RepliCel Life Sciences Inc (TSXV:RP)
RepliCel is a regenerative medicine company developing autologous cell therapies that address diseases caused by a deficit of healthy cells required for normal healing and function.
Mylan N.V. (MYL +5.7%) announces that its production of malaria med hydroxychloroquine sulfate at its Morgantown, WV site has advanced ahead of schedule and has enabled the supply of additional product earlier than expected for COVID-19 patients.
It is donating 10M doses to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for possible use in clinical studies or under emergency use authorization. It is also donating product to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Shipments to wholesalers are underway.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded a contract to carmaker General Motors (GM +4.3%) to make ventilators for use with severely ill COVID-19 patients.
The company will work with ventilator outfit Ventec Life Systems to deliver 30K units by the end of August. The first 6,132 will be delivered by June 1.
The contract could be worth as much as $489.4M.
Rival Ford (F +4.7%) has committed to producing 50K ventilators over the next 100 days in cooperation with GE’s healthcare unit.
The broad market’s up move notwithstanding, health insurers and managed care providers are rallying in apparent reaction to the news that Senator Bernie Sanders, a fervent proponent of “Medicare For All,” has dropped out of the race for president.
Nano cap Moleculin Biotech (NASDAQ:MBRX) announces the results of in vitro testing in Germany showing that 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) totally stopped the replication of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Specifically, researchers at the University of Frankfurt reported that inhibiting glycolysis (sugar metabolism) with non-toxic concentrations of 2-DG prevented the coronavirus from replicating in cell culture. 2-DG inhibits glycolysis because it is a decoy that cannot be converted into energy.
The company’s WP112 candidate is a prodrug of 2-DG (a prodrug is an inactive compound that is metabolized in the body to produce the active drug) that, it says, may have therapeutic potential in COVID-19 since 2-DG in its normal state is metabolized too quickly to be effective. WP112 is only metabolized once it is inside the cell, enabling much higher tissue and organ concentrations of 2-DG.
An IND filing, clearing the way for clinical studies, is next up.
Shares up 115% premarket on robust volume.
Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX) announces that it has identified a coronavirus vaccine candidate, a stable prefusion protein that it has named NVX-CoV2373, that will also incorporate its Matrix-M adjuvant.
A Phase 1 study in ~130 healthy volunteers will launch in mid-May. Safety and preliminary immunogenicity data should be available in July.
Shares up 6% premarket on light volume.
