--- title: 'Clinical Daily Summary: What Happened on November 4, 2026' headline: Servier’s sevasemten misses Phase 3 endpoint in Becker muscular dystrophy description: Merck has started a Phase 3 COPD trial, while a Phase 2 lung cancer study found pathological responses with perioperative ivonescimab. url: https://thebench.bio/news/clinical/2026-11-04 topic: clinical date: '2026-11-04' covers: - '2026-11-04' date_published: '2026-11-04T12:02:19Z' date_modified: '2026-11-04T12:02:19Z' tags: - Clinical - Funding sources: 3 publisher: TheBench.Bio --- # Clinical Daily Summary: What Happened on November 4, 2026 **Servier’s sevasemten misses Phase 3 endpoint in Becker muscular dystrophy** Merck has started a Phase 3 COPD trial, while a Phase 2 lung cancer study found pathological responses with perioperative ivonescimab. ## Today in brief In an 18-month trial, sevasemten did not improve physical function versus placebo in 175 adults with Becker muscular dystrophy. [1] Servier is reviewing the results and has not said whether they will change its plans to study the drug in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. [1] Merck has begun enrolling patients in a Phase 3 trial of Ohtuvayre to prevent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations. [2] In a nonrandomized Phase 2 lung cancer trial, major pathological responses occurred with ivonescimab alone and with chemotherapy, but event-free survival data were immature. [3] ## Sevasemten misses its primary endpoint in Becker muscular dystrophy Sevasemten did not improve the primary North Star Ambulatory Assessment (NSAA) score versus placebo in GRAND CANYON, an 18-month trial of 175 adults with Becker muscular dystrophy. [1] The trial also missed its secondary endpoints. [1] Servier said sevasemten had a favorable safety and tolerability profile and that it is reviewing the broader results. [1] The Phase 2 CANYON trial met its primary endpoint by reducing creatine kinase, a marker of muscle damage, but the NSAA difference versus placebo was not statistically significant. [1] Servier completed its acquisition of Edgewise Therapeutics’ muscular dystrophy business on July 13, agreeing to pay $1.55 billion upfront and up to $1.1 billion in milestone payments. [1] Servier has not said whether the Becker result will change its plans to study sevasemten in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. [1] ## Merck starts Phase 3 test of Ohtuvayre for COPD exacerbations Merck has started ENHANCE-3, a Phase 3 trial testing whether Ohtuvayre can prevent COPD exacerbations in adults receiving standard treatment. [2] The trial has begun enrolling in the United States and plans to recruit about 2,136 people across 28 countries. [2] Participants will be assigned equally to twice-daily Ohtuvayre or placebo, alongside their existing treatment. [2] The primary outcome is the yearly rate of moderate or severe exacerbations over 52 weeks. [2] The FDA approved Ohtuvayre for COPD maintenance treatment in June 2024. [2] ## Phase 2 lung cancer study reports pathological responses with ivonescimab In a nonrandomized Phase 2 trial of 90 people with resectable non-small cell lung cancer, 70.1% of patients who underwent surgery after ivonescimab plus chemotherapy had a major pathological response. [3] The response rate was 60.0% among patients who underwent surgery after ivonescimab alone. [3] Patients received ivonescimab before surgery and continued it afterward, with or without chemotherapy before surgery. [3] Grade 3 or higher treatment-related adverse events occurred in 30.4% of the combination cohort and 36.4% of the monotherapy cohort. [3] Investigators reported no grade 3 or higher hemorrhage or treatment-related deaths. [3] Median event-free survival data were immature at the analysis cutoff. [3] ## The day in numbers - **175**: Adults enrolled in the Phase 3 sevasemten trial. [1] - **$1.55 billion**: Upfront payment Servier agreed to make for Edgewise’s muscular dystrophy business. [1] - **2,136**: Approximate planned enrollment for Merck’s Phase 3 ENHANCE-3 COPD trial. [2] - **70.1%**: Major pathological response rate with ivonescimab plus chemotherapy among patients who underwent surgery. [3] ## Also published - [Why Leronlimab Isn’t Just Another Repurposed Drug: Q&A with Dr. Jay Lalezari](), Pharmaceutical Executive - [National Diabetes Month—epidemic continues despite promising advances​](), Clinical Trials Arena - [Rethinking Alzheimer's Trial Recruitment](), Fierce Biotech - [STAT+: Servier’s $1.55 billion muscular dystrophy drug fails first major test](), STAT Biotech - [What Does a Positive Reading for Leronlimab Mean for How the Industry Thinks About Repurposing Old Biologics Into Oncology?](), Pharmaceutical Executive ## Sources 1. [Servier’s $1.55B Edgewise acquisition backfires after Phase 3 setback](), European Biotechnology, 2026-11-04 2. [Merck begins Phase III ENHANCE-3 trial of Ohtuvayre in COPD](), Clinical Trials Arena, 2026-11-04 3. [Perioperative ivonescimab with or without chemotherapy in resectable non-small cell lung cancer: a phase 2 trial](), Nature Medicine, 2026-11-04 --- TheBench.Bio wrote this from the reporting cited above, with a language model drafting and editing. [1]: [2]: [3]: