Ivan Cheung, CEO of Eisai, Inc., was known for his bold approach to drug development. While others in the pharmaceutical industry followed the motto of “fail often, and fail early,” Cheung believed in having the discipline to say yes when everyone else was saying no. In 2019, he took a risk and decided to continue developing lecanemab, a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, despite conflicting data from a similar drug, aducanumab. His team showed promising results and he trusted the data, leading to the FDA’s approval of lecanemab in 2023.
After the approval, Cheung worked with patient advocates to make the case for Medicare coverage of lecanemab. To his delight, six months later it was approved. Now as CEO of NextPoint Therapeutics focusing on cancer treatments, he sees lecanemab as just the beginning of potential therapies for Alzheimer’s disease. He believes that lecanemab could lead to more therapeutic options, diagnostic tools, and screening methods to improve care for those with Alzheimer’s. Cheung sees it as the spark that could ignite a whole ecosystem of care for the disease.