ACIU'S Alzheimer's Vaccine Study Chugs Along, LCI Up On Distribution Deal, TLSA Hits New High

(RTTNews) - Today's Daily Dose brings you news about AC Immune's progress in Alzheimer's vaccine, Cediprof selecting Lannett as its new distribution partner for thyroid drug, and Merck's upcoming regulatory catalyst.

Read on…

1. AC Immune Makes Progress in Alzheimer's Vaccine Trial

AC Immune SA (ACIU) has advanced its anti-Tau Alzheimer's vaccine ACI-35.030 in a phase 1b/2a clinical trial.

The Company has initiated the second-highest dosing group in the trial based on encouraging interim safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity results from the initial dosing group.

ACI-35.030, which is being developed in collaboration with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is the first Alzheimer's disease vaccine candidate designed to generate a specific antibody response against pathologic phospho-Tau (pTau) proteins in the brain.

ACIU closed Thursday's trading at $8.55, up 18.92%. In intraday trading, the stock touched a 52-week high of $13.00.

2. Atreca Prices Offering

Atreca Inc. (BCEL) has offered to sell 7.03 million shares of its Class A Common Stock and 781 thousand shares of its Class B Common Stock, each at a price of $16.00 per share.

Gross proceeds to Atreca from the offering are expected to be $125.0 million. The offering is expected to close on or about July 20, 2020, subject to the satisfaction.

The underwriters have a 30-day option to purchase up to 1.17 million additional shares of its Class A Common Stock.

The most advanced compound in the Company's pipeline is ATRC-101, which is under a phase Ib first-in-human clinical trial in patients with select solid tumor cancers.

BCEL closed Thursday's trading at $14.89 down 19.16%.

3. Cediprof Selects Lannett As New Distribution Partner For Thyroid Drug

Shares of Lannett Company Inc. (LCI) rose more than 15 percent on Thursday, following an exclusive interim supply agreement for Levothyroxine Sodium, an FDA-approved thyroid drug of Cediprof, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Neolpharma Pharmaceutical Group.

Lannett expects to commence distributing Levothyroxine Sodium in the U.S. on August 3, 2020. The product was previously commercialized by another party.

Total U.S. sales of the product, according to IQVIA, were approximately $2.3 billion for the 12 months ending May 2020, although actual generic market values are expected to be lower.

LCI closed Thursday's trading at $5.96, up 15.95%.

4. Merck to Face FDA in Jan.2021

Merck 's (MRK) New Drug Application for Vericiguat has been granted priority review by the FDA, with a decision expected on January 20, 2021.

Vericiguat is being jointly developed with Bayer AG. Vericiguat, in combination with other heart failure therapies, is proposed to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death and heart failure hospitalization following a worsening heart failure event in patients with symptomatic chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

MRK closed Thursday's trading at $79.40, down 0.05%.

5. Tiziana Life Touches New High

Tiziana Life Sciences plc (TLSA) has submitted a patent application on the potential use of its investigational drug Foralumab, a fully human anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody, to improve the success of CAR-T therapy for cancer and other human diseases.

A phase II study of orally-administered Foralumab for evaluation in moderate-to-severe patients with Crohn's Disease is underway. A phase II trial of nasally administered Foralumab in patients with progressive multiple sclerosis is expected to commence shortly.

TLSA touched a new high of $10.60 in intraday trading on Thursday, before closing at $10.00, up 15.87%.

6. Stocks That Moved On No News

Entasis Therapeutics Holdings Inc. (ETTX) closed Thursday's trading at $3.77, up 20.83%.

Biomerica Inc. (BMRA) closed Thursday's trading at $11.31, up 18.31%.

Principia Biopharma Inc. (PRNB) closed Thursday's trading at $84.10, up 13.43%.

Equillium Inc. (EQ) closed Thursday's trading at $14.77, down 14.77%.

Galmed Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (GLMD) closed Thursday's trading at $4.93, down 13.36%.