Amarin's FDA panel verdict bodes well for Matinas BioPharma - Maxim

Matinas BioPharma Holdings

15/11/2019 13:29

** Drug developer's shares  MTNB.A  up 13% at $1.02
premarket
    ** Panel of independent experts to FDA vote unanimously in
favor of approving wider use of rival Amarin's  AMRN.O  fish-oil
derived drug Vascepa, currently approved for lowering
triglycerides  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N27U4Y0
    ** AMRN is seeking to expand the label on Vascepa to make it
a treatment for reducing the risk of heart attacks, strokes and
other cardiovascular events; FDA decision expected by Dec. 28
    ** Brokerage Maxim says panel meeting outcome is further
validation for the class of drugs and is a positive for MTNB's
omega-3 fatty acid-based drug MAT9001
    ** MAT9001 is being developed for lowering triglycerides and
has shown superiority vs Vascepa, MTNB said 
    ** Brokerage says drugs such as Vascepa have the potential
to gain as big a market share, as that for popular
cholesterol-lowering drug statin
    ** Patients have been moved from GlaxoSmithKline's  GSK.L 
Lovaza to Vascepa, and MAT9001 may follow suit given the
superior efficacy data vs Vascepa - Maxim
    ** Up to Thursday's close, MTNB up 50% so far this year

 (Reporting by Saumya Sibi Joseph in Bengaluru)
 ((saumya.joseph@thomsonreuters.com))