiscal 2027 goal of approximately ¥500 billion (around $3.3 billion) for the drug.

“We consider FY2027 as a significant milestone,” Eisai wrote in its presentation deck, referring not only to its overall business but also to Leqembi, which it says, “has the potential to serve as a standard of care in Early AD [Alzheimer’s disease] treatment.”

To boost Leqembi’s figures, Eisai is working on streamlining and optimizing the treatment pathway through targeted direct-to-patient engagement “to enhance brand awareness,” according to Tuesday’s presentation. Eisai hopes that building awareness of the drug could “support medical choice and decision-making.”

Eisai is also fostering a “collaborative system” among integrated delivery networks and primary care physicians to reduce patient referral time.

Aside from enhancing its treatment pipeline, Eisai is also working on different formulations of Leqembi. Earlier this year, the FDA accepted Eisai’s application for a subcutaneous formulation of the Alzheimer’s therapy for maintenance dosing, as opposed to IV infusion, and a verdict is expected by Aug. 31. The company will file for subcutaneous induction dosing thereafter, eyeing approval later this year or early in 2026.

“The potential ability to administer [subcutaneous Leqembi with an autoinjector] for the entire treatment period may greatly improve the pathway that requires infusion capacity for traditional IV infusions,” according to Eisai’s Tuesday presentation. “For patients, this may contribute to significantly reducing the time and effort required for hospital visits.”

Despite being the first-ever fully approved anti-amyloid antibody treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, Leqembi has had a rough time on the market. In November 2024, for instance, Eisai made another adjustment in its predictions and lowered its full fiscal year 2024 sales projections for Leqembi to around $280 million, down from its previous forecast of $370 million.

There are glimmers of hope, however, with Eisai reporting last month that it is on track to meet that fiscal 2024 sales target. U.S. sales are also ticking upward, though overseas revenues still seem to be Leqembi’s main driver. There are around 13,500 patients on Leqembi, with 3,000 physicians prescribing the drug, Eisai revealed last month.

https://www.biospace.com/business/eisai-lowers-sales-expectations-for-leqembi-again-citing-slow-us-uptake