Novartis to Conduct Trial on Obese, Type II Diabetes Patients

In a recent announcement, MorphoSys AG mentioned that its partner, Swiss major Novartis AG NVS, will conduct a phase II clinical trial on pipeline candidate bimagrumab in obese patients with type II diabetes.

A look at Novartis’ share price movement in the last twelve months shows that the stock has underperformed the Zacks classified Large Cap Pharma industry. Its shares have lost 10.2% compared with the 1.8% decline for the industry.

Per the information provided on clinicaltrials.gov, the randomized, subject- and investigator-blinded study will enroll obese adult patients (n=60) suffering from type II diabetes to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of intravenous bimagrumab compared to placebo.

The primary endpoints of the study comprise the change in fat body mass at weeks 24 and 48, while the secondary endpoints include mean change from baseline in HbA1c, insulin resistance as measured by the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA-IR), fasting insulin and glucose.

We note that Novartis is evaluating bimagrumab for the treatment of sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM). The candidate was granted Breakthrough Therapy designation by the FDA for the treatment of sIBM. Novartis initiated a phase I/II study on bimagrumab in patients with sIBM. The study showed that a single dose of bimagrumab improved muscle volume at eight weeks (muscle volume for right leg increased 6.5% compared to placebo) and walking distance at 16 weeks in sIBM patients. Bimagrumab is also being evaluated in phase II trials in patients with sarcopenia and recovery from hip fracture.

Approval of new drugs and label expansion of existing ones should bode well for Novartis as it has been facing stiff generic competition for some of its key drugs like Gleevec in recent times.

Novartis currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

Novartis AG Price and Consensus

 

Novartis AG Price and Consensus | Novartis AG Quote

Key Picks in the Sector

Some better-ranked stocks in the health care sector are Sucampo Pharmaceuticals SCMP, Kite Pharma, Inc. KITE and Anika Therapeutics, Inc. ANIK. While Anika and Sucampo sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Kite Pharma has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Kite Pharma’s loss per share estimates narrowed from $5.50 to $5.48 for 2016 and from $7.00 to $6.85 for 2017 in the last 30 days. The company posted a positive surprise thrice in the four trailing quarters with an average beat of 7.89%.

Anika’s earnings per share estimates for 2016 and 2017 were up 3.9% and 0.5%, respectively, over the last 60 days. The company recorded a positive earnings surprise in each of the last four quarters with an the average beat of 33.14%. Its share price was up 36.4% in the past one year.

Sucmapo’s earnings estimates remained unchanged at $1.22 for 2016 but increased from $1.69 to $1.74 for 2017 over the last 30 days. The company posted a positive earnings surprise in all of the four trailing quarters with an average beat of 35.5%.

The Best Place to Start Your Stock Search

Today, you are invited to download the full list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buy" stocks – absolutely free of charge. Since 1988, Zacks Rank #1 stocks have nearly tripled the market, with average gains of +26% per year. Plus, you can access the list of portfolio-killing Zacks Rank #5 "Strong Sells" and other private research. See these stocks free >>

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
 
Novartis AG (NVS): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Anika Therapeutics Inc. (ANIK): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Kite Pharma, Inc. (KITE): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SCMP): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
 
Zacks Investment Research