Prosensa up on drisapersen DMD update

Prosensa Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:RNA) gained $1.35 (24%) to $6.89 on Thursday after presenting pooled data on Thursday at the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference showing that drisapersen ( PRO051) led to a "more pronounced treatment effect" on the six-minute walk distance (6MWD) test in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients five to seven years of age compared to patients over seven. In pooled data from the Phase II DEMAND II (DMD114117) and Phase III DEMAND III (DMD114044) trials, drisapersen led to a placebo-adjusted treatment benefit of 24 meters in 6MWD at week 48 in patients five to seven years of age (p=0.048). In patients over seven years of age, Prosensa said drisapersen led to a placebo-adjusted treatment benefit of 7 meters at week 48 (p=0.67).

Additionally, Prosensa said long-term extension data suggest that longer duration of treatment with drisapersen could also lead to a "more pronounced treatment effect" on 6MWD and could slow the rate of disease progression in older boys with more advanced disease. The company said it plans to discuss next steps with FDA and EMA. ...