Scholar Rock Stock Jumps As Rival Biohaven's Muscle-Wasting Drug Flunks Pivotal Study

Core Insights - Biohaven Ltd. updated the development programs for taldefgrobep alfa in Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and obesity, showing clinically meaningful improvements in motor function but not statistically significant on the primary outcome at 48 weeks compared to placebo plus standard of care [1] - Efficacy signals were observed in specific subgroups, particularly those defined by age, ambulatory status, background therapy, and baseline myostatin levels, with 35% of subjects having no measurable myostatin at baseline [2] - The largest study population, predominantly Caucasian (87%), showed a 2.2-point improvement in motor function with taldefgrobep compared to a 1.1-point improvement in the placebo group, while non-Caucasian subjects did not show significant separation from placebo [3] Taldefgrobep in Obesity - Taldefgrobep demonstrated a greater reduction in total body fat mass compared to the placebo plus standard of care arm, with a statistically significant p-value of 0.008 [4] - The treatment also showed numerically larger increases in lean muscle mass and bone density compared to the placebo group [4] - Biohaven plans to accelerate clinical development for taldefgrobep in Q4 2024, focusing on a self-administered autoinjector for adults with overweight and obesity [4] Market Reaction - Following the trial update, Scholar Rock Holding's stock increased by 33.2% to $39.85, while Biohaven's stock rose by 0.91$46.01 [5][6]