Biogen's big year turning into unprecedented rollercoaster

Of all the chief executives of the world’s major biopharmaceutical companies, the one who could be excused for spending the most sleepless nights so far in 2021 is Michel Vounatsos.

The Biogen (Nasdaq: BIIB) boss has seen his company go through more highs and lows over the past eight months than many drugmakers do in a decade, with the highlights and lowlights including a milestone US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and congressional committees making claims of an unnaturally close relationship between the firm and the agency.

A storm brewing over years