Biogen Inc. topped analysts’ estimates in both earnings and revenue, while also indicating renewed hope for a Alzheimer’s therapy.
The biotech company's third-quarter 2019 earnings per share of $9.17 beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $8.28. Earnings rose +24% year over year.
The company’s sales for the quarter increased +5% year-over-year to $3.6 billion, surpassing Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.53 billion.
Biogen’s product revenue increased +4% year-over-year for the quarter, while its royalty from sales of Roche’s MS drug, Ocrevus surged +37% year-over-year. Revenues from Biogen’s share of Rituxan and Gazyva operating profits increased +9%. Other revenues declined -26%.
The company’s MS revenues including Ocrevus royalties, increased +2% .
Spinal Muscular Atrophy drug Spinraza sales rose +17% year-over-year. The number of patients on Spinraza grew approximately 3% in the U.S., and 18% outside the United States quarter-over-quarter.
Combined interferon revenues (Avonex and Plegridy) fell -10% year over year.
In Biosimilars (Samsung Bioepis, the joint venture between Biogen and Samsung BioLogics), BENEPALI revenue fell -6% y-o-y, IMRALDI which was launched in mid-October last year had a +4% growth quarter-over-quarter, while FLIXABI grew +63% year-over-year.
A major potential breakthrough for Biogen could be coming with new data revealing that aducanumab is pharmacologically and clinically active as determined by dose-dependent effects in reducing accumulation of amyloid, a kind of protein, in the arteries of the brain. Based on this data, Biogen plans to submit a biologics license application (BLA) seeking approval of aducanumab to the FDA in early 2020.