AGN Loosens Purse Strings, FCSC Gears Up For Phase 2 Data, Big Gains For Viveve

(RTTNews) - Allergan plc (AGN) has acquired privately held Topokine Therapeutics for an upfront payment of $85 million and success-based development and sales milestones for XAF5.

XAF5 is Topokine's first-in-class topical agent in late-stage development for the treatment of steatoblepharon, also known as undereye bags. In January 2016, Topokine initiated XOPH5-OINT-3, a pivotal phase 2b/3 study of XAF5.

XAF5 has the potential to be the first topical fat reduction product for the treatment of steatoblepharon, a condition with no current therapeutic options available for patients, Allergan said.

AGN closed Thursday's trading at $227.49, down 0.20%.

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (BMRN) has enrolled the first patient in a phase 1/2 trial for BMN 250 for the treatment of Sanfilippo B syndrome or mucopolysaccharidosis IIIB.

The company also announced that BMN 250 has been granted orphan drug designation by the European Commission. In late 2014, BMN 250 also received orphan drug designation from the FDA.

Sanfilippo B syndrome is a lysosomal storage disease is caused by deficiency in the enzyme alpha-N-acetyglucosaminidase (NAGLU), one of the four enzymes required for heparan sulfate (HS) degradation.

BMRN closed Thursday's trading at $91.99, up 3%.

ChromaDex Corp.'s (CDXCD.OB) common stock will begin trading on NASDAQ under the symbol "CDXC" effective with the open of business on Monday, April 25, 2016.

The company implemented a 1-for-3 reverse stock split of its shares on April 13, 2016.

CDXCD.OB closed Thursday's trading at $4.53, up 4.62%.

AbbVie (ABBV) and CytomX Therapeutics Inc. (CTMX) have joined hands to co-develop and co-commercialize Probody Drug Conjugates against CD71, a protein that is highly expressed in a number of solid and hematologic cancers.

As per the agreement terms, CytomX will lead pre-clinical and early clinical development while AbbVie will lead later development and commercialization, with global late-stage development costs shared between the two companies.

CytomX will receive an upfront payment of $30 million and is entitled to receive up to $470 million in development, regulatory and commercial milestones, pending the achievement of pre-determined outcomes. AbbVie will lead global commercial activities with CytomX eligible to receive a profit share in the U.S. and tiered double-digit royalties on net product sales outside of the U.S. CytomX retains an option to co-promote in the U.S.

CTMX closed Thursday's trading at $13.45, up 0.45%. In after hours, the stock was up 7.81% to $14.50.

The last patient visit for primary endpoint analysis has been completed in Fibrocell Science Inc.'s (FCSC) phase II trial of Azficel-T for the treatment of vocal cord scarring resulting in chronic or severe dysphonia.

The company expects to report primary endpoint results for this trial in the second quarter of 2016.

FCSC closed Thursday's trading at $3.10, up 4.73%.

Illumina Inc. (ILMN) has filed a suit against Genoma SA in the Federal Patent Court in Switzerland for infringing patents related to using cell-free fetal DNA for non-invasive prenatal testing.

The suit accuses Genoma's Tranquility NIPT (non-invasive prenatal testing) testing service, including its use of next-generation sequencing to analyze cell-free DNA from a sample of maternal blood. Genoma's testing facility in Switzerland also services samples collected from its other labs, including those located in Spain and Italy.

ILMN closed Thursday's trading at $144.95, up 3.92%.

Neuralstem Inc. (CUR) has been notified that it is not in compliance with the NASDAQ Listing Rule 5550(a)(2), as the minimum bid price of the company's common stock has been below $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive business days.

The company has time until October 17, 2016, to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement.

CUR closed Thursday's trading at $0.70, down 1.28%.

TapImmune Inc. (TPIV) plans to initiate a phase II trial of its investigational cancer vaccine, TPIV 200, in combination with AstraZeneca's (AZN) experimental drug Durvalumab in the second quarter of 2016.

The clinical costs will be shared by the two companies, while TapImmune will supply TPIV 200 and MedImmune will supply Durvalumab for the trials.

TPIV 200 recently received Orphan Drug Designation for ovarian cancer from the FDA.

TPIV.OB closed Thursday's trading at $0.61, up 6.03%.

Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. (RARE) reported positive interim data from a phase II study of KRN23 for the treatment of tumor-induced osteomalacia.

KRN23 improved serum phosphorus levels and other bone metabolism measures in the first eight patients in the study, including one patient with epidermal nevus syndrome, according to initial data.

The study has been expanded to enroll approximately 15 patients, and enrollment is ongoing. Additional bone data will be available in the second half of 2016, noted the company.

RARE closed Thursday's trading at $75.41, up 6.95%.

Shares of Viveve Medical Inc. (VIVMD.OB) were up over 18% on Thursday, following positive top-line results from a clinical study of its lead product Viveve System.

The study, dubbed VIVEVE I clinical study, is a randomized, blinded and sham-controlled trial designed to demonstrate the efficacy of the Viveve Treatment versus a sham control procedure for the treatment of vaginal introital laxity.

The VIVEVE I results will be reviewed in greater detail during the company's webcast on April 26th at 5:30pm EDT.

Vaginal laxity is a condition resulting from the over-stretching of tissue during childbirth that can result in a decrease in physical sensation and sexual satisfaction.

The company effected a 1 for 8 reverse split of its common stock on April 18, 2016.

VIVMD.OB closed Thursday's trading at $8.00, up 18.52%.