As a journalist, I rewrote the following article to make it unique:
In the world of pharmaceuticals, executives often follow the motto of “fail often, and fail early,” knowing when to cut losses and say no. However, Ivan Cheung, CEO of Eisai, Inc., believes in a different approach – having the discipline to say yes when everyone else is saying no.
Cheung took a risk in 2019 by continuing to develop lecanemab, a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, despite conflicting data from a similar drug aducanumab. Despite the doubts and skepticism of others, Cheung trusted the data and his team showed promising results. This led to the FDA’s approval of lecanemab in 2023.
After this success, Cheung worked with patient advocates to make the case for Medicare coverage of lecanemab which was successful six months later. Now, as CEO of NextPoint Therapeutics focusing on cancer treatments, he sees lecanemab as just the beginning of potential therapies for Alzheimer’s. Cheung believes that lecanemab could lead to more therapeutic options, diagnostic tools and screening methods that would improve care for those with Alzheimer’s. He sees it as the spark that could ignite a whole ecosystem of care for the disease.
