Kezar Life Sciences (KZR)...from TipRanks
We’ll wrap up with a clinical-stage bioscience researcher, Kezar Life Sciences. This company is involved in the fields of oncology and immunology, and is developing new treatments for cancers and autoimmune diseases. The company’s pipeline features first-in-class small molecule drug therapies with activity in protein degradation and protein secretion.
Kezar’s pipeline features two clinical-stage drug candidates, KZR-261 and KZR-616. The first of these has recently advanced from the discover stage and the company has initiated a Phase 1 open-label dose-escalation study. The drug candidate is being studies as a potential treatment for solid tumor cancers.
The real excitement for this company comes from the two Phase 2 trials of KZR-616. This is an autoimmune drug, under investigation as a treatment for Lupus, among other conditions. The company in December released interim results from its MISSION trial of KZR-616, showing that the drug candidate demonstrated clinically meaningful benefits in patients suffering from Lupus nephritis. The patient pool was small, only 5, but 4 patients showed positive results. In addition, the drug continued to show a ‘favorable’ profile for safety and tolerability, extended over 6 months. Top-line data from the MISSION trial expected in 2Q22.
Kezar also has the PRESIDIO trial ongoing, investigating KZR-616 against active dermatomyositis (DM) or polymyositis (PM). The Phase 2 trial is described as a ‘randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over clinical trial,’ and has enrolled 24 patients. Topline data from PRESIDIO is also expected in the second quarter of this year.
Finally, Kezar has recently announced that it has selected ‘zetomipzomib’ as a brand name for KZR-616.
Kezar also shows a recent ‘million +’ insider trade. Franklin Berger, of the company’s Board, made a purchase worth $1.299 million earlier this week. His buy totaled 80,000 shares, and it brought his stake in Kezar up to an impressive $14.28 million.
This stock has attracted the notice of H.C. Wainwright analyst Raghuram Selvaraju, who points out that the multiple upcoming catalysts are a strong inducement for investors. Selvaraju writes, “In our view, positive data for zetomipzomib from both the MISSION and PRESIDIO trials ought to establish Kezar as a triple-threat across SLE/LN, DM and PM and position the compound for advancement into late-stage clinical development. Depending upon the strength of the data, Kezar might also ultimately be considered an attractive potential acquisition target, in our opinion.”
