Argenx shares fall after Vyvgart trial is scrapped
Argenx said it has scrapped a late-stage Vyvgart trial in Sjögren's disease after a data monitoring committee said it was likely to miss its primary endpoint. The stock fell 14% as the decision removed a key growth catalyst.
By Mackenzie Tatananni Argenx was recently dubbed a high-risk, high-reward "moonshot" biotech stock, offering investors tremendous upside if clinical trials panned out. On Thursday, investors saw the flip side of that scenario. 50, pacing toward their worst session since December 2023, after Argenx unexpectedly scrapped a late-stage clinical trial evaluating Vyvgart in patients with Sjögren's disease. The decision followed a recommendation from an independent data monitoring committee that determined the trial was likely to miss its primary endpoint, Argenx said.
Researchers had been evaluating Vyvgart in patients with moderate-to-severe Sjögren's disease, a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by dry eyes, fatigue, and joint pain. Vyvgart is Argenx's biggest revenue driver. A blockbuster drug, it topped $1 billion in sales during its first full year on the market. Building on that momentum, the company has sought to expand its target market by pursuing new indications and exploring alternative delivery methods.
The decision to discontinue the trial points to very little efficacy, "if any," rather than a simple "near miss," UBS analysts noted Thursday. 5 billion. 2 billion globally. " Sjögren's disease varies widely in how it presents, progresses, and responds to treatment, making patient selection for trials particularly challenging, Bernstein analysts pointed out.
Although Novartis reported positive results with its own candidate last year, broad progress in the field remains slow, with no major therapeutic breakthroughs in over two decades before then, the analysts added. , Japan, and the European Union. It is also approved in Japan for the treatment of immune thrombocytopenia. , China, and several other countries.
S. approval in April 2025 for two autoimmune conditions. 2 billion purchase of Forte Biosciences -- into late-stage clinical development. com This content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co.
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