REUTERS

U.S. regulators are slated to decided by Monday whether to approve Biogen Inc’s (BIIB.O) controversial Alzheimer’s disease drug, and Wall Street analysts and industry observers are deeply divided on its chances of making it over the finish line.

Given the desperate need for anything that can help patients with the mind-wasting disease, some analysts are betting on approval, while others put the chances well below 50%.

If approved, Biogen's aducanumab would be the first treatment to address an underlying cause of the memory-robbing, condition, which is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

The Food and Drug Administration decision will impact not only Biogen and its partner Eisai Co Ltd (4523.T), but other drugmakers developing Alzheimer's drugs such as Eli Lilly and Co (LLY.N). And, as a signal of the agency's permissiveness, the decision could have ramifications for other neurological treatments and the broader pharmaceutical industry.