Shares of
Pliant Therapeutics.
PLRX
rallied 159% on Jul 11 after the company announced positive results from a mid-stage study on experimental candidate PLN-74809 in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
INTEGRIS-IPF is a multinational, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating PLN-74809 at once-daily doses of 40 mg, 80 mg, 160 mg or placebo for 12 weeks in 90 patients with IPF. Among the patients, 67 were placed in the active arms and 23 in the placebo arm.
The trial achieved its primary and secondary endpoints. Pliant tested out three doses (40 mg, 80 mg, 160 mg) of the treatment in patients with IPF for over 12 weeks, demonstrating PLN-74809 was well tolerated over the period. It also displayed a favorable pharmacokinetic profile.
IPF is a chronic, progressive lung disease of unknown cause wherein patients experience debilitating symptoms, including shortness of breath and difficulty performing daily activities
The disease has very few treatment options and a poor prognosis.
Shares of Pliant have declined 34.3% this year compared with the
industry
’s fall of 18.5%.
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The exploratory efficacy endpoints of the study, assessing changes in forced vital capacity (FVC) and Quantitative Lung Fibrosis (QLF) imaging, demonstrated a dose-dependent treatment effect on FVC and QLF versus placebo over 12 weeks in PLN-74809 treated patients.
A pooled analysis of PLN-74809 treated patients showed an 80% reduction in FVC decline at 12 weeks compared to the placebo.
Pliant has recently completed enrollment in the 320mg cohort of the INTEGRIS-IPF phase IIa study. The 12-week interim data from the 320mg cohort study is expected in early 2023.
Earlier in May, Pliant had announced that PLN-74809 received fast track designation from the FDA for the potential treatment of IPF.
The candidate is also being evaluated for the treatment of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC).
Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider
Pliant currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some similar-ranked stocks in the overall health sector are
Aquestive Therapeutics
AQST
,
Merck & Co.
MRK
., and
Seagen
SGEN
, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see
the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here
.
Aquestive Therapeutics’loss per share estimates for 2022 have narrowed from $1.50 to $1.34 cents in the past 30 days. The same for 2023 has narrowed from 95 cents to 74 cents in the same time frame.
Earnings of Aquestive missed estimates in one of the trailing four quarters and beat the same on the remaining three occasions, the average surprise being 13.78%.
Merck’s earnings per share estimates for 2022 have improved from $7.28 to $7.31 in the past 30 days. The same for 2023 has remained steady at $7.16 in the same time frame. Shares of MRK have returned 23.2% in the year-to-date period.
Earnings of Merck missed estimates in one of the trailing four quarters and beat the same on the remaining three occasions, the average surprise being 13.42%.
Seagen’s loss per share estimates for 2022 have narrowed from $3.50 to $3.49 in the past 30 days. The same for 2023 has widened from $1.41 to $1.43 cents in the same time frame.
Earnings of Seagen missed estimates in two of the trailing four quarters and beat the same on the remaining two occasions, the average negative surprise being 40.08%. SGEN has returned 14.8% in the year-to-date period.
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