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United Therapeutics In-Licenses Rights to IPF Candidate
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United Therapeutics Corporation (UTHR - Free Report) announced that it has entered into an exclusive license agreement with privately held drug development company, Samumed LLC, for purchasing the North American rights to the latter’s IPF drug candidate, SM04646.
Developed by Samumed, SM04646 is a Wnt pathway inhibitor, currently being evaluated in phase I study for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
Per the terms of the deal, United Therapeutics will make an up-front payment of $10 million with up to $340 million payable as developmental milestones and up to low double-digit royalties.
According to the agreement, United Therapeutics’ subsidiary Lung Biotechnology will manage and fund all further developments plus regulatory and commercial activities across the entire North America while Samumed will be responsible for development/commercialization in the ex-North America markets.
Notably, the FDA has granted an orphan drug designation to SM04646 for the treatment of IPF. In pre-clinical studies, SM04646 demonstrated anti-fibrotic properties including the one wherein aerosolized SM04646 considerably reduced fibrosis in lungs compared with the vehicle arm.
Shares of United Therapeutics inched up 1.4% following the news on Monday. However, the stock has lost 14.8% year to date against the industry’s increase of 1%.
This is the second licensing agreement for United Therapeutics this month. On Sep 5, the company announced that it has signed an exclusive licensing and collaboration contract with MannKind Corporation (MNKD - Free Report) for developing a dry powder formulation of treprostinil to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).
Treprostinil is a vasodilator approved for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). It is an active drug among all the marketed products in United Therapeutics’ portfolio, namely Remodulin, Orenitram and Tyvaso in PAH indication.
Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider
United Therapeutics currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Two better-ranked stocks in the same sector are Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (PCRX - Free Report) and BioSpecifics Technologies Corp. , both sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Pacira’s earnings estimates have moved 96% north for 2018 and 10.3% for 2019 over the past 60 days. The stock has inched up 1.3% year to date.
BioSpecifics’ earnings estimates have been revised 9.1% upward for 2018 and 11.7% for 2019 over the past 60 days. The stock has surged 35.9% so far this year.
5 Companies Verge on Apple-Like Run
Did you miss Apple's 9X stock explosion after they launched their iPhone in 2007? Now 2018 looks to be a pivotal year to get in on another emerging technology expected to rock the market. Demand could soar from almost nothing to $42 billion by 2025. Reports suggest it could save 10 million lives per decade which could in turn save $200 billion in U.S. healthcare costs. A bonus Zacks Special Report names this breakthrough and the 5 best stocks to exploit it. Like Apple in 2007, these companies are already strong and coiling for potential mega-gains.
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United Therapeutics In-Licenses Rights to IPF Candidate
United Therapeutics Corporation (UTHR - Free Report) announced that it has entered into an exclusive license agreement with privately held drug development company, Samumed LLC, for purchasing the North American rights to the latter’s IPF drug candidate, SM04646.
Developed by Samumed, SM04646 is a Wnt pathway inhibitor, currently being evaluated in phase I study for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
Per the terms of the deal, United Therapeutics will make an up-front payment of $10 million with up to $340 million payable as developmental milestones and up to low double-digit royalties.
According to the agreement, United Therapeutics’ subsidiary Lung Biotechnology will manage and fund all further developments plus regulatory and commercial activities across the entire North America while Samumed will be responsible for development/commercialization in the ex-North America markets.
Notably, the FDA has granted an orphan drug designation to SM04646 for the treatment of IPF. In pre-clinical studies, SM04646 demonstrated anti-fibrotic properties including the one wherein aerosolized SM04646 considerably reduced fibrosis in lungs compared with the vehicle arm.
Shares of United Therapeutics inched up 1.4% following the news on Monday. However, the stock has lost 14.8% year to date against the industry’s increase of 1%.
This is the second licensing agreement for United Therapeutics this month. On Sep 5, the company announced that it has signed an exclusive licensing and collaboration contract with MannKind Corporation (MNKD - Free Report) for developing a dry powder formulation of treprostinil to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).
Treprostinil is a vasodilator approved for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). It is an active drug among all the marketed products in United Therapeutics’ portfolio, namely Remodulin, Orenitram and Tyvaso in PAH indication.
Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider
United Therapeutics currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Two better-ranked stocks in the same sector are Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (PCRX - Free Report) and BioSpecifics Technologies Corp. , both sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Pacira’s earnings estimates have moved 96% north for 2018 and 10.3% for 2019 over the past 60 days. The stock has inched up 1.3% year to date.
BioSpecifics’ earnings estimates have been revised 9.1% upward for 2018 and 11.7% for 2019 over the past 60 days. The stock has surged 35.9% so far this year.
5 Companies Verge on Apple-Like Run
Did you miss Apple's 9X stock explosion after they launched their iPhone in 2007? Now 2018 looks to be a pivotal year to get in on another emerging technology expected to rock the market. Demand could soar from almost nothing to $42 billion by 2025. Reports suggest it could save 10 million lives per decade which could in turn save $200 billion in U.S. healthcare costs. A bonus Zacks Special Report names this breakthrough and the 5 best stocks to exploit it. Like Apple in 2007, these companies are already strong and coiling for potential mega-gains.
Click to see them right now >>