In the world of pharmaceuticals, executives often follow a motto of “fail often, and fail early,” knowing when to cut losses and say no. However, Ivan Cheung, CEO of Eisai, Inc., took a different approach – having the discipline to say yes when everyone else was saying no.
In 2019, Cheung 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, 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 to improve care for those with Alzheimer’s. He sees it as the spark that could ignite a whole ecosystem of care for the disease.
