As trading commenced this Thursday, the heavens shone upon Argenx SE ARGX, propelling its shares skyward. A flickering saga unfolded as the tale of Chugai Pharmaceutical Co Ltd’s and its lackluster myasthenia gravis trial unfolded, ushering forth a coinage worth toting: $21.2 billion, as revealed by Benzinga Pro.
Rewind the clock back to June 2023, a month pregnant with pivotal moments. The FDA’s gavel fell blessing Argenx‘s Vyvgart Hytrulo, a subcutaneous injection for generalized myasthenia gravis in the embrace of adult patients who brandish the anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody. A nod that resonated across 85% of gMG lifelines.
The chronicles of Vyvgart’s victory dance over gMG were already inked back in December 2021, painting the canvas with hope.
Enter stage left, Chugai, a saga-twisting Japanese biotech, whispering tales of the Phase 3 LUMINESCE study on Enspryng, a mystical potion crafted to tame the wild spirits of generalized myasthenia gravis. A dance ensued, the numbers waltzing shy of the gala’s expectations.
Whispers lingered in the air, echoing tales of Enspryng’s dalliances with gMG, holding hands with a safety profile that veiled its secrets, much like in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder’s (NMOSD) courtship.
On the horizon, the American Academy of Neurology 2024 Annual Meeting, where the saga’s secrets whisper themselves into daylight on 15 April.
Chugai murmured assurances, the gMG study’s woes casting no shadows over Enspryng’s luminary path in NMOSD, where its reign was already decreed.
Across the tapestry, a partnership blossomed between Chugai and Roche Holdings AG RHHBY, birthing dreams of Enspryng’s reach extending beyond gMG boundaries into the realms of neurological autoimmune and inflammatory lands.
By the yesteryears of 2023, Argenx found solace in Vyvgart’s embrace, reaping global net product revenues of $374 million in the final quarter and a bountiful $1.2 billion for FY2023 from the poetic embrace of Vyvgart and its SC kin.
The legends spoke of Johnson & Johnson’s JNJ and the VIVACITY study. A saga spun in the loom of Phase 3, where nipocalimab waltzed with gMG, emerging victorious as the MG-ADL score bowed in reverence over weeks 22 to 24.
Price Action: ARGX shares, the belle of the ball, surged 14.6% to $409.12, a crescendo marking Thursday’s finale.
