Michel Vounatsos is on his way out as Biogen shutters Aduhelm effort and launches pipeline reorg
Stymied by Medicare and forced to admit the end of its once sky-high hopes in the controversial Alzheimer’s medicine Aduhelm, Biogen announced this morning that CEO Michel Vounatsos is being replaced as the big biotech restructures the pipeline, hunts deals and continues to cut costs with layoffs and more.
Vounatsos became a lightning rod for intense criticism of the Aduhelm fiasco as Biogen did a sudden about-face and sought an FDA approval after initially flagging a defeat in pivotal studies. Surprisingly, the FDA group under Billy Dunn offered an accelerated approval despite doubts about its efficacy and safety. And the drug failed to gain any traction, with vanishing expectations after Medicare restricted coverage to a small minority of potential patients.
Unlock this article instantly by becoming a free subscriber.
You’ll get access to free articles each month, plus you can customize what newsletters get delivered to your inbox each week, including breaking news.