In This Column Every day thousands of press releases are issued about biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms. Only a few of these press releases have any impact, whether it be positive or negative, on the firms' that are the subject of these press releases. Prohost's Impacting News column will contain only those press releases that have news with a tremendous impact on the firms' that are …

Prohost has just finished a very hard task; evaluating its best picks from the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical sectors. In this evaluation of hand-selected stocks, Prohost did not consider the negotiation between the U.S. and China a serious factor that could affect the biotech stocks’ values. We do, however, consider the US/China negotiations extremely important towards reaching a fair solution that satisfies the people in both …

Nektar Therapeutics We believe that Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) is undervalued. We base this on the firm’s technological capability. Its current pipeline is filled with promising products. Today we learned that the U.S. FDA granted Nektar’s and Bristol-Myers Squibb’s . . . This content is for paid subscribers. Please click here to subscribe or here to log in.

RegenxBio License Agreement with Pfizer RegenxBio (RGNX) announced a license agreement with Pfizer (PFE). Under the terms of the agreement RegenxBio has granted Pfizer a non-exclusive worldwide license, with rights to sublicense, to RegenxBio’s NAV AAV9 vector for the development and commercialization of gene therapies for Friedreich’s ataxia (FA). The most common hereditary ataxia (neurological lack of muscle coordination). RegenxBio will receive an upfront payment and has …

Amgen Contrary to our expectations Amgen’s (AMGN) shares declined more than 10% in 2019, instead of rallying. Part of the decline followed the threat of devastating the large drug creators and developers by lowering the high prices of drugs. Amgen’s stock loss can also be attributed to the pressure exerted by negative investors on the stock.   Today, after . . . This content is for …

Gilead Sciences Activities There is no doubt that Gilead Sciences (GILD) is doing whatever it takes to expand, improve and upgrade its pipeline products. For the last couple of months, each and every week, we heard news about collaborations with some companies and investment in others as well as licensing products from large, medium-sized and small firms. In less than ten . . . This content is for …

Halozyme and argenx Collaboration argenx (ARGX) dosed the first subject in phase 1 clinical trial for the safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of its product efgartigimod plus Halozyme’s (HALO) drug delivery technology ENHANZE®. The drug aims at treating severe autoimmune diseases including myasthenia gravis (MG), immune thrombocytopenia (ITP)and skin blistering diseases.    We find it good news that this first clinical trial has been initiated in a …

Seattle Genetics Stock Rallied Seattle Genetics (SGEN) financial results started with Clay Siegall, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of the firm stating the following: Seattle Genetics achieved record net sales in the U.S. and Canada for Adcetris, reflecting growth in frontline CD30-expressing peripheral T-cell lymphomas as well as frontline advanced Hodgkin lymphoma.   The Biologics . . . This content is for paid subscribers. Please …

CiRA, Takeda & T-CiRA Less than five years ago the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA)1 at Kyoto University and Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK)2 established a research program. Today, Takeda and CiRA announced that induced pluripotent stem cell-derived chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy (iCART . . . This content is for paid subscribers. Please click here to subscribe or here to log in.

Gilead and Galapagos Global Research Collaboration Gilead Sciences (GILD) and Galapagos NV (GLPG) entered into a 10-year global research and development collaboration. Gilead will gain access to innovative compounds, including six molecules currently in clinical trials, more than 20 preclinical programs and a proven drug discovery platform. Galapagos will receive a $3.95 billion upfront payment and a $1.1 billion equity investment from Gilead. Galapagos will use the …

Exelixis is Expanding Cohorts for COSMIC-021, the Phase 1b Trial for Cabozantinib  From Exelixis (EXEL) we learned about its decision to expand the two original cohorts, and the addition of four new cohorts, to the protocol for COSMIC-021; the phase 1b trial of cabozantinib (CABOMETYX®) in combination with atezolizumab (TECENTRIQ®) in patients with locally advanced or . . . This content is for paid subscribers. …

Illumina Stock Dropped Following Their Preliminary Revenue Announcement Illumina (ILMN) stock dropped 16% following the firm's announcement of preliminary revenue for the second quarter of the fiscal year 2019 and updated its 2019 revenue guidance. According to the firm’s press release its second quarter results were impacted by an approximately $30 million lower revenue than expected; associated with population genomics initiatives, including a sizeable sequencing . …

The EC Granted Conditional Approval for Regeneron and Sanofi Product Libtayo for CSCC The European Commission (EC) conditional approval for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ (REGN) and Sanofi’s (SNY) product Libtayo® (cemiplimab) is a historical event and a game changer in the prognosis of metastatic and locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC).   Before the approval of Libtayo patients with advanced CSCC , who are not candidates for curative surgery or curative radiation, had …

Sangamo and Pfizer Gene Therapy SB-525 Resulted in a Sustained Increase in Factor VIII Levels in Hemophilia Patients Sangamo Therapeutics (SGMO) and Pfizer (

Gilead to File NDA for Filgotinib for Rheumatoid Arthritis Meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Gilead (GILD) announced it discussed with the agency the Phase 3 FINCH studies; as well as the ongoing Phase 2 MANTA safety study assessing semen parameters with its filgotinib treatment in men with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. As a result of this discussion a path forward has …

Small Biotech Firms That Can Become Top-Tier Biotech Giants We Start With... Abeona Therapeutics Abeona Therapeutics (ABEO) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical gene and cell therapy company. In September 2016 Abeona acquired an exclusive worldwide license of a next-generation gene therapy AAV capsid portfolio from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  The AIM™ vector system . . . This content is for paid subscribers. Please click here to subscribe …

ImmunoGen’s Big Internal Changes ImmunoGen (IMGN) announced a radical impacting decision following the completion of an in-depth operational review aimed at extending the Company’s cash runway; delivering on its promises to continue developing a promising antibody drug conjugate (ADC) product and moving into the clinic what it believes will be next-generation ADCs.   Based on the outcomes of its review, ImmunoGen prioritized continuing the development of mirvetuximab and …

Atossa Genetics Promising News for Endoxifen Atossa Genetics (ATOS) has promising news from a Phase 2 trial of its topical Endoxifen for mammographic breast density (MBD) reduction.     Preliminary analysis from a recently completed Phase 2 study of Atossa’s proprietary 20mg daily topical Endoxifen has caused a significant and a rapid reduction . . . This content is for paid subscribers. Please click here to subscribe or here to …

Krystal Biotech Krystal Biotech (KRYS) is a gene therapy firm focused on developing topical intradermal therapeutics for rare dermatological diseases. It developed its a gene therapy product KB103 for the treatment of the broad Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) population, including both recessive and dominant forms of the disease. The vector that introduces the genes into dermal cells is an HSV . . . This content is for …

AMAG Pharmaceuticals’ Vyleesi™ was Approved The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved AMAG Pharmaceuticals’ (AMAG) product Vyleesi (bremelanotide injection); a melanocortin receptor agonist for premenopausal women having acquired, generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD)   To be a candidate for Vyleesi a woman’s low sexual desire must not be the outcome of a co-existing medical or psychiatric condition, problems within the relationship or the side …