Alzheimer’s Decision Sends Positive Message to Aussie BiotechsBy...

Alzheimer’s Decision Sends Positive Message to Aussie Biotechs
By Tim Boreham ( for the full article go to share cafe )

Few drugs in difficult diseases such as Alzheimer’s are truly curative and Aduhelm is no exception, says Dr James Garner, CEO of Kazia Therapeutics (ASX:KZA).

“However the FDA is increasingly willing to approve drugs which provide modest but material incremental benefit to patients, recognising in effect, that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

He says the approval shows the FDA is willing to find “novel pathways” to get drugs for high-need indications to market.

“That has positive implications for drug developers working in areas such as cancer, genetic diseases and neurodegenerative diseases, which are very poorly served by existing therapies.”

Kazia is striving for a treatment for glioblastama (brain cancer), which is another challenging disease with few treatment options.

“Our program is already optimised to generate opportunities for early approval, so we don’t envisage any significant change in strategy,” Garner says. “But the Aduhelm approval provides a great deal of reassurance that any positive data will be valuable in our discussions with FDA.”

Alzheimer’s Decision Sends Positive Message to Aussie BiotechsBy Tim Boreham