The NASDAQ Composite Index bolted above 5,000 for the first time in 15 years Monday, recovering nearly all the ground since the massive dot-com crash of 2000.
The tech-rich NASDAQ last saw the 5,000 level on March 27, 2000, as it started a steep plunge to below 1,200 two years later as the bubble in technology industry stocks imploded.
Insights about some real gainers from healthcare segment, in the recent trading session are depicted underneath:
Ohr Pharmaceutical, Inc. (NASDAQ:OHRP)’s shares skyrocketed 26.92% and is now trading at $9.73, soon after the news release that an ophthalmology research and development company, declared the presentation of new data from the INFLUENCE study interim analysis at the 38th Annual Macula Society Meeting which took place February 25-28th, in Scottsdale, Arizona. The new data show an early regression of sub retinal hyper-reflective material (SHRM), an anatomic biomarker for the wet form of age-related macular degeneration (wet-AMD), which is consistent with the early gains in visual acuity formerly stated from this study. The data were presented by Jason S. Slakter, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Ohr and Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology, NYU School of Medicine.
The INFLUENCE study is a nine-month Phase II clinical trial evaluating Squalamine Eye Drops (OHR-102) for the treatment of wet-AMD. Formerly declared interim data demonstrated that the combination of OHR-102 plus Lucentis(R) resulted in a meaningful and clinically relevant improvement in visual acuity contrast with Lucentis monotherapy. OHR-102 appeared to have a rapid onset of action, with differences between the combination and control arms observed as early as 4 weeks and ongoing to raise at week 12. At the end of the study, patients treated with the combination of OHR-102 plus Lucentis were still improving. The dramatic and early vision gains observed are believed to result in part from the regression of SHRM, which is widely considered to be a combination of neovascular tissue, pre-fibrotic material and other sub retinal exudative and inflammatory debris.
Ohr Pharmaceutical, Inc. is an ophthalmology research and development company whose lead product, Squalamine, is being studied as an eye drop formulation (OHR-102) in several company-sponsored and investigator sponsored Phase II clinical trials for various back-of-the-eye diseases.
Shares of Omeros Corporation (NASDAQ:OMER), jumped nearly 15.55% and is now trading at $24.11, as Omeros Corporation (OMER) formerly declared that it has accomplished dosing of the low-dose cohort of patients in its ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of OMS721, the lead human monoclonal antibody for its mannan-binding lectin-associated serine protease-2 (MASP-2) program, in treating thrombotic microangiopathies (TMAs). TMAs are a family of rare, debilitating and life-threatening disorders characterized by excessive thrombi (clots) in the microcirculation of the body’s organs, most ordinaryly the kidney and brain. All patients in this study cohort received OMS721 and improvements were observed across TMA disease markers. The investigators treating all of these patients at different sites consider the improvements to be treatment-related and clinically meaningful. Based on observations in this cohort, a European investigator has requested that Omeros provide extended access to OMS721 for compassionate use in his two study patients, both of whom suffer from atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), a form of TMA.
In the clinical trial, the first cohort comprised of three patients treated with the lowest dose of OMS721. All three patients have aHUS. Platelet count, serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and serum haptoglobin were measured as markers of disease activity. When contrast to baseline levels, platelet counts improved in all patients. Serum LDH levels remained normal in one patient, substantially reduced to close to the normal range in another and remained elevated in the third. Haptoglobin improved in two patients, normalizing in one. Creatinine levels in the one patient with independent renal function also improved.
Omeros Corporation (NASDAQ:OMER), controls the worldwide rights to MASP-2 and all therapeutics targeting MASP-2, a novel pro-inflammatory protein target involved in activation of the complement system, which is an important component of the immune system. The complement system plays a role in the inflammatory response and becomes activated as a result of tissue damage or microbial infection. MASP-2 appears to be unique to, and required for the function of, one of the principal complement activation pathways, known as the lectin pathway.
Auris Medical Holding AG (NASDAQ:EARS), surged 16.74% and is now trading at $6.42, as a clinical-stage company dedicated to developing therapeutics that address important unmet medical needs in otolaryngology, formerly on February 11, declared that it has recently been granted a patent by the Chinese patent office covering the use of its investigational tinnitus treatment AM-101. China patent No. 2014092201088240 describes methods for the treatment of tinnitus induced by cochlear excitotoxicity, and notably the use of Ketamine and related compounds for that purpose.
“We are very happy by the patent grant in China, which adds substantially to our intellectual property portfolio related to AM-101″, commented Thomas Meyer, the Company’s founder, Chairman and CEO. “Epidemiologic studies estimate that 130 million people experience tinnitus in China, which is similar to the prevalence in other parts of the world and suggests a noteworthy unmet medical need.”
Auris Medical is a Swiss biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing therapeutics that address important unmet medical needs in otolaryngology.
Shares of the Athersys, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATHX), gained 11.97% & is now trading at $2.89, soon after the news release that Athersys, Inc. (ATHX) and Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Tokyo Stock Exchange:4519) have declared a partnership and license contract to exclusively develop and commercialize MultiStem(R) cell therapy for ischemic stroke in Japan. Ischemic stroke represents a precedingity disease area in Japan, given the high healthcare burden of the condition and the predictable raise in incidence associated with Japan’s aging population.
Athersys’ proprietary cell therapy product, MultiStem, is presently being evaluated in a Phase 2 clinical study for ischemic stroke in the United States and Europe, and Athersys has begun preparations for clinical development in Japan, counting engagement with the Japanese Health Authority. Chugai is a leading research-based pharmaceutical company with strengths in biotechnology products, and brings to the partnership substantial expertise and experience in late-stage development and commercialization in Japan.
“We are delighted to have concluded a license contract with Athersys for the development and marketing of MultiStem, a very innovative cell therapy under clinical development,” said President and Chief Operation Officer at Chugai, Tatsuro Kosaka. “By combining Chugai’s strong expertise in biological pharmaceuticals, we hope to bring MultiStem to the Japanese healthcare system as a new treatment modality during the critical phase of ischemic stroke.”
Athersys is an international biotechnology company engaged in the discovery and development of therapeutic product candidates designed to extend and enhance the quality of human life. The Company is developing its MultiStem cell therapy product, a patented, adult-derived “off-the-shelf” stem cell product, initially for disease indications in the cardiovascular, neurological, inflammatory and immune disease areas, and has several ongoing clinical trials evaluating this potential regenerative medicine product.
