Eli Lilly has received FDA approval for donanemab (Kisunla) for the treatment of early-stage Alzheimer's disease. It joins Leqembi from Eisai/Biogen as the first effective, disease modifying treatments for the disease.

Over the next 12-24 months a number of companies in the sector may receive acquisition bids. The last company to be acquired was ResApp Health for $180 million by Pfizer in 2022. Three companies viewed as potential targets by Bioshares are discussed below.

A robust 1H23 in recorded clinical trial sales amounting to US$27.3M was followed by a reduction of approximately 75% in 2H23, with sales totalling just US$6.7M. This marks a decline in overall clinical trial sales of 59% from the record reported in FY22 of US$82.5 million.

Eli Lilly has achieved unequivocally positive efficacy outcomes from its Phase III study with the drug candidate donanemab for the treatment of early stage Alzheimer's disease. It's the second positive late stage study result in the last year, with Eisai & Co achieving similarly positive results with its drug Leqembi (lecanemab).

Cogstate (CGS: $1.18) came close to being acquired in the recent weeks with discussions with an interested group beginning in December and negotiations ending last week.

The Phase III trial data on the emerging Alzheimer's disease drug lecanemab has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine and was presented at the recent Alzheimer's disease conference, CTAD, held in San Francisco, by Dr Sharen Cohen. Dr Cohen was an investigator on the Phase III Eisai/Biogen Alzheimer's disease study and co-authored the paper that was published.

The data is of interest to Cogstate (CGS: $1.80) and investors as Cogstate's core business is in conducting Alzheimer's disease studies, and its blue sky is the use of its cognitive diagnostic tool, licensed by Eisai, to help identify patients should an effective drug treatment for Alzheimer's disease become available.

Cogstate (CGS: $1.77) has achieved another very strong quarter of sales contracts totalling US$17.9 million after US$1.1 million in contract cancellations. Its net cashflow was just US$0.2 million.

Cogstate's (CGS: $2.09) partner, Eisai Co Ltd, has for the first time in this disease area, delivered unequivocally positive data for its Alzheimer's disease treatment, lecanamab.

Eisai will now seek to file the therapy for full approval with the FDA by the end of March. Eisai will use Cogstate's electronic cognitive test battery to help identify potential patients for treatment, under a US$45 million deal signed in 2020 between the two companies.

Cogstate (CGS: $1.46) has seen its share price oscillate in recent weeks, in sync with the share prices of Eisai Co and Biogen. All three companies will be impacted by the results of the Phase III study with the Alzheimer's disease drug candidate, lecanemab, which is jointly owned by Eisai and Biogen and in clinical development by Eisai. Topline results are due at the end of this month.

Cogstate (CGS: $1.83) has delivered a stunning year result for FY2022 with sales (contracts signed) of US$82.5 million. Revenue (unaudited), which trails the signing of contracts in a growth phase, was US$45 million, up 38% to the previous corresponding period (PCP).

During the pandemic, Cogstate CEO Brad O'Connor said the whole pharmaceutical industry saw the demand for remote assessments in clinical trials increase, with the company's digital cognitive assessments well set up for decentralized studies.

Cognitive assessment company Cogstate has signed US$73.6 million of new sales contracts, up 105% on the PCP. This is a record for the company.

Cogstate (CGS: $1.90) reported an EBIT of US$6.1 million for the first half of this financial year. EBIT for the full year is expected to be between US$8.8 - US$11.3 million.

Cogstate (CGS: $1.68) has delivered another good quarter of sales contracts signed, totalling US$13.7 million and $US54 million for the first half following a very strong September quarter performance.