- Swiss biotech company Arpida said on Thursday its superbug drug iclaprim had proved to be as efficient as Pfizer's (PFE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) rival drug in a late-stage trial, sending Arpida stock up over 14 percent.
By 1241 GMT, the shares were up 13 percent at 30.50 Swiss francs per share on 9 times average daily volume, making Arpida the top gainer in the Swiss market and the second most actively traded stock. Arpida's value has almost doubled in 2006.
"Iclaprim demonstrated a clinical cure rate which was statistically non-inferior to that of (Pfizer's) linezolid ... thereby achieving the primary endpoint of the trial," Arpida said in a statement.
The Phase III trials were designed to compare the efficacy and safety iclaprim in the treatment of skin infections with that of market leader linezolid, marketed by Pfizer Inc. as Zyvox. Iclaprim is designed to treat severe hospital-acquired infections including superbug MRSA.
"The safety profile of iclaprim was excellent and here we believe that iclaprim offers a significant benefit over Zyvox which causes myelosuppression requiring weekly blood counts," Brian White, analyst at Deutsche Bank, said in a note.
What is it?
Iclaprim is a broad-spectrum antibiotic targeting severe infections including those caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) which is predominantly caught in hospitals.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment