INFI Makes A Mark, IRWD For The Long Haul, MOVENTIG Approved In EU

(RTTNews) - Calithera Biosciences Inc. (CALA) has gained exclusive, worldwide license to Mars Symbioscience's arginase inhibitors for drug research, development and commercialization.

Mars Symbioscience, a division of Mars Inc., will receive an upfront payment and will be eligible to receive future development and commercialization milestones as well as royalties on sales of approved products.

Calithera went public as recently as October 2, 2014, priced at $10 per share.

CALA closed Tuesday's trading at $13.22, up 2.08%. In after-hours, the stock gained 4.39% to $13.80.

Infinity Pharmaceuticals Inc. (INFI) touched a new high of $17.30 on Tuesday, following encouraging results from phase I studies of its investigational drug Duvelisib in patients with relapsed/refractory indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Relapsed/Refractory T-cell lymphoma.

According to the study results, Duvelisib demonstrated an overall response rate of 72 percent, including a 33 percent complete response rate, among 18 patients with indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma who received the dose administered in ongoing registration-focused studies.

In another phase I study, treatment with Duvelisib in heavily pre-treated patients with relapsed/refractory T-cell lymphoma led to an overall response rate of 42 percent, including 2 complete responses and 12 partial responses.

INFI closed Tuesday's trading at $17.21, up 4.62%.

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals Inc. (IRWD) has initiated a phase IIa clinical study of its drug candidate IW-9179 in patients with diabetic gastroparesis. The study is designed to enroll approximately 80 adult patients who will be randomized to receive IW-9179 or placebo orally once or twice daily for four weeks.

Data from the study are expected in the first half of 2016.

IRWD closed Tuesday's trading at $14.88, up 3.98%.

Mast Therapeutics Inc. (MSTX) is all set to begin recruiting patients in a phase II study of Vepoloxamer (MST-188), its lead product candidate, in heart failure, in the first half of 2015.

Data from the first patient cohort are expected in the second-half of 2015, according to the company.

MSTX closed Tuesday's trading 1.01% higher at $0.47.

Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) and AstraZeneca PLC's (AZN) naloxegol, a peripheral opioid receptor antagonist, has been approved in the European Union, under the brand name MOVENTIG, for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation in adult patients who have had an inadequate response to laxative(s).

MOVENTIG is the first once-daily oral peripherally-acting mu-opioid receptor antagonist to be approved in the European Union.

Naloxegol, under the brand name MOVANTIK, was approved by the FDA on September 16, 2014 for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation in adult patients with chronic non-cancer pain.

NKTR closed Tuesday's trading 2.48% higher at $16.31.

TG Therapeutics Inc.'s (TGTX) ongoing phase 1/2 clinical study of TG-1101 in combination with TGR-1202 in heavily pre-treated relapsed/refractory B-Cell malignancies has demonstrated encouraging clinical activity and safety.

The company noted that it looks forward to further dose escalations in the study while at the same time evaluating designs for its first registration trial for the proprietary combination of TG-1101 and TGR-1202, ideally to be announced in the first half of 2015.

TGTX closed Tuesday's trading at $13.99, up 1.67%.