June 12 (Reuters) - Biogen's Alzheimer's drug,

Leqembi, will do well in the market whether a competitor comes

or not, a company executive said at the Goldman Sachs Global

Healthcare Conference on Wednesday.

Leqembi, co-developed by Biogen and its Japanese partner

Eisai ( ESALF ), had won standard approval from the U.S. Food and

Drug Administration last July. It sees a potential rival in Eli

Lilly's ( LLY ) experimental Alzheimer's treatment donanemab.

"Competition or another option is always a good thing," said

Biogen's North America head Alisha Alaimo.

"But more importantly, the market will develop faster with

Lilly in play," Alaimo said, adding that she cannot speculate

what will happen with donanemab's label.

Outside advisers to the FDA unanimously backed the use of

donanemab for the treatment of early Alzheimer's disease on

Monday, clearing the way for a final regulatory decision on the

treatment.

While the U.S. health regulator is not obligated to follow

the panel's recommendations, it usually does so.

Leqembi's launch has so far been lackluster, with

bottlenecks due to its requirements such as additional

diagnostic tests, twice-monthly infusions and regular brain

scans, which have contributed to a slower adoption of the drug

than markets were expecting.

Analysts expect donanemab to ultimately be approved. Some

have said having two players on the Alzheimer's drug market

would help with its growth.

Leerink Partners analyst David Risinger, however, said

assuming the FDA approves donanemab, its commercial adoption is

expected to be limited relative to leqembi because Lilly's

treatment has more safety liabilities and is less convenient

with intravenous administration.

According to HSBC analysts, the two candidates - Biogen and

Lilly - could start shaping a potential $100 billion market for

the Alzheimer's treatments.

"While it is expensive to enter the space, once in,

competition should be limited," the brokerage said in a report

on Wednesday.