The biotechnology company behind the Alzheimer’s drug aducanumab is pulling back on selling the agent after the US government health insurance program restricted cover to only patients in clinical trials.

The monoclonal antibody was controversially granted accelerated approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last year, despite an advisory panel declaring there was insufficient evidence of patient benefit.

Only one of two late-stage trials showed that the biologic helped slow cognitive decline.

The manufacturer, Biogen Inc, recently withdrew an approval application to the European Medicines Agency after that body suggested data provided to date would not be enough to support approval.