Citi analyst Yigal Nochomovitz said there is "confusion in the market" around Reata Pharmaceuticals' changing the statistical analysis plan for the primary endpoint in its ongoing Phase 3 CARDINAL trial of bardoxolone for the treatment of Alport syndrome. The "unappreciated nuance" is that under ANCOVA dropouts will not impact the power to the same degree as MMRM and Reata made this change as it recognizes that FDA scrutinizes missing data and ANCOVA best addresses this issue, according to the analyst. The "cushion on success in CARDINAL remains unusually favorable," contends Nochomovitz, who raised his price target on Reata shares to $194 from $190 and keeps a Buy rating on the stock.