Health and Healthcare

5 Major Clinical Trial Results Coming Up

Chris Lange

Published: May 25, 2016 9:40 am

Last Updated: January 13, 2020 7:35 am

Pharmaceutical and biotech companies generally must endure the lengthy process that is getting their drug candidates to market through clinical trials. There is a fair amount to a great amount of risk involved, should a study come back negative or should a candidate not be approved. On the other hand, if a drug is approved or passes a clinical trial, there can be massive upside.

Suffice it to say, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rulings and positive or negative trial results can make or break these companies.

24/7 Wall St. has collected several big FDA decisions and imminent clinical trial results that should be coming up in the June quarter. We have added some color, along with the trading range and price target.

Note that, due to many outside and internal factors, there are no assurances that the dates will remain static. Some date changes are positive developments, and some can be disasters if a company is not deeply financed.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: VRTX) is looking forward to an FDA approval in its late stage Orkambi study by the end of the second quarter. Specifically the Phase 3 study of Orkambi focuses on the treatment of cystic fibrosis in children ages 6 to 11. Currently the treatment is available for children aged 12 and up; this new demographic would add roughly 2,400 children eligible for the treatment in the United States. Orkambi was approved last July for treatment, but since that time it had sales totaling $351 million at the end of 2015. Shares of Vertex traded at $88.96 early Wednesday, with a consensus analyst price target of $109.55 and a 52-week trading range of $75.90 to $143.45.

24/7 Wall St.
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