Passage Bio rises as early‑stage data for rare dementia gene therapy shows promise

Passage Bio

20/04/2026 12:08

** Shares of biotech firm Passage Bio PASG.O rise 8.6% to $12.67 premarket

** Co says its experimental gene therapy PBFT02 showed signs of slowing progression in patients with a rare, inherited form of dementia

** The disease, frontotemporal dementia, is linked to granulin gene mutation and affects behavior and language and leads to brain shrinkage over time

** Co says treated patients showed less brain shrinkage and stable levels of a key protein marker versus untreated patients in a small early-stage study

** FDA told co that a larger controlled trial would be needed for approval, which could be difficult due to the disease's rarity and ethical concerns

** Co says it has begun reviewing strategic options, including a possible sale, merger or partnership, and has hired Wedbush PacGrow as adviser

** As of last close, stock down ~1% YTD

 (Reporting by Sahil Pandey in Bengaluru)

 ((Sahil.Pandey@thomsonreuters.com))