Ionis rises after neurological disorder drug shows promise in study

** Shares of drugmaker Ionis Pharmaceuticals IONS.O rise 1.4% to $61.86

** IONS says its drug, zilganersen, improved walking ability in patients with a rare progressive and often fatal neurological condition, meeting the main goal in a early-to-late-stage study

** In 54-patient study, those who received 50 mg dose of zilganersen showed statistically significant improvement in gait speed as assessed by 10-meter walk test at 61 weeks

** The drug is being developed to treat Alexander disease, a disorder that damages brain cells and causes problems with movement, speech and swallowing

** Including session's move, IONS stock was up 78.3% YTD