Targacept Gets Mixed Results on Drug Trials (TRGT, AZN)

Photo of Paul Ausick
By Paul Ausick Published
This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.

Invalid Image
Development stage drug maker Targacept Inc. (NASDAQ: TRGT) is having its troubles these days. Earlier this month the company said it would not seek US Food and Drug Administration approval for its TC-5214 anti-depressant drug following a failed trial. AstraZeneca plc (NYSE: AZN) was Targacept’s partner on the development of TC-5214.

This morning the company announced that another development-stage drug, TC-6987, had failed an exploratory Phase 2 trial and that the company would no longer pursue approval for the drug as a treatment for diabetes. However the drug did meet its trial’s goals as an asthma drug, and Targacept’s CEO noted:

With the positive outcome in our TC-6987 asthma study, we have accomplished our goal of detecting in patients a signal of the potential of NNR [neuronal nicotinic receptors] Therapeutics in the treatment of disorders outside of the CNS, while at the same time further establishing a favorable safety and tolerability profile for this alpha7-selective NNR Therapeutic.

Targacept’s shares are down about -2.4% in early trading today, at $5.26 in a 52-week range of $4.90-$27.22.

Photo of Paul Ausick
About the Author Paul Ausick →

Paul Ausick has been writing for 247Wallst.com for more than a decade. He has written extensively on investing in the energy, defense, and technology sectors. In a previous life, he wrote technical documentation and managed a marketing communications group in Silicon Valley.

He has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Chicago and now lives in Montana, where he fishes for trout in the summer and stays inside during the winter.

Continue Reading

Top Gaining Stocks

DELL Vol: 42,366,555
NTAP Vol: 15,911,807
NOW Vol: 68,243,561
IBM
IBM Vol: 28,527,546
HPE Vol: 86,996,387

Top Losing Stocks

CTRA Vol: 73,319,495
CLX Vol: 4,744,001
RMD Vol: 3,526,686
INTC Vol: 191,680,425
SWKS Vol: 5,407,806