The Week of

Medical device company Perfuze released final results from a 180-patient trial of its Millipede88 Aspiration Catheter, a device that essentially acts like a tiny vacuum to remove blood clots from the brain following an ischemic stroke.

The device successfully restored blood flow without additional rescue treatment in 89% of patients, while certain patients achieved near-complete or complete blood flow restoration on the first attempt 75% of the time. It also reached the treatment site in 96% of cases and required additional rescue devices in fewer than 8% of cases. Already FDA-cleared, Millipede88 is now being introduced at select U.S. stroke centers, with a broader rollout expected to follow. Here’s more: https://substack.com/home/post/p-213567669.

Novartis reported positive Phase 3 results for Remibrutinib, an experimental oral treatment for relapsing multiple sclerosis.

In two studies involving roughly 2,000 patients, the drug significantly reduced MS relapse rates and inflammatory brain lesions compared with the existing treatment teriflunomide. Combined results also showed signs that remibrutinib could slow the progression of disability. Also worth noting: Novartis reported no liver safety signal, an issue that has affected some other drugs in the BTK inhibitor class. The company now plans to present detailed results at MSToronto2026 and seek worldwide regulatory approval. Check it out: https://jlsfund.substack.com/p/novartis-reports-phase-3-success.

Biogen and Tokyo-based pharma company Eisai won approval in China for a subcutaneous version of Leqembi (lecanemab) that patients with early Alzheimer’s disease can administer at home.

Instead of traveling to a hospital for an IV infusion every two weeks, patients can now receive two injections once a week, with each injection only taking about 15 seconds. The approval covers people with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia caused by Alzheimer’s and makes China the second country to approve this formulation.

Eisai estimates roughly 17 million people in China had mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s in 2024, making the more convenient formulation potentially important for expanding Leqembi’s use. The companies plan to launch it in China during Eisai’s fiscal year ending March 2027. Here’s more: https://investors.biogen.com/news-releases/news-release-details/leqembir-lecanemab-subcutaneous-formulation-initiation-treatment

Did you know Alzheimer’s may begin changing the brain at least seven years before the amyloid plaques associated with the disease can be detected on today’s PET scans?

Researchers at the University of Oslo followed healthy older adults with repeated brain scans for nearly 20 years. When they looked back at people who eventually developed detectable amyloid plaques, they found that changes in the brain’s structure had already started years earlier, even though these people were still functioning normally.

That could be important because amyloid plaques have traditionally been viewed as one of the earliest detectable signs of Alzheimer’s. The findings suggest the disease process may begin much sooner, potentially giving researchers a larger window to identify and someday treat Alzheimer’s before symptoms appear. It also raises the possibility that biological processes beyond amyloid buildup may play an important role in the disease’s earliest stages. Check it out: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260831015144.htm.