DUBLIN – Shares in Santhera Pharmaceuticals Holding AG surged by as much as 71% June 1 on news that the high-dose arm of a phase IIb pivotal trial of vamorolone hit the primary endpoint of an improvement vs. placebo in the time-to-stand velocity attained by ambulatory boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).
CEO Dipal Doshi of Boston-based Entrada Therapeutics Inc. said the field of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) therapeutics has seen “a lot of first-generation, interesting programs that have kickstarted more focus” on the disease, “but no one really is fundamentally moving the needle in a robust clinical way.” His firm, with $116 million in new series B money, wants to change that. “Our focus on DMD is very direct and very specific,” he told BioWorld.
As expected, the FDA granted an approval for Amondys 45 (casimersen), a new Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) therapy developed by Sarepta Therapeutics Inc.
In the wake of Study 045’s failure with Translarna (ataluren) in nonsense mutation Duchenne muscular dystrophy, PTC Therapeutics Inc. is “trying to thread the needle between the notion of getting Study 041 completed in the third quarter of 2022 vs. getting accelerated approval now,” CEO Stuart Peltz said.
Sarepta Therapeutics Inc.’s miss on a key phase II ambulatory endpoint in its Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) trial may have been caused by a dramatic disparity in functional ability at baseline among older vs. younger patients afflicted with the progressively worsening disorder. In any case, Wall Street had knives out, carving 51% of the value away from shares (NASDAQ:SRPT) of the Cambridge, Mass.-based firm, which closed at $82.29, a loss of $86.66, or 51%.
Solid Biosciences Inc. already has its own Duchenne muscular dystrophy program, but with some new investment money it is plunging into a collaboration with Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. to co-create another program. The two will collaborate on developing and commercializing new gene therapies for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy as Novato, Calif.-based Ultragenyx is investing $40 million in Solid.
Both Solid Biosciences Inc. and Pfizer Inc. got lifts to their Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) programs from the FDA as the agency released a clinical hold and awarded a fast track designation to their respective adeno-associated viral (AAV) programs.
PERTH, Australia – Antisense Therapeutics Ltd. saw its stock bounce 26% following the news that the FDA has granted rare pediatric disease designation for ATL-1102 for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), following submission of phase II data that showed its immunomodulatory therapy met primary disease progression endpoints.
The FDA granted accelerated approval to Viltepso (viltolarsen) to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients (DMD) who have a confirmed mutation of the DMD gene amenable to exon 53 skipping, pitting it against Sarepta Therapeutics Inc.’s Vyondys (golodirsen), which was given accelerated approval last year in a controversial decision by the FDA following an agency complete response letter (CRL) highlighting safety concerns.
Weeks after raising an oversubscribed $60 million series A, Affinia Therapeutics Inc., of Waltham, Mass., is collaborating with Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. in a far larger deal, one potentially worth more than $1.6 billion.
