Dec. 4 Company Quick Takes: Allakos on the block?; plus Aurinia, Tecentriq, Gatehouse-AZ, Novartis-Amazon, Merck KGaA-Ping An and ICT

Allakos shares jump on report of potential sale

Allakos Inc. (NASDAQ:ALLK) declined to comment on a Bloomberg report citing unnamed sources that the company has hired a financial adviser to explore strategic options, including a possible sale. Allakos, which rose $41.79 (44%) to $137.73 Wednesday, has been seen by some investors as a bolt-on acquisition target since summer, when it reported Phase II data in eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders (see “Allakos Sustains its Gains on Strength of GI Readout”)...