Options Wonderland

[langlui]

ups and downs 3-7 HIMX +28%, etc.

Read more: http://www.briefing.com/Platinum/InDepth/InPlay.htm#ixzz2MrbJvl

08:46 PLX Protalix BioTherapeutics receives approval to initiate phase i study in gaucher patients With PRX-112, an orally-administered candidate for the treatment of Gaucher disease (5.77 )
Co announced that it has received approval from the Israeli Ministry of Health to initiate a phase I clinical trial of PRX-112, or Oral GCD, the Company's orally-administered product candidate for the treatment of Gaucher disease. Oral GCD is a plant cell expressed form of the glucocerebrosidase enzyme that is naturally encapsulated within carrot cells and administered orally. The Company anticipates initiating this trial in two Israeli medical centers during the next month. The phase I clinical trial is an open label safety and pharmacokinetic study designed to assess the delivery of prGCD after oral administration of Oral GCD in 12 Gaucher patients.

Read more: http://www.briefing.com/Platinum/InDepth/InPlay.htm#ixzz2MrZBXQNr
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
Follow us: @Briefingcom on Twitter | Briefingcom on Facebook

08:33 NWBO Northwest Biotherapeutics trial enrollment completion expected to be faster or more efficient than relevant comparison trials (3.58 ) -Update-
Co announced that it expects to complete enrollment in its 312-patient Phase III clinical trial for Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain cancer within a period that is faster or more efficient than relevant comparison trials with immune therapies for the same brain cancer. The Company anticipates completing enrollment of its Phase III trial by Q1 or early Q2 of next year, and expects to reach its first interim analysis for efficacy by approximately Q3 of this year.
"There has been widespread confusion in the investment community about the size and pace of clinical trials being conducted with various immune therapies for brain cancer," commented Linda F. Powers, CEO of NW Bio. "It is basic to clinical trials that the sponsor must screen more patients than they enroll. Normally, there is no confusion about the fundamental difference between these: 'enrollment' means only the patients actually being treated (with drug or placebo) in the trial. This is a key metric for investors: it is the measure of the size and the pace of a trial. By providing detailed information here, our intention is to help correct the misunderstandings about the actual enrollment (both size and pace) of certain immune therapy trials in brain cancer."


Read more: http://www.briefing.com/Platinum/InDepth/InPlay.htm#ixzz2MrZXbSxd
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
Follow us: @Briefingcom on Twitter | Briefingcom on Facebook

08:31 OPK Opko Health and RXi Pharmaceuticals announce strategic pooling of RNAi assets; RXi will issue to OPKO 50 mln shares of its common stock and will make milestone payments to OPKO up to an aggregate of $50 mln per product (7.32 )
RXi Pharmaceuticals and OPKO Health announced a strategic pooling of their respective assets in the field of RNA interference. Therapeutics based on RNAi technologies hold great promise to treat a wide range of diseases based on their potential to sustainably down-regulate the expression of a specific gene that may be over-expressed in a disease condition.

According to the terms of an asset purchase agreement jointly executed by the parties, RXi will acquire substantially all of OPKO's RNAi-related assets, including an extensive intellectual property portfolio. These molecules are believed to play an important role in diseases of the eye, cancer, immune disorders, and inflammatory diseases. The acquisition is expected to close on March 12, 2013, subject to satisfaction of closing conditions.

As consideration for these assets, RXi will issue to OPKO 50 mln shares of its common stock and will make milestone payments to OPKO up to an aggregate of $50 mln per product tied to the successful development and commercialization of products utilizing the acquired OPKO intellectual property. In addition, upon commercialization of these products, if approved, RXi would make royalty payments to OPKO.

Briefing note: RXi Pharmaceuticals trades on the OTC under ticker RXII

Read more: http://www.briefing.com/Platinum/InDepth/InPlay.htm#ixzz2Mrb72YjG
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
Follow us: @Briefingcom on Twitter | Briefingcom on Facebook

8:19 SUMRX Gapping up/down: CIEN +10.4%, SFD +7.6% on earnings/guidance, TWX +1.3%... PETM -6.8%, DRYS -5.1% on earnings/guidance
Gapping up:
In reaction to strong earnings/guidance: NQ +19.7%, CIEN +10.4%, SFD +7.6%, SMTC +6.3%, VVTV +6.2% (light volume), BIOL +4.8%, NSM +4.7%, NAV +4.2%, (light volume), DEG +3.2%, MTN +2.5%, NAVB +1.9%, DANG +1.4%, PIR +0.6% (light volume).

Other news: HIMX +26.3% (reports out indicate potential Google orders for LCoS solutions), JDSU +6% and JNPR +1.8% (following CIEN results), INVN +3.3% (announced stay motion court win in patent litigation brought by ST Microelectronics ), NBS +3.2% (reports Second Data Safety Monitoring Board Review: continue with PreSERVE AMI Phase 2 Trial as planned), TSEM +3.2% (thinly traded, modestly rebounding), PBR +1.9% (continued strength, upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse), TEF +1.7% (still checking), UL +1.5% (still checking), TWX +1.3% (Time Warner announces plan to separate Time Inc), RIO+1.2% (still checking), LIFE +1.1% (trading higher following TMO shelf filing), NBL +1% (announces increase in Leviathan resource estimate), APA +0.7% (considering sale of deep-water assets in Gulf of Mexico, according to reports).

Analyst comments: ANGI +4.1% (initiated with an Overweight at Piper Jaffray), WFR +5% (upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman), MLNX +2.8% (upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at JMP), SAP +0.7% (upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at HSBC Securities), CELG +0.7% (Hearing positive comments at Lazard; highlights apremilast attractive profile), LNKD +0.2% (Hearing positive comments at BofA/Merrill; raising price objective to $190)

Gapping down:
In reaction to disappointing earnings/guidance/SSS: SCTY -7.1% (also downgraded to Hold at Needham), PETM -6.8%, SCVL -5.1% (light volume), DRYS -5.1%, THLD -2.8%, SRPT -1.8%, ZUMZ -0.9%.

Other news: OCLS -16.7% (prices 7.5 mln shares of common stock at $0.40 per share), ACUR -8.2% (files for $75 mln mixed securities shelf offering), KYN -5.4% (commences public offering of 4 mln shares of its common stock), MTG -3.7% (prices 135 mln shares of common stock at $5.15 per share and $450 mln of 2.00% convertible senior notes due 2020), FIS -2.4% (announces sale of ~19.27 mln shares by affiliate of Warburg Pincus, KAR -2.3% (announces pricing of 13 mln share secondary offering of common stock at $19.25 per share), MRC -2.2% (upsizes public offering of common stock by selling stockholder to 23 mln from 17 mln shares and prices at $28 per share), FLT -2.1% (announced that selling stockholders have agreed to sell 4.5 million shares in an underwritten offering), MDP -2% (Meredith confirms discussions with Time Warner regarding a potential combination of its National Media Group with Time Inc.'s Lifestyle and Style & Entertainment brands), HTZ -0.7% ( announces sale of ~60.05 mln shares of commno stock by selling stockholders).

Analyst comments: AV -12.4% (ticking lower, removed from Best Ideas list at Morgan Stanley, also downgraded to Hold from Buy at Panmure), SD -2.4% (downgraded to Underperform from Market Perform at BMO Capital, tgt to $1 from $2 at Canaccord Genuity), DVA -0.8% (ticking lower, downgraded to Hold from Buy at Deutsche Bank)