Facing editing requests from JAMA, Biogen has apparently pulled the submission of a paper detailing its data about Aduhelm, the company’s controversial Alzheimer’s treatment.
According to a report in Axios, two sources confirmed that Biogen submitted the paper to JAMA but opted to rescind its submission after the journal requested certain edits.
Biogen has been under scrutiny since Aduhelm was given conditional approval by the FDA in June. But even before the FDA decision, some pointed out that the lack of a peer-reviewed paper about the drug looked suspicious.
“In this case, the peer-reviewed process would have made their presentation better,” Scott Emerson, an emeritus professor of biostatistics at the University of Washington who served on the advisory committee that reviewed Aduhelm, told Pharma Manufacturing last year. “Without that, I worry that they are trying to suppress the correct result.”
Biogen did not elaborate on the requested edits, but said that it has decided to pursue “other publication opportunities.”
