CVS Health debuts $0 patient cost option for diabetics

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) announces that CVS Caremark, its pharmacy benefit manager, is now offering diabetic members a new solution, RxZERO, that enables employers and health plan sponsors to leverage formulary and plan design approaches to offer all categories of diabetes medications, including meds for type 2 diabetes, with no co-pays for their members without raising costs for the plan sponsor or increasing premiums or deductibles for all plan members.

CVS Caremark says the average out-of-pocket cost per year for diabetes drugs for members is $467.24.

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3535718-cvs-health-debuts-0-patient-cost-option-for-diabetics

Satsuma Pharma rallies on encouraging data on lead candidate

Thinly traded micro cap Satsuma Pharmaceuticals (STSA +10.7%) is up on below-average volume, a modest 64K shares, adding to yesterday’s 30% pop, also on light volume.

After Tuesday’s close, it announced the publication of Phase 1 data on lead candidate STS101 (dihydroergotamine or DHE) nasal powder for the acute treatment of migraine in Headache, The Journal of Head and Face Pain. 

The early-stage, open-label, crossover study assessed the safety and pharmacokinetics of STS101, Bausch Health Companies’ (BHC +0.3%) Migranal (dihydroergotamine mesylate) nasal spray and DHE administered via intramuscular (IM) injection in healthy volunteers.

The authors concluded that STS101 showed a favorable tolerability profile and delivered greater DHE plasma concentrations than both Migranal and IM DHE.

A Phase 3 clinical trial, EMERGE, is in process with topline data expected in H2. The primary endpoints are pain freedom and freedom from the most bothersome symptom at hour 2 post dose.

Selected migraine-related tickers: Amgen (AMGN +1.1%), Eli Lilly (LLY +1.1%), Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (TEVA +1.2%), Allergan (AGN +0.1%), Axsome Therapeutics (AXSM +0.5%), Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding (BHVN -8.5%)

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3535842-satsuma-pharma-rallies-on-encouraging-data-on-lead-candidate-up-11

Allergy Therapeutics’ peanut allergy vax encouraging action in animal model

UK-based Allergy Therapeutics (OTCPK:AGYTF) announces the publication of positive data on its peanut allergy vaccine candidate in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Results from a peanut allergy mouse model showed that the novel virus-like particle platform used in the vaccine candidate could treat the allergies and prevent anaphylaxis based on a single injection.

Peanut allergy-related tickers: Aimmune Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AIMT), DBV Technologies (NASDAQ:DBVT)

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3535635-allergy-therapeutics-peanut-allergy-vaccine-shows-encouraging-action-in-animal-model

Sorrento up 8% premarket on pact to develop coronavirus treatment

Sorrento Therapeutics (NASDAQ:SRNE) will collaborate with long-time partner Celularity to expand the therapeutic use of the latter’s allogeneic, off-the-shelf, placental-derived natural killer (NK) cell therapy, CYNK-001, to the prevention and treatment of coronavirus infection, focusing on the virus responsible for the current outbreak, 2019-nCoV.

The company says it is in contact with leading scientists and local Chinese experts to discuss the clinical validation and logistics required to fast track the candidate.

Sorrento owns 25% of Celularity.

Shares up 8% premarket on modestly higher volume.

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3535655-sorrento-up-8-premarket-on-pact-to-develop-coronavirus-treatment

Cytosorbents up 23% premarket on expanded use of CytoSorb in Europe

Thinly traded micro cap Cytosorbents (NASDAQ:CTSO) is up 23% premarket on modestly higher volume in reaction to its announcement that its blood purification device CytoSorb is now approved in the EU for the removal of anti-platelet agent ticagrelor (AstraZeneca’s Brilinta, Brilique) during surgery requiring cardiopulmonary bypass.

CytoSorb accounts for virtually all of the company’s revenues (~$5.6M in Q3 2019).

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3535664-cytosorbents-up-23-premarket-on-expanded-use-of-cytosorb-in-europe

Chimerix up 10% premarket on potential of brincidofovir in smallpox

Chimerix (NASDAQ:CMRX) is up 10% premarket on light volume in reaction to preclinical data that, it says, support the rationale of using brincidofovir to treat smallpox (and stockpiling as a countermeasure in the event of an outbreak). The results were presented at the ASM Biothreats Conference in Arlington, VA.

In two lethal animal models of smallpox, treatment with brincidofovir resulted in a statistically significant survival advantage compared to placebo.

The company plans to file a U.S. marketing application mid-year.

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3535683-chimerix-up-10-premarket-on-potential-of-brincidofovir-in-smallpox

DelMar Pharma up 16% premarket on positive VAL-083 data

Nano cap DelMar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:DMPI) is up 16% premarket on modest volume on the heels of the publication of previously announced preliminary data from a single-arm, open-label Phase 2 study evaluating VAL-083, combined with radiotherapy, for the first-line treatment of newly-diagnosed patients with MGMT-unmethylated glioblastoma multiforme. The results are in the February issue of Glioma.

In 22 patients who completed at least one cycle of treatment, median progression-free survival (PFS) was 9.9 months (confidence interval: 7.3 - 12.0 months).

Median PFS was 10.4 months (CI: 6.0 - 12.0 months) in 18 patients who initially received the intended treatment dose.

An expansion phase will enroll up to 20 additional participants.

Orphan Drug-tagged VAL-083 (dianhydrogalactitol) is a small molecule chemotherapeutic, specifically, a bifunctional alkylating agent that kills cancer cells by breaking up DNA.

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3535708-delmar-pharma-up-16-premarket-on-positive-valminus-083-data