Tuesday’s Biggest Gainers; Verve Therapeutics, Aerie Pharmaceuticals, and Intellia Therapeutics
Verve Therapeutics to present VERVE-201 finding at CACOX 2022
Verve Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ: VERV) jumped 12.34% after announcing preclinical findings supporting its second candidate, VERVE-201, for homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (a type of genetically high cholesterol). VERVE-201 has been designed to turn off the ANGPTL3 gene permanently. ANGPTL3 gene is instrumental in the liver for regulation of triglyceride and cholesterol metabolism with a change of the A-to-G base pair DNA.
The company is developing the product for homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) treatment. HoFH is a rare genetic atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease subtype that is characterized by high blood low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and for ASCVD patients yet to attain the LDC-C goal with oral treatment and PCSK9 inhibitor. Verve plans to highlight the clinical findings in a poster presentation at the European Society of Cardiology 2022 Congress in Barcelona on August 29, 2022. The company’s chief scientific and medical officer Andrew Bellinger said that the VERVE-201’s selection is an important step for the company, and they expect to commence studies this year to enable an investigational NDA and possible launch of the product in 2024.
Alcon to acquire Aerie Pharmaceuticals
Aerie Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: AERI) gained 35.96% after entering a definitive merger agreement with Alcon under which Alcon will purchase Aerie. This deal reaffirms Alcon’s dedication to the ocular pharmaceutical industry and is anticipated to enhance the worth of its diverse portfolio by enhancing Alcon’s current commercial competence with expanded pharmaceutical R&D competencies.
Through the acquisition, Alcon will have access to the market-ready goods Rhopressa 0.02% and Rocklatan 0.02%/0.005%, in addition to the dry eye disease treatment AR-15512, a Phase three product candidate, and other preclinical and clinical ophthalmic pharmaceuticals prospects. The deal completes Alcon’s recent entry into the ophthalmic prescription eye drops market.
Intellia Therapeutics to present interim findings of hereditary angioedema treatment
Intellia Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ: NTLA) gained 11.36% after announcing selection for the presentation of its preliminary clinical findings from the Phase 1/2 NTLA-2002 study in the treatment of Hereditary Angioedema during the 2022 Bradykinin Symposium. The company is developing an experimental in vivo CRISPR/Cas9 treatment called NTLA-2002 as a single-dose therapy treatment for the prevention of angioedema attacks in persons with hereditary angioedema. In addition, preliminary safety, kallikrein lowering, and attack rate findings from the continuing dose-escalation phase of the company’s first-in-human trial of NTLA-2002 will be presented at the symposium.
The multi-national Phase 1/2 study evaluated NTLA-2002’s tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and safety in individuals with Type I & II hereditary angioedema (HAE). In addition, it included measurement of activity and levels of plasma kallikrein protein as determined by hereditary angioedema attack rate measures. NTLA-20002 is the company’s second investigational CRISPR therapeutics product to be administered through intravenous infusion to alter disease-causing genes in the body in a single treatment.