ADRO Earns Milestone Payment, Hope & Allstar Await CAPR, CATB Ahead Of Time

(RTTNews) - Aduro Biotech Inc. (ADRO) is all set to receive a $35 million milestone payment from Novartis (NVS), following the dosing of the first patient in a phase I trial for ADU-S100, a novel STING (Stimulator of Interferon Genes) pathway activator.

Activation of the STING pathway in tumors has been shown to be a critical step to initiate an innate response that may lead to a systemic adaptive tumor-specific immune response, according to the company.

Novartis, Aduro's collaborator for STING pathway activator compounds in the field of oncology, is conducting the study.

In addition to the $35 million milestone payment, Aduro is eligible to receive up to an additional $465 million in development and regulatory milestones if all stated objectives of the collaboration are achieved.

ADRO closed Thursday's trading at $10.21, down 4.93%.

AmpliPhi Biosciences Corp. (APHB) expects to report results from its phase I clinical trial of AB-SA01 in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis in the second half of 2016.

The company's cash and cash equivalents as of March 31, 2016 totaled $6.2 million.

AmpliPhi anticipates that its current financial resources will provide sufficient cash to fund operations into the third quarter of 2016.

APHB closed Thursday's trading at $1.94, down 7.18%.

Capricor Therapeutics Inc. (CAPR) expects to complete enrollment in its phase II trials named HOPE-Duchenne and ALLSTAR in the third quarter of 2016.

HOPE-Duchenne is evaluating CAP-1002 in patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy associated cardiomyopathy, while ALLSTAR is evaluating CAP-1002 in people who have experienced a large heart attack with persistent cardiac dysfunction.

A phase I trial evaluating CAP-1002 in patients with advanced heart failure, dubbed DYNAMIC, is also underway - with 12 month results anticipated in the third quarter of 2016.

CAPR closed Thursday's trading at $3.58, up 6.55%.

Catabasis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CATB) now expects to report top-line results from its phase 2a trial of CAT-2054 in hypercholesterolemia around mid-year 2016 compared to its earlier estimate of Q3, 2016.

A phase II trial of Edasalonexent for boys aged 4-7 with DMD, regardless of the underlying mutation is also underway, with topline results anticipated in late 2016.

CATB closed Thursday's trading at $4.45, down 3.89%.

Cesca Therapeutics Inc. (KOOL) is gearing up to submit an Investigational Device Exemption supplement to the FDA at the end of this month detailing a range of changes to the pivotal SurgWerks CLI development program.

The company was granted IDE approval for the pivotal SurgWerks CLI development program by the FDA last June. However, Cesca subsequently has deferred the commencement of the trial pending approval by the FDA of the enhancements to be proposed in the supplement.

Cesca Therapeutics' CEO, Robin Stracey said, "The upcoming submission of our IDE Supplement will mark a significant milestone in our SurgWerks CLI development program."

KOOL closed Thursday's trading at $2.21, down 3.91%.

Dipexium Pharmaceuticals Inc. (DPRX) has completed patient enrollment objective in its phase III clinical trial of Locilex for the treatment of patients with mild infections of diabetic foot ulcers, dubbed OneStep-2.

Another identical phase III study, named OneStep-1, has passed the 98% enrollment mark and is expected to reach the 180 patient enrollment objective imminently.

The company anticipates announcing top-line data from the trials in the third quarter of 2016 and is targeting a New Drug Application submission with the FDA and a Marketing Authorization Application submission with the European Medicines Agency in the first half of 2017.

DPRX closed Thursday's trading at $11.56, down 0.43%.