Nov. 4 Quick Takes: Bayer returns rights to Ionis’ antithrombotic

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) said it will seek a new partner for antisense therapy fesomersen (formerly IONIS-FXI-L_Rx), to which Bayer AG (Xetra:BAYN) is returning rights despite a readout from the Phase IIb RE-THINC ESRD study showing that the Factor XI-reducing treatment met the trial’s primary endpoint to prevent thrombosis in patients with end-stage renal disease. The trial’s 40 mg, 80 mg and 120 mg doses reduced steady-state Factor XI levels by 53.1%, 72.2% and 86.6%, respectively. Ionis’ February annual report said it had received more than $190 million to date under its 2015 licensing deal with Bayer; the pharma had paid $100 million up front. Bayer is advancing osocimab, a mAb targeting Factor XIa, through Phase II testing. Ionis fell $2.94 to $41.55 Friday.

Shares of Vicore Pharma Holding AB (SSE:VICO) climbed SEK2.95 (10%) to SEK31.45 on Friday after announcing interim data for 41 idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients treated with C21 in the Phase IIa AIR trial that showed the AGTR2 agonist led to a mean increase in forced vital capacity (FVC) at multiple time points, with 10 patients treated through 36 weeks showing a mean increase of 633 mL. Marketed IPF therapy Esbriet pirfenidone from Roche (SIX:ROG; OTCQX:RHHBY) showed in Phase III testing that it slowed the decline of FVC compared with placebo, but patients still experienced an absolute decline. ...