Coronavirus cases inch up in U.S. but still very light
In today’s update from the CDC, the total number of potential coronavirus cases in the U.S. is 337. Specimens tested to date include 12 positives, 225 negatives and 100 pending.
Two days ago, the total was 293 (11 positives, 206 negatives and 76 pending).
Update: At a news conference today, an official speaking for the Trump administration’s coronavirus taskforce stated that two of the 12 confirmed positive cases in the U.S. to date occurred in people who had not recently visited China (both were spousal contacts of people who had traveled there). The risk to Americans has not changed from last week, remaining low. The CDC’s test for 2019-nCoV can be ordered by qualified laboratories and institutions. This week, the State Department helped deliver 17.8 tons of relief supplies to Hubei province. About 4,000 air travelers/day are being screened.
Moderna up 16% on positive comments on vaccine platform
Investors are maintaining their enthusiasm with coronavirus-related stocks, driving Moderna (MRNA +15.6%) up on almost triple normal volume. At a news conference today, a U.S. health official stated that there have been no “glitches” in development to date with the company’s investigational coronavirus vaccine (company is working with NIH).
Two weeks ago, it announced funding from a public-private coalition to support the manufacture of the vaccine.
Fellow mRNA therapeutics developer Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY +3%) is up as well, albeit on average volume.
Update: The official stated that the vaccine could be ready for a Phase 1 study in 2 1/2 months.
Stericycle to divest DES unit for $462.5M
Medical waste manager Stericycle (NASDAQ:SRCL) has agreed to sell its Domestic Environmental Solutions (DES) unit, exclusive of its healthcare customer and unused consumer pharmaceutical take-back services, to Harsco Corporation (NYSE:HSC) for $462.5 million in cash.
The business includes Manufacturing and Industrial Services and the retail portion of Hazardous Waste Services which together employ ~2,000 people across 61 facilities.
The transaction should close this quarter.
SRCL is up 2% premarket on light volume.
Twist Bioscience settles litigation with Agilent
Removing a major impediment for investors, Twist Bioscience (NASDAQ:TWST) has reached a settlement with Agilent (NYSE:A) over alleged trade secret misappropriation by the company and three current or former employees. It has agreed to pay Agilent $22.5M to resolve the matter and, in exchange, Agilent has granted a license to Twist for discrete aspects of its oligo-synthesis technology.
Catalyst Biosciences up 13% premarket on positive FIX data
Catalyst Biosciences (NASDAQ:CBIO) announces positive results from an open-label Phase 2b clinical trial evaluating its next-generation Factor IX (FIX) therapy, Dalcinonacog Alfa (DalcA), in six patients with severe hemophilia B. The data were presented at EAHAD in The Hague.
28 days of daily subcutaneous dosing with DalcA showed FIX levels of more than 12% with steady-state levels up to 27% after 14 days with no bleeds. [For comparison purposes, FIX levels are <1% in people with severe hemophilia B].
No anti-drug antibodies were detected and no serious adverse events were reported. Three subjects experienced injection site reactions, the majority (n=2 in this case, apparently) being mild and resolved without consequences.
Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data supporting the use of its subcutaneous FVIIa marzeptacog alfa (activated) (MarzAA) in acute or on-demand settings were also presented.
