CCXI Swells On Trial Data, PETM Taken Private, Genmab Gets Richer, Onus On ONTY

(RTTNews) - ChemoCentryx Inc. (CCXI) surged 89 percent on Friday, touching a new 52-week high of $8.50, after the company announced positive top-line 52-week data from its phase II clinical trial of its drug candidate CCX140 in diabetic nephropathy.

The trial achieved the primary endpoint of statistically significant reduction in urinary protein over 52 weeks with 5 mg of CCX140 given orally once daily added to a standard of care regimen in diabetic nephropathy patients.

Commenting on the study results, Thomas Schall, President and CEO of ChemoCentryx said, "Given the positive improvements in albuminuria and eGFR observed in this clinical trial, we believe we have an effective dose of CCX140 to take forward into a Phase III clinical trial in diabetic nephropathy, and that we are well positioned to advance partnering discussions as well as an end of Phase II meeting with the FDA."

CCXI, which touched a new 52-week high of $8.50 on Friday, closed the day's trading at $5.60, up 24.72%.

Genmab A/S (GEN.CO) announced Friday it has received $3 million milestone in its DuoBody technology platform collaboration with Janssen Biotech Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson (JNJ).

The DuoBody platform is an innovative platform for the discovery and development of bispecific antibodies that may improve antibody therapy of cancer, autoimmune, infectious and central nervous system disease.

The current milestone payment is for pre-clinical progress with a DuoBody product candidate targeting cancer.

Genmab is potentially entitled to milestone and license payments of up to approximately $175 million (approx. DKK 1,062 million on the date of the agreement), as well as royalties for each commercialized DuoBody product under the collaboration agreement that was signed in July 2012.

Oncothyreon Inc. (ONTY) has secured an exclusive license from Array BioPharma Inc. (ARRY) to develop, manufacture and commercialize ONT-380 (ARRY-380), an orally active, reversible and selective small molecule HER2 inhibitor.

The license agreement replaces the prior Development and Collaboration Agreement under which Oncothyreon and Array were jointly developing ONT-380.

As part of the agreement, Oncothyreon will pay Array $20 million as an upfront fee. In addition, Oncothyreon will pay Array a significant portion of any payments received from sublicensing ONT-380 rights. If Oncothyreon is acquired within three years of the effective date of the current agreement, Array will be eligible for up to $280 million in commercial milestone payments. Array is also entitled to receive up to a double-digit royalty based on net sales of ONT-380.

ONT-380 has completed a phase 1 trial in HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer patients. The phase I trial has demonstrated preliminary clinical activity and tolerability in heavily pretreated patient population.

ONTY closed Friday's trading 18.13% higher at $2.02.

PetSmart Inc. (PETM), a specialty provider of pet products and services, has agreed to be taken private by a consortium led by BC Partners Inc. for $83.00 per share in cash, which equates to a total price of roughly $8.7 billion.

The purchase price represents a premium of approximately 39% over PetSmart's unaffected closing share price on July 2, 2014. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2015.

PETM closed Friday's trading at $77.67, down 0.98%.

Puma Biotechnology Inc.'s (PBYI) ongoing phase II clinical trial of its investigational drug PB272 in combination with Pfizer Inc.'s (PFE) anti-cancer drug Temsirolimus has demonstrated efficacy in HER2+ metastatic breast cancer.

According to the interim efficacy results from the trial, 30% of patients experienced a partial response in the Maximum Tolerated Dose cohort. The median duration of response for the cohort was 3.0 months and the median progression free survival was 4.8 months.

The company expects to complete the trial and advance the combination of PB272 and Temsirolimus into phase III trials in 2015.

PBYI closed Friday's trading at $196.34, down 3.75%.

Sanofi's (SNY) influenza vaccine Fluzone Intradermal Quadrivalent for adults has been approved by FDA, thus becoming the first and only four-strain influenza vaccine option administered intradermally.

Fluzone Intradermal vaccine has been available in trivalent formulation for three years, containing two strains of influenza A and one strain of influenza B. But the Quadrivalent formulation entails the addition of a second B strain to cover both B lineages.

The Quadrivalent vaccine will be made available in the United States during the 2015-2016 influenza season.

SNY closed Friday's trading at $45.16, down 2.27%.

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. (SNTA) announced Friday that of the 6 patients enrolled in an investigator-sponsored phase I trial of its investigational drug candidate Ganetespib in HER2+ metastatic breast cancer, partial tumor response was observed in one patient who remains on study, and four patients achieved stable disease ranging in duration from 11 to 29 weeks.

The company added that Median Progression Free Survival was 19.4 weeks and the observed Clinical Benefit Rate (proportion of patients achieving objective response or stable disease greater than 24 weeks) was 60%.

The phase I trial, conducted by physicians at New York University Langone Medical Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, evaluated Ganetespib in combination with paclitaxel and trastuzumab in women with HER2+ metastatic breast cancer (MBC) refractory to other HER2 inhibitors.

The company revealed that it plans to further evaluate Ganetespib in combination with trastuzumab and pertuzumab for HER2+ MBC.

SNTA closed Friday's trading 1.24% higher at $2.86. In after hours, the stock lost 7.12% to $2.66.