Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment Stocks: 3 Biggest NASDAQ Companies in 2024

Market cap: US$32.56 billion; current share price: US$223.65

The first NASDAQ-listed Alzheimer's drug company on this list is Massachusetts-based Biogen, a pioneer in the field of neuroscience. The firm is focused on developing, manufacturing and marketing therapies aimed at treating serious neurological, neurodegenerative, autoimmune and rare diseases.

The global biotechnology firm’s research areas include Alzheimer's disease and dementia. However, the launch of Biogen's FDA-approved Alzheimer’s disease drug Aduhelm faced a lot of pushback in 2022, both from the market and from Congress, over what was viewed as a hasty fast-track approval process and exorbitant costs to patients.

Last year, Biogen gave it another go, this time with Leqembi (lecanemab-irmb) for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, which the FDA has approved under its accelerated approval pathway. The drug was jointly developed by Biogen and Tokyo-based pharmaceutical company Eisai (OTC Pink:ESALF,TSE:4523). It is for patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia, and is the first drug shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease to win FDA approval.

Biogen's earnings report for Q1 shows that during the quarter the number of patients using lecanemab increased nearly 2.5 times from the end of 2023. At the same time, sales of the Alzheimer's drug came in at US$19 million for the period; that's compared to US$10 million from sales generated in 2023.

Market cap: US$7.97 billion; current share price: US$75.48

Biopharma company Intra-Cellular Therapies is taking an intracellular approach to developing therapies for patients with complex psychiatric and neurologic diseases, including Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

Intra-Cellular Therapies is currently evaluating ITI-1284-ODT-SL, a deuterated form of lumateperone that comes in an oral disintegrating tablet; Phase 2 clinical trials of the drug have been initiated for both agitation and psychosis in patients with probable Alzheimer’s disease.

Market cap: US$7.63 billion; current share price: US$41.85

Neuroscience company Cerevel Therapeutics is focused on treating brain conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease psychosis, schizophrenia, epilepsy and panic disorder.

The firm’s drug candidate pipeline has five clinical-stage investigational therapies, including emraclidine for the treatment of both schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease psychosis.

In the third quarter of 2022, the FDA granted fast-track designation to emraclidine for the treatment of hallucinations and delusions associated with Alzheimer's disease psychosis. This second potential indication for the drug is currently in Phase 1 clinical trials in healthy elderly volunteers.

Pharma giant AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) plans to acquire Cerevel by mid-2024 in a deal valued at US$8.7 billion.