Health Care

Pfizer Says Phase 3 Trial of Abrysvo for Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease Meets Primary Endpoints

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Pfizer (PFE) said Tuesday that its current pivotal phase 3 trial of Abrysvo against placebo in participants aged 18 to 59 years met primary endpoints. The patients were at an increased risk of developing respiratory syncytial virus-associated lower respiratory tract disease, the company said. In the trial, patients attained at least a four-fold increase in serum neutralizing titers for respiratory syncytial virus-A and respiratory syncytial virus-B after one month of Abrysvo as compared with pre-vaccination, according to the company. Pfizer also said Abrysvo was “well-tolerated” during the trial, while safety results were also “consistent” from prior Abrysvo studies. The company plans to share data with regulatory authorities for approval of Abrysvo in adults 18 to 59 years of age.

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Amedisys Acquisition by UnitedHealth Unit Seen to Close Despite Potential DOJ Probe, RBC Says

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Amedisys’ (AMED) acquisition by UnitedHealth Group’s (UNH) Optum unit is expected to be completed despite unconfirmed reports of a possible antitrust investigation by the US Department of Justice, RBC Capital Markets said in a note Monday. The brokerage said it expects the combination of Amedisys and Optum health services to create the largest home health platform in the US with about 10% market share. “We continue to believe that the Optum/AMED deal will close given strong precedent for carriers operating home health assets and the high fragmentation across the home care sector, even pro forma for the combination,” RBC said. RBC raised its price target for Amedisys to $100 from $97, factoring in the upside potential from a deal, and maintained its outperform rating on the stock. However, it also provided a downside valuation of $74 in a potential deal-break scenario, reflecting “a discount to peers and a slight discount

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Pfizer to Cut Stake in Haleon

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By Elena Vardon Pfizer plans to sell a stake in Haleon currently valued at around 2 billion pounds ($2.55 billion), trimming its ownership in the consumer-healthcare business for the first time since its listing. The pharmaceutical giant intends to reduce its stake in Haleon to 24% from 32% currently, Haleon said Monday. With the move, Pfizer follows U.K. drugmaker GSK, which has been offloading its initial 12.9% shareholding in the company in recent months and now owns a 4.2% stake. This comes at a time of intense merger-and-acquisition activity in the pharmaceutical industry, which has seen big companies snapping up smaller biotechnology businesses. Haleon–which houses Sensodyne toothpaste and Aquafresh mouthwash as well as over-the-counter medicines Panadol and Advil–also agreed to buy back shares valued at GBP315 million from Pfizer at the same price as the public offer’s. The offer price will be determined via an accelerated bookbuild offering process which

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Eli Lilly’s Phase 3 Trial of Tirzepatide in Sleep Apnea Likely to Miss Expectations, UBS Says

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Eli Lilly and Company’s (LLY) phase 3 clinical trial of tirzepatide in obstructive sleep apnea is likely to miss consensus expectations given the gender imbalance in the study, but could still meet study endpoints, UBS said in a note Thursday. The investment bank said it expects a 12% to 14% weight loss and a 30% to 37% reduction in the apnea-hypopnea index, or AHI, compared with the Street consensus for 20% weight loss and over 50% AHI reduction from baseline. “We think gender imbalances are the main culprit as it’s well-documented females disproportionately lose more weight than males,” UBS said in the note. Males make up 70% of the trial participants, while females account for the remaining 30%, according to the note. The firm maintained its buy rating on the company’s stock with a 12-month price target of $910.

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Intuitive Da Vinci 5 Robotic Systems Receives FDA Clearance — Shares Rising After Hours

/ / Health Care /

Intuitive (ISRG) late Thursday said its next-generation robotic surgical system given 510(k) clearance by the US Food and Drug Administration for its da Vinci 5 multiport robotic system. The new da Vinci 5 systems includes more than 150 enhancements from its predecessor devices, including improved accuracy and precision, 3D display and image processing and first-of-its-kind “force-sensing” tools. Intuitive is expecting da Vinci 5 will be first available for a handful of US customers who collaborated with the company during its development, providing additional data about the new device ahead of a wider release. Intuitive shares were 3% higher in after-hours activity.

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CFRA Adds Eli Lilly To The High-quality Capital Appreciation Portfolio

/ / Health Care /

CFRA, an independent research provider, has provided MT Newswires with the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows: We add Eli Lily and Company (LLY) to CFRA’s High-Quality Capital Appreciation Portfolio. LLY is one of the largest U.S. drug makers in terms of revenue and is a leading developer of drugs in a wide range of therapeutic areas such as endocrinology, which includes a diabetes drug portfolio that generates more than half of its total revenue. We are increasingly optimistic on LLY’s many ongoing efforts, including late-stage therapies such as donanemab (for Alzheimer’s disease), pirtobrutinib (for certain forms of leukemia and lymphoma), and tirzepatide (for sleep apnea and cardiology). Such innovation could complement LLY’s 10 key current drugs, which represent the majority of LLY’s total sales. LLY replaces CVS Health Corporation, which was downgraded to a Hold recommendation.

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