The tone was solemn on Summit Therapeutics plc's conference call early Wednesday as CEO Glyn Edwards briefly restated the Oxford, U.K., firm's terse press release acknowledging failure of ezutromid to meet primary or secondary endpoints following 48 weeks of treatment in the phase II PhaseOut DMD study in individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The findings were an unexpected turnabout from interim data suggesting the small-molecule utrophin modulator seemed to help reduce muscle fiber damage and to increase levels of the protein utrophin, linked to the restoration and maintenance of healthy muscle function.