SCYX Rises, ARGS Crashes, AMRI Opens Wallet, NPSP Snapped Up, TNXP On Watch

(RTTNews) - Albany Molecular Research Inc. (AMRI) has acquired the outstanding equity interests of Aptuit's Glasgow, UK business and has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Aptuit's SSCI/West Lafayette, Ind. business for total consideration of $60 million.

The acquisition is expected to significantly expand AMRI's analytical services capabilities and extend drug product development services to include sterile injectable formulation development.

The company anticipates the acquisition to be accretive to full year 2015 adjusted earnings.

AMRI closed Friday's trading at $16.35, up 4.14%.

Argos Therapeutics Inc. (ARGS) plunged more than 32 per cent on Friday after the company announced that its phase 2b clinical trial of AGS-004 in patients chronically infected with HIV-1 did not meet the primary endpoint.

According to the company, the primary endpoint of the trial required a 1.1 Log lower median viral load (VL) after 12 weeks of interruption of antiretroviral therapy (ATI) in the treatment group versus the placebo group.

ARGS closed Friday's trading at $6.51, down 32.26%.

Shares of EDAP TMS SA (EDAP) rose more than 25 per cent on Friday after the company announced that its Focal One HIFU device, dedicated to focal therapy of prostate cancer, has been approved by Health Canada.

Focal One is CE marked but is not FDA approved. The Health Canada's approval of Focal One marks the first regulatory approval for the device in the Americas and a key step forward in expanding its global footprint, according to the company.

EDAP closed Friday's trading 25.43% higher at $2.91. In after-hours, the stock was up another 1.03% at $2.94.

NPS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NPSP) is all set to be acquired by Shire plc (SHPG) for $46.00 per share in cash, for a total consideration of roughly $5.2 billion.

Shire expects the transaction to be accretive to Non GAAP EPS from 2016 onward.

NPSP closed Friday's trading at $41.91, down 2.35%.

Portola Pharmaceuticals (PTLA) announced that a phase III study evaluating its drug candidate Andexanet alfa in reversing the anticoagulation activity of Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s FDA-approved oral Factor Xa inhibitor XARELTO met the primary endpoint with high statistical significance.

PTLA touched a new high of $32.49 on Friday before closing the day's trading at $30.33.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (REGN) and Sanofi's (SNY) first two phase III trials evaluating Alirocumab versus placebo in patients with hypercholesterolemia have met their primary efficacy endpoints.

The phase III trials, dubbed ODYSSEY CHOICE I and ODYSSEY CHOICE II, evaluated the efficacy and safety of Alirocumab 300 mg and 150 mg every four weeks with placebo, respectively.

REGN closed Friday's trading at $411.04, up 1.93%.

SCYNEXIS Inc. (SCYX) has received FDA Fast Track Designation for its oral formulation of drug candidate SCY-078 for the treatment of patients with invasive fungal infections.

The company is currently screening patients for a phase II study of the oral formulation of SCY-078 and expects to enroll the first patient in the first quarter of 2015. The company looks forward to reporting complete data in the first half of 2016.

The IV formulation of SCY-078 is under pre-clinical studies and the company anticipates moving the compound to clinical testing this year.

SCYX went public on The NASDAQ Global Market on May 2, 2014, priced at $10 per share. The stock touched a new high of $12.99 on Friday before closing the day's trading at $12.84, up 15.16%.

Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp. (TNXP) is all set to commence a phase II study of TNX-201 for the treatment of a single episodic tension-type headache in the second quarter of 2015.

The results from the trial are expected to be reported by the end of this year.

TNXP closed Friday's trading at $8.28, up 3.24%.