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Friday, September 6, 2019

Key events next week – healthcare

Noteworthy events during the week of September 8 – 14 for healthcare investors.
SUNDAY (9/8): International Congress on Porphyrins and Porphyria, Milan (4 days). Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ALNY): Data on givosiran from Phase 3 ENVISION study and Phase 1/2 extension studies in AHP.
MONDAY (9/9): Morgan Stanley Global Healthcare Conference, NYC (3 days).
Janney Montgomery Scott Healthcare Conference, NYC (2 days).
H.C. Wainwright Healthcare Conference, NYC (2 days).
TUESDAY (9/10): ECTRIMS, Stockholm (5 days). Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ): Data from Phase 3 OPTIMUM study of ponesimod in relapsing MS. Merck KGaA (OTCPK:MKGAY) unit EMD Serono: 39 abstracts. Alexion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ALXN): Phase 3 data on Soliris in NMOSD. Roche (OTCQX:RHHBY): Satralizumab in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, six-year Ocrevus data in MS.
CAR-TCR Summit, Boston (4 days).
FDA action date for Xeris Pharmaceuticals‘ (NASDAQ:XERS) glucagon rescue pen.
DaVita (NYSE:DVA): Capital Markets Day, NYC.
International Cannabinoid-Derived Pharmaceuticals Summit, Boston (3 days). InMed Pharmaceuticals (OTCQX:IMLFF): Participation in two panels.
WEDNESDAY (9/11): Society of Hematologic Oncology Annual Meeting, Houston, TX (4 days). Verastem (NASDAQ:VSTM): Copiktra data.
THURSDAY (9/12): Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA): R&D Day, NYC.
FDA action date for Ardelyx‘s (NASDAQ:ARDX) tenapanor for IBS-C.
International Myeloma Workshop, Boston (4 days). Cellectar Biosciences (NASDAQ:CLRB): Phase 1 data on CLR 131 in MM.
FRIDAY (9/13): FDA advisory committee meeting on Aimmune Therapeutics’ (NASDAQ:AIMT) AR101 for peanut allergy.
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Novo Nordisk to cut insulin prices for some U.S. diabetics

Novo Nordisk said on Friday it would offer cheaper insulin to some U.S. diabetics in response to intense criticism over the high price of the medication and following similar moves by rivals Sanofi and Eli Lilly.
The new offerings include a new generic version of the Danish drugmaker’s most prescribed insulin drug Novolog, which will be priced at a 50% discount compared to the current list price, the company said in a statement.
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Hearing aids can cut older people’s risk of dementia, depression and falls

One small device can make a big difference in the lives of older people, but few of them get the helpful gadget, a new study suggests.
People age 66 and older who got a hearing aid shortly after being diagnosed with hearing loss were less likely to receive a first-time diagnosis of dementia or depression, or be injured by a fall, in the following three years, a study published Thursday by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found.
Researchers from the University of Michigan examined insurance data from nearly 115,000 Michigan residents whose insurance covered part of the cost of hearing aids. People who got hearing aids had an 18% lower risk of being diagnosed with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, within three years of their hearing loss diagnosis, the study found. The risk of a depression diagnosis was 11% lower and the risk of being injured in a fall was 13% lower.

“Though hearing aids can’t be said to prevent these conditions, a delay in the onset of dementia, depression and anxiety, and the risk of serious falls, could be significant both for the patient and for the costs to the Medicare system,” said Elham Mahmoudi, a University of Michigan health economist who led the study.
People with hearing loss may have higher rates of dementia, depression and fall injuries for a variety of reasons, the researchers said, including diminished social interaction, loss of balance and less brain stimulation.
Though their insurance covered part of the cost, only 12% of the people in the Michigan study got hearing aids after they were diagnosed with hearing loss. People wait an average of 10 years to address their hearing loss, sometimes because they don’t like the way hearing aids look or don’t want to feel “old,” according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Cost is another barrier, but could become less of an obstacle next year when over-the-counter hearing aids will become available under a law passed in 2017. The OTC hearing aids are expected to be cheaper, but they’re only designed to help mild or moderate hearing loss, according to the AARP.
Medicare, the government insurance program for people 65 and older, doesn’t pay for hearing aids, which run between $1,000 and $4,000 for one, according to the Hearing Industry Association, the trade group for hearing aid manufacturers.

The Michigan study found disparities in who was more likely to get a hearing aid: 13.3% of men with hearing loss received them, compared to 11.3% of women. Only 6.5% of people of Latino heritage got a hearing aid, versus 9.8% of African-Americans and 13.6% of whites.
The study builds on previous research that has identified a link, though not necessarily a causal one, between hearing loss and dementia.
Hearing loss affects people’s relationships, their overall physical health, and even their earning power: People with “unaided” hearing loss earned on average $20,000 less annually than those who used hearing aids or cochlear implants, according to the Hearing Loss Association of America.
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Alnylam readies webcast series on pipeline programs

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ALNY) will host its 6th annual series of “RNAi Roundtable” webcasts in the next few weeks. Company scientists, program leaders and clinical collaborators will present recent developments in certain of their late-stage pipeline programs.
September 16 at 1:00 pm ET: Patisiran & Vutrisiran in Transthyretin-Mediated Amyloidosis.
October 7 at 9:30 am ET: Givosiran in Acute Hepatic Porphyria.
October 10 at 11:30 am ET: Lumasiran in Primary Hyperoxaluria Type 1.
Interested persons can visit the Capella section of the company’s website for the latest info.
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Premarket analyst action, Sept. 6

Durect (NASDAQ:DRRX) initiated with Overweight rating and $5 (201% upside) price target at Cantor Fitzgerald.
Ekso Bionics Holdings (NASDAQ:EKSO) initiated with Overweight rating and $1 (79% upside) price target at Cantor. Shares up 6% premarket.
Kadmon Holdings (NYSE:KDMN) initiated with Overweight rating and $8 (223% upside) price target at Cantor.
Regulus Therapeutics (NASDAQ:RGLS) initiated with Buy rating and $2 (233% upside) price target at H.C. Wainwright.
Corcept Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CORT) initiated with Buy rating and $18 (43% upside) price target at H.C. Wainwright.
Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) upgraded to Buy with a $73 (20% upside) price target at BofA Merrill Lynch.
Aclaris Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ACRS) downgraded to Market Perform at JMP Securities.
MEDNAX (NYSE:MD) downgraded to Underperform with a $9 (59% downside risk) price target at BofA Merrill Lynch.
Zafgen (NASDAQ:ZFGN) downgraded to Neutral with a $0.78 (11% upside) price target at Wedbush.
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Opthea’s OPT-302 shows positive effect in mid-stage wet AMD study

Opthea Limited (OTCPK:CKDXY) announces additional data from a Phase 2b clinical trial evaluating the combination of OPT-302 and Roche’s (OTCQX:RHHBY) Lucentis (ranibizumab) compared to Lucentis alone in wet AMD patients. The results were presented at the European Society of Retina Specialists Congress in Paris.
Patients receiving the combination experienced superior vision gains versus sham + ranibizumab in addition to improved anatomical changes of retinal lesions and reduced subretinal fluid and intraretinal cysts.
OPT-302 is a soluble form of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3. It is a “Trap” molecule that blocks the activity of two proteins (VEGF-C and VEGF-D) that cause blood vessels to grow and leak.
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Mednax cut to Underperform from Neutral by B of A

https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MD/ratings
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