Boston Scientific Sees Full-Year Revenue Growth

 Boston Scientific Corp. Wednesday said it expects single-digit revenue growth in the first quarter, but stronger momentum over the course of the full year.

The company forecast revenue in the first quarter from flat to 6% growth. On an organic basis, revenue will be between a 3% decline and a 3% gain compared with the year-ago quarter, the company forecast.

Boston Scientific guided for a profit in the first quarter of 5 cents a share to 11 cents a share, or 28 cents a share to 34 cents a share on an adjusted basis.

For the full year, the company said it expects revenue growth of 13% to 19% compared with 2020, or 12% to 18% on an organic basis. Its full year profit is expected to be 72 cents a share to 82 cents a share, or $1.50 a share to $1.60 a share on an adjusted basis, the company said.

The full-year guidance excludes the impact of Boston Scientific's acquisition of Preventice Solutions Inc.

https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/BOSTON-SCIENTIFIC-CORPORA-11935/news/Boston-Scientific-Sees-Full-Year-Revenue-Growth-32345696/

Biogen: 4Q Profit Falls on Lower Revenue, Higher R&D Costs

 Biogen Inc. said its profit fell for the latest quarter as revenue declined and the company spent more on research and development.

The Cambridge, Mass.-based pharmaceutical company on Wednesday posted a profit of $357.9 million for the fourth quarter, compared with $1.44 billion in the prior year. Earnings were $2.32 a share, compared with $8.08 a share a year earlier.

Adjusted earnings were $4.58 a share in the quarter that ended Dec. 31. Analysts polled by FactSet were expecting an adjusted profit of $4.79 a share.

Revenue fell 22.3% to $2.85 billion. Analysts were targeting $2.79 billion in revenue.

Research and development costs rose to $1.73 billion from $691.7 million.

Biogen and its partner Eisai Co. Ltd. last week said their Alzheimer's drug candidate will undergo an additional three months of review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration after a panel of experts in November voted the agency shouldn't approve the drug. With the extension, the FDA is slated to make a decision on the potential blockbuster drug, aducanumab, on June 7.

https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/BIOGEN-INC-4853/news/Biogen-4Q-Profit-Falls-on-Lower-Revenue-Higher-R-D-Costs-32345962/

Diabetes drugmaker Novo Nordisk upbeat on 2021, sees Biden boost

 

Diabetes drugmaker Novo Nordisk forecast a rise in underlying sales and profit for 2021 on Wednesday and said it expected more Americans to get access to its drugs under the new Biden administration.

Novo Nordisk, the world's biggest manufacturer of diabetes drugs, posted fourth-quarter results in line with expectations, as more patients began treatment with its drugs even as some existing ones used stocks built up at the start of the pandemic.

Rival Eli Lilly said last week it had seen strong demand for diabetes drugs in the fourth quarter.

However, Novo said higher U.S. unemployment had hit sales as some patients were pushed out of corporate insurance plans, leaving them to rely on other insurance coverage such as the government-run Medicaid or pay for diabetes drugs themselves.

"It's clear that under the new Biden administration, healthcare is high on the agenda," Chief Executive Lars Fruergaard said at a conference call.

"What we saw with Obamacare was that it led to bigger volumes, but also a higher cost to the industry to fund those volumes," Fruergaard said, referring to the health insurance programme introduced by former U.S. president Barack Obama.

Novo said it expected 2021 sales in local currencies to rise by 5%-9% and operating profit by 4%-8%. But currency headwinds are expected to reduce sales growth by 4 percentage points when reported in Danish crowns, while operating profit growth will be 6 percentage points lower, the company forecast.

Operating profit for October-December fell 6% from a year earlier to 11.2 billion Danish crowns ($1.81 billion), in line with analysts' forecast.

Novo's sales stood at 32.1 billion crowns in the quarter, compared with analysts' average estimate of 31.8 billion.

https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/NOVO-NORDISK-A-S-1412980/news/Novo-Nordisk-A-S-Diabetes-drugmaker-Novo-Nordisk-upbeat-on-2021-sees-Biden-boost-32344136/

GLAXOSMITHKLINE: Jefferies gives a Buy rating

 Jefferies is positive on the stock with a Buy rating. The target price remains set at GBX 1950.

https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/GLAXOSMITHKLINE-PLC-9590199/news/GLAXOSMITHKLINE-Jefferies-gives-a-Buy-rating-32346866/

Biocryst Rapivab expanded use application approved by FDA

  BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: BCRX) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a supplemental new drug application for RAPIVAB^® (peramivir injection) expanding the patient population of RAPIVAB for the treatment of acute uncomplicated influenza to include patients six months and older who have been symptomatic for no more than two days. Prior to this approval, RAPIVAB had been indicated for patients two years and older.

“Influenza can have serious and deadly consequences and we are very pleased that the FDA has extended the approved indication for RAPIVAB to include patients as young as six months. These patients can be among those at greatest risk for severe outcomes and RAPIVAB is an important antiviral with proven benefits,” said Dr. William Sheridan, chief medical officer of BioCryst.

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/02/03/2168942/0/en/BioCryst-Announces-FDA-Approval-of-Supplemental-New-Drug-Application-for-RAPIVAB-Expanding-Patient-Population-to-Include-Children-Six-Months-and-Older.html

Humanigen, Avid Bio Agree on manufaacturing COVID Therapy Lenzilumab for Potential EUA Filing

 Avid Bioservices, Inc. (NASDAQ:CDMO) (NASDAQ:CDMOP) (“Avid”) and Humanigen, Inc. (NASDAQ:HGEN) (“Humanigen”) today announced that they have entered into a manufacturing services agreement to expand production capacity for lenzilumab^™, Humanigen’s therapeutic candidate in development for COVID-19. Lenzilumab is an anti-human granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) monoclonal antibody designed to prevent and treat an immune hyper-response called “cytokine storm” associated with COVID-19. Humanigen has completed enrollment of its 520 patient Phase 3 clinical trial of lenzilumab in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Under the terms of this Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) agreement, Avid will initiate technical transfer and analytical validation activities for lenzilumab with the goal of delivering cGMP drug substance batches to support Humanigen’s regulatory and potential commercial activities. This collaboration enhances commercial production efforts for lenzilumab in advance of potential filings for emergency use authorization (EUA) and subsequent Biologics License Application (BLA) later this year.

“Having recently completed enrollment in our Phase 3 clinical trial of lenzilumab, we are also focusing on scalable manufacturing capacity to help ensure access in advance of a potential EUA filing,” said Cameron Durrant, MD, MBA, chief executive officer of Humanigen.

“As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage in the U.S. and around the world, it is essential that life science companies like Avid and Humanigen align our areas of expertise to speed the development and commercialization of valuable therapeutics that can make a difference in the lives of patients. At Avid, we are proud to play our part in these important efforts,” said Timothy Compton, chief commercial officer of Avid. “Lenzilumab is an exciting COVID-19 therapeutic candidate and the type of complex biologic for which Avid possesses decades of manufacturing success. We are pleased to be trusted by Humanigen to provide the critical CDMO services that will be essential for achieving the company’s regulatory and commercialization goals for lenzilumab.”

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/02/03/2168943/0/en/Humanigen-and-Avid-Bioservices-Enter-into-cGMP-Manufacturing-Agreement-for-COVID-19-Therapeutic-Candidate-Lenzilumab-in-Support-of-Potential-EUA-Filing.html

Humana Q4, 2020 results, outlook

 

Quarterly Results

Earnings per share fell 200.88% over the past year to ($2.30), which beat the estimate of ($2.36).

Revenue of $18,960,000,000 rose by 16.35% year over year, which beat the estimate of $18,770,000,000.

Guidance

The upcoming fiscal year's EPS expected to be between $21.25 and $21.75.

https://www.benzinga.com/news/earnings/21/02/19462142/humana-q4-earnings-insights