Novartis Halts ALS Drug Development After Phase 2 Trial Miss

12:40 PM EDT, 09/16/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Novartis (NVS) discontinued development of VHB937 for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the company said in an emailed statement to MT Newswires Wednesday. The decision was taken after a phase 2 Astrals study did not meet its primary or secondary endpoints. The company said it remains committed to sharing the study findings and applying the learnings from the research to advance scientific understanding of neurodegenerative diseases. Price: 139.59, Change: +0.97, Percent Change: +0.70