Futu Securities learned that the media reported on Sunday that Eli Lilly and Co's (LLY.US) CEO, David Ricks, told the then UK Health Secretary, Victoria Atkins, in December last year that the company's new Alzheimer's disease candidate drug may be a one-time treatment, although the data supporting this claim is limited. Reports indicate that Ricks said donanemab could potentially treat those diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease even before symptoms appear by reducing the amyloid plaques in the brain believed to cause the disease. The report quoted Atkins as emphasizing the potential of this candidate drug to "change the game rules."

However, it has been reported that Eli Lilly has not yet proven the potential of this drug. The report also stated that the research plan to evaluate the potential preventive benefits of donanemab will not conclude until the end of 2027, and according to meeting records required to be disclosed by the Freedom of Information Act, this was not clearly specified.

Eli Lilly and Co stated in an interview, "It is possible to treat Alzheimer's disease before symptoms appear, and we are validating this through ongoing trials."

Donanemab is undergoing review by the United Kingdom's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency for treating early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease. Donanemab is marketed under the brand Kisunla and has been approved in the United States and Japan this year. Its competitors are Biogen (BIIB.US) and Eisai's Leqembi (lecanemab).