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☆ Wells Fargo becomes bullish on this biotech company
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Hakyung Kim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Neurocrine Biosciences ' drug pipeline is turning a corner and the company will be "knocking on the doors of the large-cap club" soon, according to Wells Fargo. Bansal forecasts the company's congenital adrenal hyperplasia treatment, crinecerfont, will achieve $1.5 billion in peak sales, topping his prior $1.1 billion estimate. "We think [the] Crinecerfont [opportunity] is underappreciated as the Street is only giving credit for $500-$700M peak opportunity." Bansal said this drug could open "a whole new chapter" of a $1.2 billion peak sales opportunity. The NBI-'845 treatment could be "another blockbuster opportunity," Bansal said, citing the treatment's once-daily administration as a factor in his assessment.

Persons: Mohit, Bansal, Takeda, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Biosciences Locations: Wells Fargo

☆ Biotech stocks are ready to break out. They just need one more thing
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

While debate rages on about when the Federal Reserve might start cutting interest rates, biotech industry analysts are making the case that the argument for stocks in the sector is growing. Last week, Morgan Stanley analysts noted that it is the months leading up to an initial rate cut when biotech stocks outperform. Morgan Stanley also believes the case for biotech stocks is further reinforced by the financing environment and the outlook for mergers and acquisitions as well as upcoming innovation. The case for innovation Morgan Stanley also favors owning biotech stocks that have a strong drug platform even if the key catalyst of clinical trial data and FDA approvals are farther out. Rhythm ranks among the stocks rated overweight that Morgan Stanley favors in this category.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Needham, Joseph Stringer, dealmaking, Stringer, erosive, it's, Phathom, GERD, LSEG, Merck, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Federal Reserve, Nasdaq, Oncology, Immunology, Phathom Pharmaceutical, Pharmaceuticals, Phathom Pharmaceuticals, LSEG, Drug, Bristol Myers Squibb, Pfizer, Intellia Therapeutics, Rocket Pharmaceuticals Locations: New Jersey

☆ Finland says gas pipeline likely broken by ship dragging anchor
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Essi Lehto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Investigators said they had now retrieved a lost anchor from the seabed location where the pipeline ruptured on Oct. 8, and were investigating whether it belonged to a Chinese container vessel. Police have previously said damage to the Balticconnector subsea gas pipeline and two Baltic Sea telecoms cables was cause by external mechanical force and were investigating whether this was a case of sabotage or caused by accident. Broad drag marks were seen on the seabed leading up to where the pipeline was broken, and the anchor was lying immediately after the damage spot. China called on Monday for an "objective, fair and professional" investigation into the pipeline damage. The incident cut pipeline gas supplies to Finland, although the country expects to manage with imports of liquefied natural gas via ship deliveries to its Inkoo port.

Persons: Investigators, Robin Lardot, Essi Lehto, Terje Solsvik, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Hong, Police, Baltic, Bureau of Investigation, NATO, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, Finland, HELSINKI, Baltic, Gulf of Finland, China, Germany, Russia

☆ Swedish Govt Says Estonia Has Linked Baltic Cable, Pipeline Damages
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Estonia believes that damage to a telecommunications cable in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Estonia is related to damage to a pipeline and cable between Estonia and Finland, Sweden's government said on Monday. On Oct. 8 a subsea gas pipeline and telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia were damaged, in what Finnish investigators believe may have been deliberate sabotage. Helsinki is investigating the pipeline incident, while Tallinn is probing the cable incident. Last week, Sweden said a third link had been damaged at roughly the same time as the other two. Bohlin added that Estonia had assessed that "the damage to the gas pipeline and communications cable between Finland and Estonia is related to the damage to the communications cable between Sweden and Estonia".

Persons: Sweden's, Carl, Oskar Bohlin, Bohlin, Sevmorput, Simon Johnson, Jan Harvey, Emelia Organizations: Civil Defence, NATO, National Bureau of Investigation Locations: STOCKHOLM, Estonia, Baltic, Sweden, Finland, Helsinki, Tallinn, Russia, Germany

☆ Swedish govt says Estonia has linked Baltic cable, pipeline damages
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Estonian Navy conducts an undersea communications cable survey after a subsea gas pipeline and a telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia under the Baltic Sea was damaged, in the Gulf of Finland, October 10, 2023. Estonian Navy Handout/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSTOCKHOLM, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Estonia believes that damage to a telecommunications cable in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Estonia is related to damage to a pipeline and cable between Estonia and Finland, Sweden's government said on Monday. On Oct. 8 a subsea gas pipeline and telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia were damaged, in what Finnish investigators believe may have been deliberate sabotage. Bohlin added that Estonia had assessed that "the damage to the gas pipeline and communications cable between Finland and Estonia is related to the damage to the communications cable between Sweden and Estonia". NATO has said it is stepping up patrols in the Baltic Sea following the incidents, which have stoked concerns about the security of energy supplies in the wider Nordic region.

Persons: Sweden's, Carl, Oskar Bohlin, Bohlin, Sevmorput, Simon Johnson, Jan Harvey, Emelia Organizations: Estonian Navy, REUTERS, Rights, Civil Defence, NATO, National Bureau of Investigation, Thomson Locations: Finland, Estonia, Baltic, Gulf of Finland, Handout, Rights STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Helsinki, Tallinn, Russia, Germany

☆ Estonia has linked Baltic cable, pipeline damages, Sweden says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Simon Johnson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Persons: Sweden's, Carl, Oskar Bohlin, Bohlin, Triinu Olev, Sevmorput, Simon Johnson, Andrius, Jan Harvey, Emelia, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Estonian Navy, REUTERS, Rights, Civil Defence, NATO, National Bureau of Investigation, Andrius Sytas, Thomson Locations: Finland, Estonia, Baltic, Gulf of Finland, Handout, Rights STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Helsinki, Tallinn, Estonian, Russia, Germany, Stockholm, Vilnius

"We have identified that during the incidents, the vessels NewNew Polar Bear and Sevmorput were in the area. 'HEAVY OBJECT'Finland's NBI said "a heavy object" was found on the seabed near the pipeline damage and were investigating whether this was linked to the incident. NewNew Shipping, the owner and operator of the NewNew Polar Bear, declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. The Finnish foreign ministry, in a statement to Reuters said it had contacted China to seek help to get in touch with the NewNew Polar Bear. Russia's Rosatom said the Sevmorput had no link to any of the pipeline damage.

Persons: NBI, Risto Lohi, Lohi, Russia's Rosatom, Rosatom, Anne Kauranen, Terje Solsvik, Gwladys Fouche, Alex Richardson, Jonathan Oatis, Jane Merriman Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, National Bureau of Investigation, Reuters, NewNew Shipping, NATO, Thomson Locations: Paldiski, Estonia, Handout, HELSINKI, VILNIUS, Finland, Sweden, Stockholm, Tallinn, Hong Kong, China, Russia, Finnish, Russian, Baltic, Gulf of Finland, Beijing, Moscow

☆ Risky biotech M&A therapy will heal more fractures
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Jonathan Guilford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

NEW YORK, Oct 19 (Reuters Breakingviews) - How can a suitor offering $1 billion see eye-to-eye with a seller asking for $2 billion? Such contingent value rights, or CVRs, are a way to get around the inherent uncertainty of an unproven drug. Its $74 billion takeover of Celgene in 2019 included a $6.4 billion payout dependent on a trio of drug approvals. There have been only 27 biotech market debuts this year, raising $2.2 billion, according to LSEG data. Given the nagging fissures in valuation perspectives, however, more dealmakers are apt to try this risky M&A therapy.

Persons: Schulman, Sidley, Bristol Myers, Myers, CVRs, Andrew Weisenfeld, IPOs, ”, Dan Lepanto, biopharma, Eli Lilly’s, Bristol Myers Squibb, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Dow, Marion Laboratories, LyondellBasell Industries, Mirati Therapeutics, JPMorgan, Sanofi, Health Partners, Nasdaq Biotechnology, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters Graphics, Leerink Partners, Therapeutics, Public, Bristol Myers, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Thomson Locations: Celgene, Genzyme, U.S

STOCKHOLM/HELSINKI, Oct 17 (Reuters) - A Baltic Sea telecom cable connecting Sweden and Estonia was damaged at roughly the same time as a Finnish-Estonian pipeline and cable were earlier this month, but remains operational, Sweden's civil defence minister said on Tuesday. The damage to the Swedish-Estonian cable was sustained outside the territorial waters and exclusive economic zone of Sweden, the country's civil defence minister, Carl-Oskar Bohlin said, and the cable had continued to function since then. VESSELS IN AREAEurope and NATO have become increasingly concerned about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure around and under the Baltic Sea. The latest incidents follow explosions in September 2022 that ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic Sea and cut Europe's supply of Russian gas. Finland said on Oct. 8 that the Balticconnector subsea gas pipeline and a telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia had been damaged in what may have been a deliberate act.

Persons: Carl, Oskar Bohlin, Arelion, Ewa Skoog Haslum, NBI, Atomflot, Ulf Kristersson, Nerijus Adomaitis, Niklas Pollard, Simon Johnson, Marie, Gleb Stolyarov, Andrew Gray, Gwladys, Bill Berkrot, Mark Potter, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Estonian Economic Affairs, Communications Ministry, NATO, Reuters, National Bureau of Investigation, NewNew Shipping, Sweden's, Joint Expeditionary Force, Marie Mannes, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, HELSINKI, Sweden, Estonia, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Swedish, Finland, Hiiumaa, NATO, Baltic, Europe, Rosatom, Oslo, Stockholm, Brussels

HELSINKI (AP) — Finnish police said Wednesday they have launched a criminal investigation into possible sabotage of an undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia that was shut down over the weekend following a leak. It is bi-directional, transferring natural gas between Finland and Estonia depending on demand and supply. The company said a liquified natural gas terminal in Inkoo has the capacity to deliver the gas Finland needs. Europe saw natural gas prices hit record highs last year after Russia’s cutoff of most gas supplies during the war in Ukraine. Europe currently has filled 97% of its gas storage capacity for the winter, but security of supply depends on deliveries of pipeline gas and LNG.

Persons: NBI, ”, Risto Lohi, Jens Stoltenberg, Sauli Niinistö, Kaja Kallas, ” Stoltenberg, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, “ Organizations: HELSINKI, National Bureau of, NATO, YLE, “, European Union, Estonian Locations: Finland, Estonia, Gulf, Finnish, Inkoo, Estonian, Paldiski, Germany, Russia, Baltic, Brussels, Baltics, Europe, Ukraine

☆ Biotech’s doldrums are a warning amid exuberance
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The sector’s doldrums are a warning sign, despite the broader market shrugging off recession concerns. In 2000, the index peaked weeks before the S&P 500 Index (.SPX) and hit bottom three months earlier. In the 2009 financial crisis, the biotech index peaked later, but both emerged at about the same time. Yet biotech stocks have been lackluster since. Since January, the index is down 2%, while the S&P 500 Index is up 19% and the Nasdaq Composite Index is up 35%.

Persons: Robert Cyran, Jonathan Guilford, Sharon Lam Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Biotechnology, Nasdaq Biotechnology, Nasdaq, Twitter, Thales, Thomson Locations: Spain

☆ Wall Street closes lower after Home Depot outlook, US retail sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Chuck Mikolajczak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Commerce Department reported retail sales rose 0.4% in April, short of the estimate for an increase of 0.8%. That slowing along with recent negotiations over the U.S. debt ceiling has focused attention on when the central bank will pause hiking, or cut interest rates. While the market is currently pricing in a rate cut by the end of the year, recent comments from Fed officials suggested they are not ready to cut rates soon. Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester said she does not think the central bank can hold interest rates steady yet. (This story has been corrected to say 'a rate cut,' instead of 'a rate hike,' in paragraph 8)Reporting by Shreyashi Sanyal in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ S&P 500, Dow fall, dragged by Home Depot outlook, US retail sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Chuck Mikolajczak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Home Depot (HD.N) shed 1.73%, the biggest drag on the Dow Industrials and among the heaviest weights on the S&P 500 after the home improvement retailer cut its annual sales forecast and projected a steeper-than-expected decline in profit. The Commerce Department reported retail sales rose 0.4% in April, short of the estimate for an increase of 0.8%. That slowing along with recent negotiations over the U.S. debt ceiling has focused attention on when the central bank will pause hiking, or cut interest rates. Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester said she does not think the central bank can hold interest rates steady yet. The S&P 500 posted 10 new 52-week highs and 12 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 42 new highs and 163 new lows.

The Commerce Department reported retail sales rose 0.4% in April, at half the pace against an expected increase of 0.8%. "The retail sales data has been positive in several months, but it's still weak," said Jamie Cox, managing partner at Harris Financial Group. You are probably seeing the end of the decline in retail sales, but it's not going to be a smooth ride from here." Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) component Home Depot (HD.N) shed 1.4%, hitting its lowest level in over six months after the company lowered its annual sales forecast. Shares of Capital One Financial Corp (COF.N) jumped 2.4%, rising the most on the S&P 500, after Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) on Monday disclosed it has begun investing in the consumer lender.

☆ AstraZeneca’s new deal is smarter than it looks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters Breakingviews) - On the face of it, Pascal Soriot’s new deal ought to raise his shareholders’ blood pressure. The boss of $221 billion pharma giant AstraZeneca (AZN.L) has agreed to buy CinCor Pharma (CINC.O) for up to $1.8 billion. Yet paying $26 in cash per CinCor share and an extra $10 per share if a key drug is submitted for regulatory approval represents a 206% bump to CinCor’s closing share price on Friday. The pharma industry has a war chest of over half a trillion dollars to splurge on knock-down biotech stocks this year. If the next trial goes better, Astra’s deal may not look so toppy.

☆ Big Pharma will find right formula for M&A binge
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The year 2022 was relatively thin for pharma M&A, with deals worth nearly $66 billion being announced by early December – 60% below the 9-year average, according to Refinitiv data; 2023 will be better. It helps that drug companies are relatively healthy, with debt around just 1.6 times forecast EBITDA in 2023, according to Berenberg analysts. Seagen (SGEN.O), for example, worth $22 billion in early December, has fought off Merck & Co (MRK.N). That puts Big Pharma in an ideal negotiating position. CONTEXT NEWSGlobal pharmaceutical companies spent nearly $66 billion on takeovers in 2022, according to data from Refinitiv as of Dec. 7.

☆ Amgen’s $28 bln deal is a reasonable gamble
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Dec 12 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Biotechnology deals are always a gamble, and, on the face of it, Amgen’s (AMGN.O) $28 billion purchase of Horizon Therapeutics (HZNP.O) looks both risky and pricey. Investors in the $150 billion drug buyer should give it the benefit of the doubt. Amgen is largely buying Horizon for a drug named Tepezza, which helps a thyroid disease that affects eyesight. Sales in Alexion’s drug this year should be $7 billion, a 16% jump from where they were when AstraZeneca bought it. If Amgen similarly helps Horizon, its deal will look like a reasonable wager.

☆ Biotech firm Prime Medicine valued at $1.8 bln in strong debut
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 20 (Reuters) - Biotechnology firm Prime Medicine (PRME.O) notched a valuation of about $1.8 billion in its Nasdaq debut on Thursday, braving tough market conditions that have forced several IPO-bound companies to slam the breaks on their listing plans. Shares of Prime Medicine started trading nearly 12% above their IPO price of $17 each. Its investors include Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) GV, Newpath Partners, Moore Strategic Ventures and Samsara Biocapital, the firm's website showed. Prime Medicine sold 10.3 million shares in its upsized offering, raising $175 million in proceeds priced at $17 apiece, the midpoint of its proposed range of $16 and $18 per share. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Manya Saini in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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