Acumen Pharmaceuticals’ Sabirnetug: A Novel Approach in Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment Warrants a Buy Rating

Analyst Andrew Fein of H.C. Wainwright maintained a Buy rating on Acumen Pharmaceuticals (ABOS – Research Report), retaining the price target of $15.00.

Andrew Fein has given his Buy rating due to a combination of factors highlighting Acumen Pharmaceuticals’ potential in the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) treatment landscape. Fein’s optimism is partly rooted in the Phase 2 ALTITUDE AD study, wherein Acumen is evaluating its leading candidate, sabirnetug, in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mild AD. The drug’s mechanism of action (MOA) is particularly noteworthy as it targets oligomeric Abeta—a pathological agent in AD—rather than plaques, which is the more traditional target in AD therapies. This differentiated MOA has shown promising Phase 1 results, indicating a dose-dependent engagement with the target and potential for plaque reduction. Moreover, the primary endpoint for the ALTITUDE-AD trial is the integrated Alzheimer’s Disease Rating Scale (iADRS), which effectively measures cognitive and functional abilities, bolstering the drug’s prospects for demonstrating clinical efficacy.

Additionally, Fein’s confidence is bolstered by biomarker data from sabirnetug’s trials, showing positive trends in critical cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers like ptau181 and total tau, as well as Abeta42/40 ratios. These biomarkers are essential in assessing the progression and severity of AD and have been linked to disease-modifying effects seen in other anti-Abeta immunotherapies, indicating that sabirnetug could have a significant impact on the disease. Intriguingly, data on neurogranin, a synaptic marker, suggest that sabirnetug could also offer synapse protection, further supporting its unique MOA. The correlation between changes in neurogranin and ptau181, in relation to oligomeric Abeta target engagement, enhances the premise that sabirnetug could play a differentiated role in the treatment of AD, thus justifying the Buy rating assigned by Fein.

In another report released on May 13, BTIG also maintained a Buy rating on the stock with a $11.00 price target.

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Acumen Pharmaceuticals (ABOS) Company Description:

Acumen Pharmaceuticals Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a novel disease-modifying approach to target what we believe to be a key underlying cause of Alzheimer’s disease. The company’s lead drug candidate, ACU193, is a subclass monoclonal antibody which selectively targets amyloid-beta oligomers.