Dec. 13 Quick Takes: Bellus headed for Phase III in chronic cough
Plus: Veru’s Entadfi approved, Brii asset on hold and updates from Arbutus, BrainStorm and Vaccitech
Bellus Health Inc. (NASDAQ:BLU; TSX:BLU) is expecting to start a Phase III trial in 2H22 for BLU-5937 after the two higher doses of the P2X3 antagonist met the primary endpoint of a significant reduction in 24-hour cough frequency at day 28 vs. placebo in the Phase IIb SOOTHE trial to treat refractory chronic cough. Bellus added $260 million in market cap on the news as the stock climbed $2.61 (46%) to $8.21 on Monday. Last July, the biotech lost over 70% of its value after reporting BLU-5937 missed the primary endpoint in the Phase II RELIEF trial.
Veru Inc. (NASDAQ:VERU) will launch Entadfi finasteride/tadalafil early next year using its own direct to patient telepharmacy platform and in partnership with GoodRx following the drug’s FDA approval to treat urinary tract symptoms caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Cialis tadalafil is a PDE5 inhibitor approved to treat BPH and erectile dysfunction, and Proscar finasteride is a 5α-reductase inhibitor approved to treat BPH and androgenetic alopecia...