Deutsche Bank analyst Alethia Young raised her price target for shares of PTC Therapeutics (PTCT) to $115 from $75 saying the company's earnings power is similar to Vertex (VRTX). Young's checks with doctors suggested PTC's market opportunities in Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Cystic Fibrosis nonsense mutations could be larger than previously thought. After Reuters reported on February 23 the company may be soliciting a sale, Young believes a 25% takeout premium has been baked into the stock. Her M&A valuations range from $130 to $172 per share. She keeps a Buy rating on PTC Therapeutics.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals and TreeFrog Therapeutics announced that Vertex has obtained an exclusive license to TreeFrog's proprietary cell manufacturing technology, C-Stem, to optimize production of Vertex's cell therapies for type 1 diabetes, or T1D. TreeFrog and Vertex will collaborate to scale-up TreeFrog's process to produce and amplify cells for Vertex's T1D therapies. TreeFrog's proprietary technology platform, C-Stem, is designed to mimic the natural microenvironment, allowing cells to grow exponentially in 3D. The technology will enhance Vertex's ability to generate large amounts of fully differentiated cells for its portfolio of T1D cell therapies.