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ARTICLE | Company News

Oct. 22 Company Quick Takes: Zealand acquires Encycle; plus Novartis, Vitalis, Roche-Spark

October 23, 2019 12:20 AM UTC
Updated on Oct 23, 2019 at 12:29 AM UTC

Zealand expands peptide platform with Encycle acquisition
Zealand Pharma A/S (CSE:ZEAL; NASDAQ:ZEAL) said it will expand its peptide therapeutics platform through the acquisition of Encycle Therapeutics Inc. In return for all its outstanding shares, access to its screening library of peptide macrocycles, IP and lead asset ET3764, Encycle will be eligible to receive up to $80 million in earn-out payments linked to ET3764 milestones plus single-digit royalties on the oral peptide inhibitor of integrin α4β7. ET3764 is in preclinical testing for inflammatory bowel disease.

Novartis plans label expansion for Entresto after Phase III miss
Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS; SIX:NOVN) said it will seek a label expansion for Entresto sacubitril/valsartan to treat heart failure in patients with preserved ejection fraction in 4Q19. Entresto is marketed to treat chronic heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction and pediatric heart failure in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction. In July, the drug missed its primary endpoint of reducing cardiovascular death and total heart failure hospitalizations in the Phase III PARAGON-HF trial in patients with preserved ejection fraction. However, June FDA guidance said that heart failure therapies do not need to show a mortality benefit or reduction in hospitalizations for approval (see "Entresto’s Heart Failure Miss May Not Signal The End")...