A Regeneron drug posts dramatic interim results

Patients with an ultra-rare disease called FOP, or fibrodysplasia ossification progressiva, grow bones in places they ought not grow. An experimental drug from Regeneron could change that: Garetosmab reduced new bone growth by 90% in a clinical trial, according to data released yesterday.

As STAT’s Damian Garde notes, Regeneron is withholding most of the data until a future medical meeting and academic publication, as the study’s still ongoing. But patients who were receiving placebo for the first six months are now being given the drug. Side effects, so far, for the IV monoclonal antibody infusion include nosebleeds, acne, and a loss of eyebrows.