Peptide News Digest

AAIC 2026 Tuesday: Biogen Diranersen (BIIB080) Phase 2 CELIA Full Data Shows Primary Endpoint Miss on CDR-SB Dose Response But Strong Tau Reduction and Cognitive Benefit Across All Doses, Eisai/Biogen LEQEMBI Real-World LEADER Study Documents 75.9% Stable Plus 6.6% Improved Over 17 Months in 432 Early Alzheimer's Patients, Eli Lilly Presents P-Tau217 Blood Biomarker Rule-In Data Comparable to Amyloid PET for AD Pathology Detection, Veru Presents Sarcopenic Obesity SARM-Plus-GLP-1 Combination at Boston Obesity Summit

AAIC 2026 Tuesday: Biogen CELIA full data (primary endpoint miss, tau/cognition wins); LEQEMBI LEADER 17-month real-world data; Lilly P-tau217 blood test; Veru sarcopenic-obesity summit.

4 stories · Covering clinical-trials, research, industry

Editor's Note

Tuesday at AAIC 2026 delivered the tau field's most-watched readout: Biogen's Phase 2 CELIA study of diranersen (BIIB080), an intrathecal tau-targeting antisense oligonucleotide, missed its primary endpoint of dose-response on CDR-SB at Week 76 but showed strong tau pathology reduction across all three studied doses (60 mg q24w, 115 mg q24w, 115 mg q12w) alongside slowing of cognitive decline that was strongest at the lowest dose. Biogen is advancing diranersen to registrational Phase 3 anyway, arguing the biomarker-plus-clinical package is the first Phase 2 evidence that tau-directed therapy can bend the cognitive curve. Eisai and Biogen paired that with LEQEMBI (lecanemab) real-world LEADER Study data: 432 early Alzheimer's patients from diverse US clinical settings, 75.9% remained stable and 6.6% improved over an average 17 months of treatment, with 87% choosing to remain on treatment and results consistent across sex, race, ethnicity, and APOE genotype. Eli Lilly's P-tau217 blood biomarker session showed rule-in performance comparable to amyloid PET for identifying AD pathology in cognitively unimpaired individuals, sharpening the diagnostic-front pathway alongside the therapeutic pipeline. On the metabolic side, Veru's presentation at the Boston Obesity & Weight Loss Drug Development Summit on Tuesday afternoon carried the sarcopenic-obesity theme forward, pairing GLP-1 receptor agonists with selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) to prevent GLP-1-associated muscle loss in geriatric patients.

Biogen Presents Full Phase 2 CELIA Data for Diranersen (BIIB080) at AAIC 2026 on Tuesday July 14 During the Developing Topics in Phase 2 Clinical Trials Session (2:00-3:30 PM BST): The 76-Week Study Did Not Meet Its Primary Endpoint of Dose Response on the Clinical Dementia Rating-Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB), But Strong Tau Pathology Reductions Occurred Across All Three Doses (60 mg q24w, 115 mg q24w, 115 mg q12w) and Prespecified Cognitive Endpoints Showed Slowing of Clinical Decline Across All Doses (Particularly at the Lowest Dose), and Biogen Plans to Advance to Registrational Phase 3 Development

Biogen (NASDAQ: BIIB) presented full Phase 2 CELIA study data for diranersen (BIIB080), an investigational tau-targeting antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) delivered intrathecally, at AAIC 2026 in London on Tuesday July 14, 2026 during the Developing Topics in Phase 2 Clinical Trials Session (2:00-3:30 PM BST). The 76-week placebo-controlled study evaluated three doses (60 mg every 24 weeks, 115 mg every 24 weeks, and 115 mg every 12 weeks) and did not meet its primary endpoint of dose response on the Clinical Dementia Rating-Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB) at Week 76. Strong reductions in tau pathology occurred across all studied doses, generally consistent with the Phase 1b study. Prespecified analyses of cognitive endpoints demonstrated slowing of clinical decline across all doses, with the effect particularly pronounced at the lowest 60 mg q24w dose. Biogen framed the results as the first randomized Phase 2 evidence of a tau-directed therapy showing both biomarker impact and cognitive benefit, and plans to advance diranersen to registrational Phase 3 development.

Eisai and Biogen Present LEQEMBI (Lecanemab) Real-World LEADER Study Data at AAIC 2026 on Tuesday July 14: A Comprehensive Multicenter Retrospective Study of 432 Early Alzheimer's Disease Patients From Diverse US Clinical Settings Who Received at Least Seven LEQEMBI Infusions as of May 2026 Showed 75.9% of Patients Remained Stable and 6.6% Improved Over an Average of 17 Months of Treatment, 87% Chose to Remain on Treatment, and Results Were Consistent Across Sex, Race, Ethnicity, and APOE Genotype

Eisai and Biogen announced Tuesday July 14, 2026 that data from the real-world Lecanemab in Early Alzheimer's Disease (LEADER) Study, presented at AAIC 2026 in London during the Developing Topics Session '#3-33-DEV-A: Lecanemab Three Years Post-Approval: A Comprehensive Multicenter, Real-World, Retrospective Study (LEADER) in Diverse US Clinical Settings,' documented durable clinical outcomes with LEQEMBI in early Alzheimer's disease. The analysis included 432 early Alzheimer's disease patients from diverse US clinical settings who had received at least seven LEQEMBI infusions as of May 2026. Over an average of 17 months of treatment, 75.9% of patients remained clinically stable and 6.6% improved (moving from mild Alzheimer's disease dementia to mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease). 87% of patients chose to remain on LEQEMBI treatment. Results were consistent across sex, race, ethnicity, and APOE genotype, supporting long-term benefits of continuous treatment outside of a controlled clinical trial setting.

Eli Lilly Presents 16 Alzheimer's Disease Diagnostic and Therapeutic Research Abstracts at AAIC 2026 (July 12-15) Including P-Tau217 Blood Biomarker Data Presented by Samantha Burnham, PhD Demonstrating Strong Rule-In Performance Comparable to Amyloid PET for Identifying Alzheimer's Disease Pathology in Cognitively Unimpaired Individuals, Supporting a Potentially Scalable Blood-Test Alternative to Specialized Imaging for Future Early-Detection Screening

Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) presented 16 Alzheimer's disease diagnostic and therapeutic research abstracts at AAIC 2026 in London (July 12-15), including anchor data on the P-tau217 blood biomarker assay. Samantha Burnham, PhD, senior research scientist at Eli Lilly, presented data showing that P-tau217 blood biomarker assays demonstrated strong rule-in performance for identifying Alzheimer's disease pathology, with results indicating that the assays performed comparably to amyloid PET (positron emission tomography) for identifying pathology in cognitively unimpaired individuals. P-tau217 is a phosphorylated fragment of tau protein released from the brain into the bloodstream during Alzheimer's disease pathology; the fragment can be measured with a standard blood draw rather than requiring the specialized PET imaging or lumbar puncture that current Alzheimer's diagnostics rely on. Blood biomarker tests and amyloid PET agents are not yet indicated for use in cognitively unimpaired individuals, but the results generate support for a potentially scalable, accessible alternative to imaging in future early-detection screening. Lilly's therapeutic AAIC 2026 slate also included updated data on donanemab (Kisunla) and the P-tau217-anchored diagnostic pathway that pairs with amyloid-directed treatment.

Veru Inc. Presents Pre-Conference Workshop Session 'Moving Beyond BMI & Weight-Loss Endpoints to Advance the Regulatory Frontier & Redefine Clinical Success With the FDA' at the 4th Annual Obesity & Weight Loss Drug Development Summit in Boston on Tuesday July 14 at 1:30 PM ET, With CEO Mitchell Steiner Following on Wednesday July 15 With 'Combating Sarcopenic Obesity in Geriatrics by Combining GLP-1s With Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) to Prevent Muscle Loss' — Veru's Enobosarm-Plus-GLP-1 Program Anchors the Muscle-Preservation Thesis for Weight-Loss Therapy

Veru Inc. (NASDAQ: VERU), a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on cardiometabolic and inflammatory diseases, presented at the 4th Annual Obesity & Weight Loss Drug Development Summit in Boston, Massachusetts on Tuesday July 14, 2026. Gary Barnette, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, led the pre-conference workshop 'Moving Beyond BMI & Weight-Loss Endpoints to Advance the Regulatory Frontier & Redefine Clinical Success With the FDA' at 1:30 PM ET. On Wednesday July 15 at 4:20 PM ET, Chairman, President and CEO Mitchell Steiner, MD will present 'Combating Sarcopenic Obesity in Geriatrics by Combining GLP-1s With Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) to Prevent Muscle Loss.' Veru's lead asset enobosarm is a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) in Phase 2b development for muscle-loss prevention in older patients receiving GLP-1 receptor agonists for weight loss. The sarcopenic-obesity thesis directly addresses a widely documented GLP-1 side effect: approximately 25-40% of GLP-1-associated weight loss is lean muscle mass rather than fat, particularly in older patients. Veru's approach pairs the GLP-1 with a SARM to preserve muscle while maintaining fat loss.