On 9 July 2026, members of the Roche Patient Partnership Team and European representatives of the FSHD Patient Advocacy Group met to discuss the results of the Phase 2 MANOEUVRE study of the investigational therapy emugrobart for FSHD. Roche has worked closely with patient experts from our community throughout the study, seeking patient input and perspectives.
The meeting was requested by FSHD Europe, giving patient advisors the opportunity to learn more about Roche’s decision to halt further development of emugrobart. We wanted to better understand the study results and to discuss what these findings may mean for the FSHD community. The primary analysis of the study was presented to the broader FSHD community at the recent International Research Congress 2026, held in Chicago, USA, on 26 June.
Roche provided a clear and accessible overview of how the study was run, and the primary results, supported with graphics, and followed by a question-and-answer session.
The study aimed to reduce myostatin (a naturally produced protein that limits muscle growth) in the body. It was hoped that emugrobart would reduce myostatin, and that the muscles of people with FSHD would increase in size and function, so people could manage daily living better. Although emugrobart appeared safe and it did reduce myostatin in the body, changes were unfortunately not robust or consistent across participants’ muscle groups.
Roche thanked the patient advisors for their support and contributions and expressed its ongoing active interest in research on neuromuscular disorders. We appreciate this transparent exchange with our community and look forward to sharing the official lay summary with our members when it becomes available.
FSHD Europe remains committed to facilitating partnerships between the patient community and all parties who are seeking solutions, including researchers, scientists, the pharmaceutical industry, and regulatory authorities. We also wish to thank all those who were participants in the study.
View the conference presentation, “MANEOUVRE: Primary Analysis of emugrobart in FSHD”