Annexon’s neurological disease drug meets main goal of late-stage study

(Reuters) -Annexon said on Tuesday its experimental drug to treat a rare neurological disease met the main goal of a late-stage trial, sending its shares up more than 31% before the bell.

The trial was testing the drug, ANX005, in 241 patients with the Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological disease in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves causing muscle weakness.

The company said the drug achieved a highly statistically significant 2.4-fold improvement on a disability scale that measures motor functions at eight weeks.

The drug also showed improvements versus a placebo on key secondary endpoints, Annexon said.

(Reporting by Sneha S K; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)