In the first part of the CIDP study, 75% of the initial group of patients showed meaningful improvement after receiving claseprubart, Dianthus said.
- Following the update, investment bank Raymond James reaffirmed its ‘Strong Buy’ rating on Dianthus and kept its price target at $125 per share.
- The analyst said the 75% response rate exceeded expectations and compared favorably with Sanofi’s competing drug.
- Sanofi discontinued its late-stage study of riliprubart in patients with CIDP who had failed or responded inadequately to standard treatments earlier this month.
Shares of Dianthus Therapeutics, Inc. (DNTH) jumped 8% on Friday after the company reported positive early data from its ongoing late-stage trial of claseprubart, an experimental drug for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP).
The DNTH stock, on Friday, clocked its best session since early March.
CIDP is a rare nerve disorder that causes weakness, numbness and loss of function in the arms and legs. It occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the nerves. Current treatments often involve frequent infusions or steroids.
What Dianthus’s Study Showed
In the first part of the study, 75% of the initial group of patients showed meaningful improvement after receiving claseprubart, Dianthus said. The company was expecting 50%, and the results clearly exceeded its own targets.
The trial has a two-part design. In the initial part, patients received claseprubart. Those who improved were then moved into the next part of the study, where some continued on the drug, and others switched to a placebo. The goal is to see how long it takes for symptoms to return when the drug is stopped.
The high response rate in the first part was seen across several measures of how well patients could move and function, the company said. Claseprubart is given as an under-the-skin injection every two weeks using a pre-filled pen, which could make it more convenient than current CIDP treatments like IVIG infusions.
Dianthus also said on Friday that it now expects to provide guidance on the timing of the Part B top-line results by the end of 2026.
Analyst Reaction
Following the update, investment bank Raymond James reaffirmed its ‘Strong Buy’ rating on Dianthus and kept its price target at $125 per share. The analyst noted that the 75% response rate beat their expectations and stood out favorably compared to Sanofi’s competing drug. They also highlighted that the study’s design — starting with open treatment and then testing what happens when the drug is withdrawn — appears to be a lower-risk approach than the one used in Sanofi’s failed study.
Sanofi discontinued its late-stage study of riliprubart in patients with CIDP who had failed or responded inadequately to standard treatments earlier this month. The company announced that an independent data monitoring committee had reviewed interim data and concluded the study was unlikely to meet its efficacy goals. The decision came after riliprubart had shown more modest results in an earlier mid-stage study, where roughly 50% of refractory patients improved at week 24. Sanofi is now evaluating whether to continue its other ongoing late-stage trial in patients already on maintenance IVIg.
Dianthus, meanwhile, is also studying claseprubart in generalized myasthenia gravis and multifocal motor neuropathy as well.
How Did DNTH Retail Traders React?
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around DNTH stock fell from ‘neutral’ to ‘bearish’ over the past 24 hours, while message volume remained at ‘extremely high’ levels.
According to data from Koyfin, all 15 analysts covering DNTH rate it a ‘Buy.’ The stock has a 12-month average price target of $127.67, implying a potential upside of about 56% from Friday’s close.
DNTH stock has more than doubled this year.
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