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Fly News Breaks for June 13, 2018
RHHBY, BMY, JNJ, AZN, NVS, LLY, MRK, GSK, PFE, SNY
Jun 13, 2018 | 08:06 EDT
After HHS Secretary Alex Azar spoke at a two-hour Senate hearing, Morgan Stanley analyst David Risinger noted that Azar suggested that U.S. drug pricing needs to move to a system without rebates and said payments from drugmakers to PBMs should be eliminated. In listing four HHS actions that could hurt manufacturers, Risinger pointed out that Azar said he is interested in removing 100% cap on Medicaid rebates; he would like to adjust the Part D protected drug classes so that plans can extract rebates from manufacturers; HHS wants to require manufacturers to disclose drug list prices in TV ads; and HHS is focused on transitioning Part B to lower-priced private sector management. In summary, the analyst said that for drugmakers there was "no fire, but smoke signals worth noting." Publicly traded large-cap drugmakers include AstraZeneca (AZN), Bristol-Myers (BMY), Eli Lilly (LLY), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Merck (MRK), Novartis (NVS), Pfizer (PFE), Roche (RHHBY) and Sanofi (SNY).
News For SNY;PFE;GSK;MRK;LLY;NVS;AZN;JNJ;BMY;RHHBY From the Last 2 Days
MRK
Mar 27, 2024 | 12:00 EDT
Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists.  1... To see the rest of the story go to thefly.com. See Story Here
MRK
Mar 27, 2024 | 08:55 EDT
Check out this morning's top movers from around Wall Street, compiled by The Fly.  HIGHER - Robinhood (HOOD)... To see the rest of the story go to thefly.com. See Story Here
PFE
Mar 27, 2024 | 08:27 EDT
Pieris Pharmaceuticals (PIRS) provided a corporate update announcing a strategy to maximize its ability to capture the potential milestones from its 4-1BB bispecific Mabcalin protein immuno-oncology assets partnered with Pfizer (PFE), Boston Pharmaceuticals, and Servier. After considering an extensive range of options, the Company's Board of Directors decided to implement this new strategy along with relevant cost-saving measures that are expected to extend the Company's cash runway into 2027. The Company's strategic review process has focused on maximizing stockholder value, which includes the preservation of potential milestone and royalty payments the Company is eligible to receive. Management and the Board of Directors evaluated a broad spectrum of potential options, including asset in-licensing, out-licensing, royalty monetization, strategic transactions, and liquidation. With the assistance of the Company's retained strategic advisor, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, more than 500 companies were contacted regarding a strategic transaction, and the Company underwent a robust process to identify and negotiate with a select number of final candidates. The Company entered into extended exclusivity with one party contemplating a strategic merger, which centered on that party's interest in developing the Company's clinical-stage asset cinrebafusp alfa, but after extensive diligence and negotiations, that counterparty was unable to secure adequate capitalization and offer acceptable terms. The Company ultimately determined that the Company's planned repositioning offers the best opportunity to maximize stockholder value. In support of optimizing potential milestones and royalties, the Company's strategic repositioning includes: A plan to maintain strategic capability by maintaining a lean and experienced Board and management profile to actively pursue the Company's strategy and consider strategic options; The discontinuation of all the Company's research and development efforts, which is expected to be completed by the middle of 2024; A workforce reduction that affects additional employees and the executive leadership team, expected to be implemented in the second quarter; A plan to reduce the size of the Company's Board of Directors, to be better aligned with the nature of the Company's continuing operations, also expected to be implemented in the second quarter. Since initiating the strategic review in July 2023, the Company implemented several steps, including scaling back operational costs, inclusive of associated headcount reductions, ceasing development of PRS-220 and PRS-400 within its respiratory franchise, and suspending investments associated with co-development of partnered assets. The Company has also eliminated its material long-term obligations through the previously disclosed termination of its lease obligation in Germany, while simultaneously continuing to improve its cash position through the sale of its laboratory and office equipment.
MRK
Mar 27, 2024 | 07:19 EDT
BofA notes that Merck shares have been volatile as investors have contemplated various scenarios regarding the approval of sotatercept and its language, including "a lot of investor angst" given the risk for the FDA to issue either black box warnings, REMS, and/or monitoring requirement. However, sotatercept's approval in PAH with the brand name Winrevair "comes with a squeaky-clean label," without WHO functional class restriction or a need to be on background therapy, no black box and no REMS, which represents "the most bullish scenario," the analyst tells investors. The firm, which anticipates Merck shares to react favorably, maintains a Buy rating and $135 price target and sees upside to sotatercept's commercial outlook.
SNY
Mar 27, 2024 | 06:16 EDT
Wells Fargo analyst Derek Archila raised the firm's price target on Annexon (ANNX) to $12 from $11 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares. The firm believes the risk/reward remains favorable ahead of ANX005's Phase 3 data in GBS. Additionally, updates for ANX007 at ARVO, Phase 3 GBS data at PNS and read through from Sanofi's (SNY's) riliprubart in CIDP at AAN, all could offer upside for shares, Wells adds.
MRK
Mar 27, 2024 | 06:12 EDT
Wells Fargo raised the firm's price target on Merck to $135 from $130 and keeps an Equal Weight rating on the shares. The firm notes WINREVAIR, or sotatercept, was approved with simple monitoring on the label, removing an overhang on the stock. $242k annual pricing is competitive and could enable the drug to move into earlier lines, and Wells now models $7B peak sales opportunity.
MRK
Mar 26, 2024 | 18:23 EDT
Merck announced that the U.S. FDA has approved sotatercept-csrk for the treatment of adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension to increase exercise capacity, improve WHO functional class, and reduce the risk of clinical worsening events. WINREVAIR was previously granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the FDA. WINREVAIR is the first FDA-approved activin signaling inhibitor therapy for PAH, representing a new class of therapy that works by improving the balance between pro- and anti-proliferative signaling to regulate vascular cell proliferation underlying PAH.
JNJ
Mar 26, 2024 | 16:25 EDT
Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists. 1... To see the rest of the story go to thefly.com. See Story Here
LLY
Mar 26, 2024 | 07:08 EDT
JPMorgan estimates Amgen (AMGN) without its obesity pipeline is worth $240-$250 per share and that the market is assigning $30-$40 per share of value to Maritide. While the competitive bar for Maritide is high and moving higher based on Novo Nordisk's (NVO) recent pipeline updates, the obesity market is also "unprecedented in terms of size," the analyst tells investors in a research note. The firm estimates peak sales for Maritide of $6B, equating to mid-single-digit share within the incretin space. JPMorgan believes this supports a value roughly in-line with what is reflected in Amgen's current share price. It sees a positive risk/reward scenario given the recent pullback but maintains a Neutral rating on the name with a $290 price target. The firm says Amgen is viewed as the best positioned name beyond Eli Lilly (LLY) and Novo to have a role in the obesity space.