
EMBARK Data Show Continued Improvements With DMD Gene Therapy
Key Takeaways
- Two-year data showed significant functional improvements in patients treated with delandistrogene moxeparvovec compared to controls, despite initial trial endpoint failure.
- The treated group exhibited better North Star Ambulatory Assessment scores, faster rise times, and improved 10-meter walk/run abilities.
Data from the EMBARK trial of delandistrogene moxeparvovec in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) show that benefits in functional outcomes, gene expression, and muscle imaging persist 2 years after receiving the gene therapy.
Encouraging long-term outcomes were seen in patients with
Results delivered today at the MDA meeting by Crystal Proud, MD, covered
“At 2 years, the part 1 treated patients demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful functional benefits compared with this propensity score–weighted external control cohort,” according to Proud, who is director of neurology and neuromuscular medicine at the Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia.
The treated group showed a significant improvement in the primary end point of North Star Ambulatory Assessment score; theirs improved by 2.63 points while the control group worsened by 0.25 points, indicating a 2.88-point gap in favor of the intervention (P = .0001). They also showed faster time to rise, better rise from floor velocity, and superior 10-meter walk/run ability and velocity vs the control cohort.
Additionally, data showed that the intervention group’s micro-dystrophin expression levels were maintained to week 64, with localization to the sarcolemma. Safety outcomes were of particular interest to the audience given the news a day earlier that a
Another poster delved into
“Quantitative MRI is a noninvasive methodology that is sensitive and can detect subclinical disease progression in Duchenne muscular dystrophy,” Vandenborne said. “The qualitative MR measures are objective. They are not dependent on patient growth, maturation, or motivation.”
Due to the small sample size—just 39 patients were included in this substudy—this analysis was not powered for statistical significance. Across 12 magnetic resonance parameters, a post hoc global statistical test yielded a P value of .0328. Following these data for another 52 weeks, the researchers observed some degree of progression of muscle pathology, although changes from baseline still favored the intervention over placebo in 3 of the 5 muscle groups examined.
References
1. Delandistrogene moxeparvovec fails to meet primary end point in phase 3 study. AJMC®. November 15, 2024. Accessed March 19, 2025.
2. McNulty R. EMBARK 2: delandistrogene moxeparvovec shows sustained benefits in DMD. AJMC. January 28, 2025. Accessed March 19, 2025.
3. Mendell J, Muntoni F, McDonald CM, et al. Long-term functional outcomes, safety, and micro-dystrophin expression following delandistrogene moxeparvovec treatment in DMD: EMBARK 2-year results. Presented at: 2025 MDA Clinical & Scientific Conference; March 16-18, 2025; Dallas, TX. Abstract P169.
4. Sarepta Therapeutics shares safety update on Elevidys. News release. Sarepta; March 18, 2025. Accessed March 19, 2025.
5. Vandenborne K, Walter GA, Straub V, et al. Muscle MRI outcomes in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy treated with delandistrogene moxeparvovec: findings from EMBARK part 1. Abstract P168.
Newsletter
Stay ahead of policy, cost, and value—subscribe to AJMC for expert insights at the intersection of clinical care and health economics.