Health and Healthcare

Why This FDA Clearance Is a Big Deal For Sorrento Therapeutics

courtesy of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: SRNE) stock jumped on Monday after the company announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had cleared its Phase 2 study in hospitalized patients with moderate to severe COVID-19.

The study will be focused on the safety and efficacy of once-weekly injections of STI-5656 (abivertinib maleate) in hospitalized COVID-19 patients who have a high risk for rapid clinical deterioration and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

Back in May, Sorrento announced that it had entered into a binding term sheet for an exclusive license to ACEA Therapeutics’ Abivertinib across all indications for all territories outside of China. The parties have since entered into an exclusive license agreement.

Essentially, abivertinib works to inhibit pro-inflamatory cytokine production. These cytokines are associated with cytokine release syndrome (CRS) or cytokine storm and COVID-19 disease progression with poor outcomes in patients with ARDS.

Because abivertinib targets multiple cytokines simultaneously, Sorrento expects that the effects of Abivertinib will be incremental to the initial published findings by others and that the clinical benefits will be more pronounced given the broader range of anti-cytokine activity.

So far, abivertinib has been studied in over 600 patients worldwide in various oncologic indications, including one registration trial in non-small cell lung cancer.

Most treatment-related adverse events observed were grade 1 or 2. Other common treatment-related adverse included anemia, neutropenia and thrombocytopenia, each of which are generally considered typical with long-term use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors. No unexpected adverse effects were reported.

Sorrento stock was last seen up about 17% at $8.13, with a 52-week range of $1.39 to $10.00. The consensus analyst price target is $23.00.

Want to Retire Early? Start Here (Sponsor)

Want retirement to come a few years earlier than you’d planned? Or are you ready to retire now, but want an extra set of eyes on your finances?

Now you can speak with up to 3 financial experts in your area for FREE. By simply clicking here you can begin to match with financial professionals who can help you build your plan to retire early. And the best part? The first conversation with them is free.

Click here to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you make financial decisions.

 

Have questions about retirement or personal finance? Email us at [email protected]!

By emailing your questions to 24/7 Wall St., you agree to have them published anonymously on a673b.bigscoots-temp.com.

By submitting your story, you understand and agree that we may use your story, or versions of it, in all media and platforms, including via third parties.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.