FDA scientists appear to offer major endorsement of Biogen’s controversial Alzheimer’s treatment

The future of aducanumab, Biogen’s treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, appears brighter after reviewers at the Food and Drug Administration indicated they believed the drug was sufficiently safe and effective.

In a lengthy document released Wednesday, FDA staff appeared to endorse approving the treatment, which would become the first new Alzheimer’s therapy in nearly two decades. The commentary, which provides the first glimpse at how FDA scientists view the oft-debated treatment, comes ahead of a Friday meeting of outside advisers, who will vote on whether to recommend the aducanumab’s approval.