ARGX-119

What is the drug thought to do in the body?

In MND, the connections between neurons and muscle cells are disrupted, which means that muscle cells do not receive signals from the neurons. This leads to muscle weakness and wasting. ARGX-119 binds to a protein on muscle cells (called MuSK) and is thought to help restore the connection between neurons and muscle cells. This suggests that muscle cells may better receive signals from the neurons. This could improve muscle strength in MND. 

Trial Outcome

The phase 2 reALiSe trial investigated the safety of ARGX-119 in people with MND, as well as looking at the effect ARGX-119 has on how well the muscles work. During the trial, three different doses of ARGX-119 were tested and compared to a placebo (dummy drug). You can find out more about the trial here. While the drug was found to be well tolerated and safe for people with MND, Argenx reported that the results do not support advancing the drug to the next stage of development. The trial results showed that the drug failed to have any effects on secondary and exploratory endpoints, which included measurements of how the body responds to the drug and measurements of nerve damage. This suggests that the drug would not slow disease progression and the development of this drug for MND has been discontinued. 

Last updated: 27/02/2026