Management tried to sidestep controversy around the approval of Aduhelm and said it remains confident the drug will be reimbursed.

The company's pharma revenues grew 17.2% in the second quarter against favorable comparisons and as the COVID-19 pandemic recovery continued.

The company insists it will reconsider the price of Aduhelm if the market turns out to be larger than Biogen anticipates, but big price reductions for branded drugs are rare.

Reimbursement, health policy and medical experts predicted a slow rollout ahead for Biogen's new Alzheimer's treatment at a public meeting sponsored by ICER.

The second quarter could mark a financial turning point for big pharma as demand rebounds from the pandemic, but variability remains across portfolios and therapeutic areas.

The US FDA revised labeling to clarify the target population, which could be helpful in reimbursement discussions for the Alzheimer's therapy.