Sarepta-Glaxo Duchenne’s Rivalry Heats Up This Week

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- The race between Sarepta Therapeutics (SRPT) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to develop the first new therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy just took an interesting twist. Glaxo decided -- somewhat abruptly -- to present results from its randomized phase IIb study of drisapersen at a research conference on Thursday.

This is the first time Glaxo is sharing data from any placebo-controlled study of drisapersen in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients. The timing is odd for a couple of reasons: Glaxo and partner Prosensa have said several times in the past that no data from this drisapersen study would be announced until the third quarter (when the ongoing phase III study was expected to be completed.)

Glaxo also chose a somewhat obscure venue to present the phase IIb drisapersen data Thursday -- the RNA & Oligonucleotide Therapeutics conference at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories. A more high-profile venue would have been the The Muscular Dystrophy Association's Scientific Conference, scheduled for April 21-24.

Here is where you can let your speculative juices flow. Is Glaxo trying to hide negative drisapersen data? Or, are the drisapersen data so positive that Glaxo is rushing to get the news out ahead of the expected announcement later this month by Sarepta about the possibility of an accelerated approval filing for eteplirsen?

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Sarepta-Glaxo Duchenne's Rivalry Heats Up This Week