Daily Archives: March 31, 2017

Corbus Pharmaceuticals has posted positivetop-line data from its midstage trial of Resunab in certain cystic fibrosis (CF) patients as it plots future trials and talks with regulators.

The Norwood, Massachusetts-based biotech said in a statement it was assessing its candidate anabasum (Resunab) in escalating doses and pitted it against placebo in patients with the fatallung-scarring disease.

The 16-week study dosed 85 patients without regard to their specific CFTR mutation, or infecting pathogens, and continued with all baseline treatment regimens.

The med, the biotech reports, hit its primary objective by showing an acceptable safety and tolerability profile at all doses, with no serious or severe adverse events related to the study drug.

The anabasum cohorts showed a dose-dependent reduction in a number of acute pulmonary exacerbations, the data showed, which was defined as those requiring IV antibiotics compared to a dummy therapy.

Patients in the highest dose cohort of anabasum (20mg orally, twice a day) had a 75% reduction in the annualized rate of pulmonary exacerbations, compared to the placebo cohort.

In this high dose group, the biomarker endpoints of inflammatory mediators in the sputum including interleukin-8, neutrophil elastase and sputum immunoglobulin G were also reduced, as well as serum C-reactive protein. A consistent reduction in multiple inflammatory cells, including total leukocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, and macrophages was also observed in the sputum, the company says.

On safety, 6 serious adverse events (SAEs) occurred the anabasum-treated patients, with the same numbers of SAEs also seen placebo-treated patients. After dosing, the biotech said that 10 patients stopped the study early: 3 withdrew consent, 5 withdrew due to adverse events (2 on placebo, 3 on anabasum), while 1 subject was lost to follow-up and 2 withdrew for treatment-unrelated reasons.

The biotech is looking to prove its theory that targeting the CB2 receptor pathway found in lymphocytes, dendritic cells, macrophages, glial cells and other immune cells can turn off a signal for chronic inflammation, and therefore help CF patients.

Corbus said it would now engage in further evaluation of the data and design of the next clinical trial in partnership with CF experts, which includes Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics, the non-profit drug discovery and development affiliate of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which supported the phase 2 study.

After these chats, Corbus will enter into discussions with the relevant regulatory agencies, it added. The drug already has orphan status from the EMA and a fast track tag from the FDA.

Barbara White, MD, CMO of Corbus, said: We are delighted to see such consistency in data showing clinical benefit coupled with improvement in the inflammatory response in the lungs, especially given the 12 weeks of active dosing and past challenges of others in safely targeting inflammation in CF. We believe these findings reflect the novel mechanism of action of anabasum to activate resolution of innate immune responses without immunosuppression. The company sees 2020 as the year for market approval, should all go well in future trials.

It was initially up 10% premarket on the news, but swiftly fell into the red when some questioned its data. Bio Twitter was not please, with AdamFeuerstein from The Street, saying on Twitter:"Actually anabasum did nothing for CF patients. No change in lung function. Shoddy disclosure of exacerbation endpoint. cherry-picking data. Efficacy of anabasum in this CF study is close to a zero. A lot of hand waving in the PR to obscure negative or missing data."

And when it came to the 75%reduction in exacerbations, he said: "75% of what? Corbus doesnt tell you number of exacerbations. At just 1 dose? Besides, these are acute exacerbations, a subset."

Back in 2015, the then tiny Corbus got a $5 million grant from Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics for its sole asset, coming after it made the leap from the OTC market into Nasdaq (under the ticker $CRBP) with a market cap of less than $80 million.

As of yesterday, its market cap was just over $420 million, and has been talked up in the past as being a competitor to CF major Vertex. But the biotech believes that anabasum, which targets inflammation, could help all patients suffering from the disease; Vertex meds, Kalydeco and Orkambi, only treat a subset of CF patients.

The drug is also in testing forfor a number of rare disorders, including scleroderma and dermatomyositis.

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Corbus Pharmaceuticals says Resunab beats out placebo in CF test - FierceBiotech

Forbes

Is Vertex's New CF Drug Unprecedented? Incremental? Expensive? Maybe All Three Forbes Shares in Boston's Vertex Pharmaceuticals are up 22% to $109 after the biotechnology company released data on an experimental combination pill to treat cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that shortens patients' lives by affecting their lungs and ... Vertex boosted by strong trial data for next-gen CF drugBioPharma Dive Vertex CF combo succeeds in late-stage trialsPharmaLive (press release) (subscription) all 164 news articles »

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Is Vertex's New CF Drug Unprecedented? Incremental? Expensive? Maybe All Three - Forbes

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) Carlos Gomez would play any position for the Texas Rangers. The outfielder just wouldnt want to play for any other team.

Its no question, Im on the right team, Gomez said. I decided to come back this year again because I think that was the best, the smart, move for me. Its the best choice.

After a resurgent six weeks late last season, filling a need for the Rangers and regaining his confidence at the plate, Gomez returned with an $11.5 million contract early in the offseason.

Before that, things were so miserable that Gomez was released by the Houston Astros in late August after hitting .210 with five homers and 29 RBIs in 85 games. The Rangers, needing help in the outfield after Shin-Shoo Choo broke his left arm, signed Gomez to a deal two days later, and he was back in the majors within a week.

While working on swing changes with Rangers coaches, he hit .284 with eight homers and 24 RBIs in 33 games.

Unbelievable, what I think is a rough season, and then finish like that, said Gomez, now 31 and going into his 11th big league season. Im more excited to come back and play a full year with the Rangers.

While a small sample, .284 was also his exact batting average in both 2013 and 2014 with the Milwaukee Brewers when he was twice an All-Star. He hit .361 with three homers and nine RBIs in 14 spring training games in Arizona, finishing with two hits as the designated hitter Wednesday after missing a week with a jammed shoulder.

Gomez played mostly left field for the closing stretch last season as the Rangers won the AL West title, but this season will be the primary center fielder after All-Star Ian Desmond left in free agency. He won a Gold Glove in 2013 while playing center for the Brewers.

Asked how much he looked forward to being back in center field, Gomez responded, its not about me anymore. He said hes flexible to whatever manager Jeff Banister needs him to do in the field or at the plate.

When you start getting older and more veteran, you just want to be in the right place where you can enjoy it every single time, Gomez said. This is a perfect team, you can get a championship and you can enjoy every single game, every single moment.

Gomez also wanted to keep working with hitting coach Anthony Iapoce and assistant hitting coach Justin Mashore after all they did to help him. Mashore even went to visit Gomez at his home in the Dominican Republic for a week during the winter to keep working on the adjustments.

I learned something that I never had in the past, being able to work with some coach there to take my ability to another level, Gomez said. Its a blessing, its good for me.

While Gomez is still swinging hard, dont anticipate seeing him fall down or have his helmet fly off his head when he does now. Even though he has a hard time explaining the changes, he said the biggest thing is being ready and in the right position to make his best swing.

Before, people just see like, `Oh, the guy always swings out of his shoes. Now I swing harder, but I know how to swing hard he said. I want to be free to use my hands every single time.

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Rangers CF Gomez wouldn't want to be with any other team | FOX ... - FOXSports.com

Market Summary Follow

CF Industries Holdings Inc. is a Manufacturer & distributor of nitrogen & phosphate

CF - Market Data & News

CF - Stock Valuation Report

Among the S&P 500s biggest fallers on Thursday March 30 was CF Industries Holdings Inc. (CF). The stock experienced a 3.86% decline to $29.67 with 6.37 million shares changing hands.

CF Industries Holdings Inc. started at an opening price of 30.62 and hit a high of $30.86 and a low of $29.48. Ultimately, the stock took a hit and finished the day at $1.19 per share. CF Industries Holdings Inc. trades an average of 5.45 million shares a day out of a total 233.11 million shares outstanding. The current moving averages are a 50-day SMA of $32.48 and a 200-day SMA of $27.40. CF Industries Holdings Inc. hit a high of $37.17 and a low of $20.77 over the last year.

CF Industries Holdings Inc is a manufacturer and distributor of nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer products in North America. The Company's products include ammonia, urea, urea ammonium nitrate solution, diammonium phosphate and monoammonium phosphate.

With its headquarters located in Deerfield, IL, CF Industries Holdings Inc. employs 3,000 people. After todays trading, the companys market cap has fallen to $6.92 billion, a P/S of 1.95, a P/B of 2.07, and a P/FCF of -3.8.

To dig deeper into the fundamentals of CF Industries Holdings Inc. and perform your own analysis, visit our Stock Valuation Analysis tool for CF.

Want to invest with the experts? Subscribe to Equities Premium newsletters today! Visit http://www.equitiespremium.com/ to learn more about Guild Investments Market Commentary and Adam Sarhans Find Leading Stocks today.

For all the attention paid to the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), its the S&P 500 thats relied on by insiders and institutional investors. It represents the industry standard for American large-cap indices.

The Dow is made up of just 30 stocks to the S&P 500s 500, and it uses an unreliable and outdated price-weighting system where the S&P 500 relies on market cap in weighting its returns. This is why its long-term returns is a much more reliable gauge for the performance of large- and mega-cap stocks over time.

To get more information on CF Industries Holdings Inc. and to follow the companys latest updates, you can visit the companys profile page here: CFs Profile. For more news on the financial markets and emerging growth companies, be sure to visit Equities.coms Newsdesk. Also, dont forget to sign-up for our daily email newsletter to ensure you dont miss out on any of our best stories.

All data provided by QuoteMedia and was accurate as of 4:30PM ET.

DISCLOSURE: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors, and do not represent the views of equities.com. Readers should not consider statements made by the author as formal recommendations and should consult their financial advisor before making any investment decisions. To read our full disclosure, please go to: http://www.equities.com/disclaimer

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CF Industries Holdings Inc. (CF) Dips 3.86% for March 30 | Equities ... - Equities.com

FLORENCE, Wis. Although an autopsy was completed Thursday on a Crystal Falls man found dead in the Brule River, results will not be released pending the completion of a toxicology report, Florence County Sheriffs Department officials said.

Deputies do not suspect foul play at this time in the death of 60-year-old Jerry Hamilton.

Hamiltons body was found Wednesday afternoon in about 5 feet of water about 10 feet from his vehicle.

Deputies and Florence firefighters first discovered Hamiltons car about 4:45 p.m. Monday near the Brule River boat landing north of Florence, about 30 feet from shore with its back half in open water.

Deputies believe Hamilton drove onto the ice at the boat landing and along the shore. It appeared Hamilton tried to turn around when the vehicles back tires fell off the ice into open water, deputies said.

Hamiltons family members were especially worried about his disappearance after finding his Crystal Falls home trashed with broken chairs, broken glass and ripped couch cushions.

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Autopsy results pending in death of CF man - Iron Mountain Daily News

The technicals for CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) has spoken via its technical chart and the message is loud and clear. Based on that message, this is the relevant information necessary to make sense of that current setup. Making successful trades call for a mix of skills. One of those very important skills is the ability to read the technical charts and extract a premise or reason for executing a trade. It follows then, that every trader should make it analyzing the technical charts of a given stock a top priority. Failure to do this could severely hamper success.

(CF) is now solidly presented where a clearly defined trend is concerned. This is evident based on information displayed via its 50 and 200 SMAs. The trend levels paint a telling picture which when analyzed, is best characterized as bullish. As a result of the current trends presented by both SMAs, traders have offered a defined and strong outlook for the stock. The overall sentiment or disposition towards the stock can best be described as positive. The discernable sentiment towards the stock has created a resulting influx of opinion that is now created a volume situation clearly titling towards a weak disposition as the situational flux between buyers and sellers take a definitive shape. The overall sentiment of the stock certainly looks more shapely than it did before the foregoing technical indicators started to converge. The trend seems like a likely candidate for becoming something bigger.; Since these sentiments have taken shape, a marked level of indifference has materialized when all statistical factors are considered regarding the stocks profile among traders. Overall viability is therefore, based on the foregoing readings, highlighting the disposition of traders towards the stock. This disposition should retain consistency with the overall technical picture cast by the two important technical indicators mentioned above.

Relative strength indicator (RSI) and Stochastic measures offer another dimension to the whole methodology of analyzing a stock for its potential and existing trends. Both measures are relied upon heavily by successful traders, and combined; they offer an insightful peek inside the workings of a stock. They specifically allow traders to gauge whether or not a given stock is overbought or oversold. The overbought/undersold measure should never be underestimated for it allows a trader to see where the directional bearings are for a given stock. Are buyers more represented? Are sellers dominating? Both these indicators help I determining this general direction of the marketplace. CFs prevailing reading for its 14-day RSI is 52.26%; this means, on current reading, that the stock is neutral, suggesting that the stock is relatively stable in terms of potential price directional movement in either direction. The stochastic reading offers a supplementary outlook for directional movement of CF. Stochastic readings amassed over the last thirty days have created a score of 44.64%. This indicates that the stock is neither overbought or oversold at current levels.

If two indicators are good at shedding light on the viability of a trade then layering other indicators on top of the process can only be good. This is why adding performance indicators into the mix are always a good idea. A picture is by now surely emerging on the directional thrust of (CF); that emerging picture is proving to be a magnet for traders that have previously shown an interest. The -1.29 has manifested a negative reading in the last month or so of trading since it began its initial directional move. Longer-term, the stock has underperform the S&P 500 by -13.71%. This has created higher daily volatility when matched with stocks of the same class. Things look the same when measured historically. Historical volatility provides a measure of 28.74%. CF therefore offers a handy picture of overall momentum based on the foregoing measures. The last, but certainly not least, indicator that helps paint the overall picture of viability is the average true range which is currently 3.39. Combined, all the indicators when synchronized properly can yield excellent trading results.

Based on the outlined overall trading picture for CF, it is clear that traders have a lot to go on in making up their minds on the stocks viability. This proves in no small measure that technicals can be crucial in having any kind of success.

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Chart Revelations As Seen From CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) - NY Stock News