(CNN) In an unexpected reversal, pharmaceutical giant Biogen said it will pursue US Food and Drug Administration approval for aducanumab, an experimental treatment for early Alzheimer's disease, Biogen and its Japanese partner Eisai announced on Tuesday. Phase 3 clinical studies of aducanumab were discontinued in March. On Tuesday, Biogen announced that a new analysis, which included more patients, showed a significant reduction in clinical decline in one trial. The data showed that patients who received aducanumab experienced significant benefits on measures of cognition and function, including memory, orientation and language, according to Biogen. "I really hope these new analyses pan out," said Dr. Richard Isaacson, director of the Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, who had patients in the original clinical studies.

Source: CNN October 22, 2019 16:18 UTC