eisai co shares were indicated sharply higher wednesday morning after the japanese drug maker and biogen inc said their experimental alzheimers disease drug significantly slowed progression of the disease in a large study the shares were indicated 17 higher at y6784 4685 no trades have taken place because buy orders overwhelmed sell orders even at the upperend of the days trading range eisai and biogen said wednesday that their drug lecanemab reduced cognitive and functional decline by 27 compared with a placebo over 18 months in a phase 3 study of 1800 patients with earlystage alzheimers the latestage study had been eagerly anticipated by researchers and investors after the failed launch of aduhelm which was also developed by eisai and biogen last year aduhelm became the first new alzheimers treatment approved by the us food and drug administration in nearly two decades but the drugs commercial prospects were doomed by a medicare decision in april to refuse routine coverage of it the topix subindex for pharmaceutical companies was recently down 02 while the nikkei stock average was 10 lower