Henry Schein Announces $400 Million Share Repurchase Plan

 Henry Schein, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSIC), the world's largest provider of health care products and services to office-based dental and medical practitioners, announced today that its Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of up to $400 million of shares of the Company's common stock.

This program is in addition to the $400 million repurchase program announced in August 2022, which is anticipated to be fully executed by the end of the first quarter of 2023.

The Company had approximately 131.5 million shares outstanding as of February 10, 2023. This new authorization represents approximately 3.8 percent of shares outstanding at the current stock price. Purchases may be made from time to time in the open market, or through negotiated transactions.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/henry-schein-announces-400-million-113000493.html

HOOKIPA Grts $10 M Milestone Payment for Immunotherapy from Roche

 HOOKIPA Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: HOOK, ‘HOOKIPA’), a company developing a new class of immunotherapies based on its proprietary arenavirus platform, today announced that it has achieved a $10 million non-dilutive milestone payment under its collaboration agreement with Roche to develop HB-700, a novel arenaviral immunotherapy for KRAS-mutated cancers. The success-based milestone payment reflects the start of the HB-700 manufacturing process to support a Phase 1 clinical trial. HOOKIPA plans to submit an Investigational New Drug Application (IND) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the first half of 2024.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/hookipa-achieves-10-million-milestone-120000772.html

U.S. government to buy 1.5 mln more Novavax COVID vaccine doses

 The U.S. government has agreed to buy 1.5 million more doses of Novavax Inc COVID-19 vaccine, the company said on Monday, adding that the modified agreement includes funds for development of an updated vaccine by fall this year.

Sales of the company's vaccine have been hurt by a global supply glut and waning demand, with Novavax cutting its full-year revenue forecast for the shots twice last year.

The protein-based vaccine was expected to convince those skpetical of the new mRNA-based vaccines against the virus from rivals such as Pfizer Inc and Moderna.

The deal comes even as the United States plans to end its COVID-19 emergency declarations on May 11, nearly three years after it imposed sweeping measures to curb the spread of the pandemic.

Novavax did not provide financial details of the contract.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is also in the process of simplifying its COVID-19 vaccine policy as it considers whether to recommend that Americans get an annual booster shot for the virus.

Shares of the vaccine maker rose 3.2% before the bell on Monday after the Wall Street Journal first reported the news. 

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/2-u-government-buy-1-133603426.html

Exelixis, Sairopa Get OK for ADU-1805 Trials in Solid Tumor Thsrapy

  ADU-1805 is a potential best-in-class monoclonal antibody targeting SIRPα to block the SIRPα-CD47 checkpoint –

– Phase 1 study of ADU-1805 as a single agent and in a combination regimen in advanced solid tumors expected to begin second quarter of this year –

Exelixis, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXEL) and Sairopa B.V. (Sairopa) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared Sairopa’s Investigational New Drug (IND) Application to evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetics of ADU-1805 in adults with advanced solid tumors. As a monoclonal antibody active against all human alleles of SIRPα, ADU-1805 has the potential to address a broader patient population than other SIRPα-directed therapies.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/exelixis-sairopa-announce-us-fda-130000428.html

Ocuphire Gets PDUFA Date of September 28 for Nyxol® Eye Drops

 If Approved Later This Year, Nyxol Could be the Only Commercially Available Eye Drop for Reversal of Dilation

Ocuphire Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: OCUP), a clinical-stage ophthalmic biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for the treatment of refractive and retinal eye disorders, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the New Drug Application (NDA) for Nyxol® (phentolamine ophthalmic solution 0.75%) for the treatment of pharmacologically-induced mydriasis (RM). The FDA assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date of September 28, 2023.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ocuphire-announces-fda-acceptance-drug-130000621.html

Hillstream, Applied Biomedical in Deal on HER2 and HER3 Cancer Treatments

 HER2 and HER3 Conformational Domain Bridging Epitopes in Antibodies via an Exclusive Option Allows Hillstream BioPharma to Develop Proprietary Multi-format Biologics (bispecific, ADC, CAR-T) against Drug Resistant Breast and Gastric Cancers

Anti-HER2 and Anti-HER3 monoclonal antibodies could be effective against a number of epithelial tumors including HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, gastric cancer, lung cancer and ovarian cancer

Antibody CDRs against HER2 and HER3 Conformational Domain Bridging Epitopes can be used in multiple formats including bi- and tri-specific antibodies, ADCs (antibody drug conjugates), CAR-T and CAR-NKs, as well as in Quatramers™ and Quatrabodies™

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/hillstream-biopharma-signs-exclusive-option-121100940.html

Verrica upped to Outperform from Sector Perform by RBC

 Target to $11 from $4

https://finviz.com/quote.ashx?t=VRCA&ty=c&ta=1&p=d