Latest news with #clinicaltrials
Reuters
14 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Danaher lifts annual profit forecast on pharma demand, China recovery
July 22 (Reuters) - Life sciences firm Danaher (DHR.N), opens new tab raised its annual profit forecast on Tuesday, banking on steady demand for bioprocessing from its pharmaceutical clients and a recovery in China. Danaher, which provides tools and technologies that help pharmaceutical companies develop and make drugs, said demand from the industry remains strong, with robust number of clinical trials and therapies under development. CEO Rainer Blair said that patents expiring soon for several high-volume therapies is also driving demand. Danaher expects high single-digit long-term growth for its bioprocessing unit. "Monoclonal antibodies, which comprise more than 75% of our bioprocessing revenues remain the largest investment area for our customers," Blair said. Revenues in China, about 12% of total sales, remained pressured due to Chinese government policies such as volume-based procurement and reimbursement changes. But the company said its China business, barring diagnostics, is improving, as government stimulus boosts pharma and biotech industries. Danaher's current exposure to proposed tariffs stands at "a couple hundred million dollars," down from previous estimates, a company executive told analysts on a call. Still, Danaher flagged that demand from academic and government sectors remained soft due to uncertainty around research funding, while clinical diagnostics and applied markets stayed stable. Evercore analyst Vijay Kumar said Danaher has delivered a "steady print" of results, and that improving trends in China and a potential bioprocessing recovery in 2026 could boost growth. The company now forecasts annual adjusted profit per share of $7.70 to $7.80, up from its previous projection of $7.60 to $7.75. Danaher expects third-quarter revenue to rise at a low-single-digit rate from a year earlier. Second-quarter sales came in at $5.94 billion, surpassing analysts' estimates of $5.84 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. Separately, Danaher announced that Matthew Gugino will be succeeding long-time CFO Matthew McGrew, effective February 28, 2026.
Globe and Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
3 Healthcare Stocks to Buy Before They Announce Game-Changing Clinical Trial Results
Key Points Eli Lilly, Summit Therapeutics, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals all have important ongoing clinical trials. Shares of these drugmakers could jump if the data from the studies is positive. All three companies have attractive prospects beyond that. 10 stocks we like better than Eli Lilly › Few things can jolt a pharmaceutical company's shares like positive results from highly anticipated clinical trials. Even so, long-term investors should have a balanced approach to potentially positive data readouts. Putting aside the fact that it's impossible to predict the outcome of a clinical trial beforehand, even when the results are up to Wall Street's standards, it's hardly worth investing in the company unless there are other good reasons to think it will perform well over long periods. That's why you may want to take a closer look at Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY), Summit Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SMMT), and Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VRTX). All three drugmakers should release results from key clinical trials within the next 18 months, and all three have strong prospects for the next five years at least. 1. Eli Lilly In April, Eli Lilly reported positive phase 3 results for its oral GLP-1 candidate, orforglipron. While the market reacted positively to this development, the study in question focused on diabetes patients and used A1c reduction as its primary endpoint. All eyes will be on the company's ongoing late-stage studies for orforglipron in obesity; it should release data from at least one of those clinical trials within the next year. Eli Lilly's work in weight management has taken center stage in the past few years. The pharmaceutical leader could, once again, make a breakthrough by being one of the first to launch a highly effective oral GLP-1 anti-obesity drug. Since current options are administered subcutaneously, you can expect orforglipron to reach a reasonable level of success on the market -- but that's only if it performs well in phase 3 obesity studies. If it fails to do so, Lilly's shares could plunge. Even so, the stock should still be a buy. True, orforglipron would strengthen Lilly's already robust lineup. But even if it falls short of expectations in late-stage studies, the company has several other candidates in development, including retatrutide, which is also in phase 3 trials. Meanwhile, Lilly continues to generate consistent financial results. Revenue and earnings have been growing at a good clip, and that should continue for the foreseeable future. Lastly, Eli Lilly is an excellent dividend growth stock. Although results from phase 3 trials for orforglipron in obesity will be important to monitor, the stock should perform well over the long run, regardless of the outcome of these trials. 2. Summit Therapeutics Summit Therapeutics is developing ivonescimab, a cancer medicine it licensed from Akeso, a China-based biopharma. Ivonescimab is already approved in China; however, Summit needs to conduct clinical trials elsewhere to support approval in the U.S., Europe, and other regions where it holds marketing rights. At least one of these studies will be of particular interest to investors. Summit is testing its crown jewel in a late-stage trial against Merck 's Keytruda in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), in a study called Harmoni-3. Enrollment in the study is ongoing, and there is a good chance we'll see top-line data from it by the end of next year. Summit's stock soared when it reported that ivonescimab did better than Keytruda at reducing the risk of recurrence or death in NSCLC patients, in a study conducted in China. However, reproducing this result elsewhere could, once again, jolt the stock price. On the flip side, Summit's share price will move in the wrong direction if the results aren't what Wall Street expects. Should you buy the stock? To me, Summit Therapeutics' prospects for the next five years seem attractive. Ivonescimab is being tested across a range of different cancers, and it looks highly promising in NSCLC, which could be its most important market. Even with the possibility that it may not perform as well in studies outside of China, having already been approved by regulatory authorities in one region reduces the risk of significant clinical and regulatory setbacks. Ivonescimab looks like a potential pipeline in a drug. And if you invest in Summit Therapeutics now, you might reap the benefits of its leading candidate's potential. 3. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Vertex Pharmaceuticals is a proven innovator. The company's strategy is to develop breakthrough medicines where there's a high unmet need. One of Vertex's new targets is type 1 diabetes (T1D). There are no cures for this chronic disease, but the biotech's candidate zimislecel could be a functional cure, in the sense that it could recover patients' ability to produce their own insulin -- something that people with T1D can't do. In the phase 1/2 portion of an ongoing phase 1/2/3 clinical trial, 10 of 12 patients who received zimislecel were insulin-free after a one-year follow-up. All 12 were free of severe hypoglycemic events after 90 days. Vertex should have data from the late-stage portion of this ongoing clinical trial within the next year. Positive results will be well received. The company also aims to submit regulatory applications for this product sometime in 2026. Zimislecel should be a nice addition to Vertex's portfolio. The biotech remains the leader in the market for drugs that treat the underlying genetic causes of cystic fibrosis, a business that is still helping it drive strong revenue and earnings growth. Furthermore, Vertex has added several medicines to its portfolio over the past five years, including Journavx for acute pain and Casgevy for two rare blood-related disorders. Vertex Pharmaceuticals' pipeline also has promising programs beyond zimislecel. Well beyond the announcement of clinical-trial results for this promising T1D therapy, the stock will be in an excellent position to perform. Should you invest $1,000 in Eli Lilly right now? Before you buy stock in Eli Lilly, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Eli Lilly wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $652,133!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,056,790!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,048% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 180% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 21, 2025
Irish Times
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Hvivo revenue falls as pharma market uncertainty hits
Revenue at Irish clinical trials company Hvivo fell in the first six months of the year as the uncertainty in the pharma market, particularly in the US, hit contracts. But the company remained on track to reach £47 million in revenue for the year, it said. In a trading update for the six months ended June 30th 2025, the company said revenue for the period was £24.2 million, down from £35.6 million a year earlier. Hvivo, which offers contract research to pharmaceutical companies, said in May that a significant contract for a human challenge trial had been cancelled, while another had been postponed. A smaller study had also been cancelled, the company said, blaming the uncertainty in the pharmaceutical sector and depressed financing for the biotech market. READ MORE Its weighted contracted order book was £40 million at the end of the first half, down from £71 million in the prior year. However, the company said it had a strong sales pipeline, with opportunities that were not yet contracted and the aggregate value of customer proposals submitted in the first half of the year already surpassing the total in 2024. Its acquisitions of CRS and Cryostore, which were completed for £10.5 million net of cash acquired, are also diversifying its offerings. The acquisitions contributed £5.5 million to group revenue in the first half. The group said it is in advance discussions for a number of major human challenge trial projectsand is also pursuing significant opportunities for its hLAB and clinical services operations. 'Some persistent macro and sector-specific headwinds remain however, including a subdued biotech funding environment partly connected to uncertainties in the US, which have impacted the broader CRO industry, resulting in delayed contract conversion and a number of cancellations and postponements,' Hvivo said in a statement. It said the issues affecting the sector are likely to the 'transitory rather than fundamental', and predicted its business would return to growth as the market normalises, and biotech funding improves. 'The utility of our services remains strong, as demonstrated by the recent success of our client's Phase II candidate. Our diversification strategy is already delivering results, and we expect continued momentum across all revenue streams,' said chief executive Dr Yamin 'Mo' Khan. 'While macroeconomic and sector-specific headwinds are still affecting contract conversions, we remain confident in the long-term growth trajectory of our services and the overall prospects for HVIVO. I'm encouraged by the strength of our sales pipeline, with several major opportunities that could enhance the growth of our services. We believe that we are well positioned to deliver growth in FY26, and we look forward to keeping shareholders updated on our progress.'
The Independent
a day ago
- Health
- The Independent
Study reveals periods of significant weight regain after weight loss drugs
A new study indicates that patients using weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may experience significant weight regain within weeks of discontinuing the medication. The research, a review of 11 clinical trials published in BMC Medicine, found a broad trend of weight rebound after medication courses concluded. Significant periods of weight regain were observed at eight, 12, and 20 weeks after stopping the anti-obesity medications. The analysis revealed that the weight rebound typically continued for an average of 20 weeks before stabilising. Researchers suggest that factors such as the specific medication taken and the consistency of lifestyle changes influence the extent of weight regain, calling for further long-term studies.
Medscape
a day ago
- Health
- Medscape
QoL Deserves More Than a Footnote in Cancer Trials
In a review published in New England Journal of Medicine Evidence , Massimo Di Maio, MD, from the Department of Oncology at the University of Turin in Turin, Italy, and president-elect of the Italian Association of Medical Oncology, offers a detailed analysis of how patient-reported outcomes are used in clinical trials and explains the best practices for interpreting quality-of-life (QoL) data. 'QoL data are increasingly being included in oncology trials,' Di Maio told Univadis Italy, a Medscape Network platform. 'However, the scientific community is less familiar with interpreting — or critically assessing — this type of data compared with more traditional endpoints like progression-free survival or overall survival.' With growing support from scientific societies and regulatory agencies, QoL has become a standard endpoint in many studies. Yet practical guidance on its interpretation remains limited. Di Maio, who also served as lead author of the European Society For Medical Oncology guidelines on the use of patient-reported outcome measures in oncology, views this as a significant gap in the field. 'We must not forget that for many patients — especially those in advanced stages of disease — living well can be just as important, if not more so, than living longer,' he emphasized. He also cautioned that statistical significance does not always translate into meaningful clinical benefit. From Trial Design... To accurately assess QoL and maximize the value of the data, clinical trials must be appropriately designed from the outset. As outlined in the article, phase 3 randomized trials offer the ideal framework for QoL measurement. They allow investigators to compare results between treatment and control groups, tracking changes from baseline and over time. Di Maio explains in the review that randomized trial designs help ensure that any differences observed between study arms are directly linked to the treatment itself. Speaking with Univadis Italy , he also addressed the potential for bias in QoL data collection. 'Some researchers argue that simply knowing they are receiving the experimental treatment may lead patients — perhaps even subconsciously — to perceive a benefit, which could influence patient-reported outcomes like QoL,' he said. Still, Di Maio noted the difficulty in rigorously proving the existence or magnitude of such bias. Ideally, this would be tested by comparing blinded and open-label trials, but these studies are uncommon and logistically challenging. One coordinated analysis, led by Fabio Efficace, PhD, of the Italian Group for Adult Hematologic Diseases, found that trial blinding was not an independent predictor of QoL benefit. While the potential for bias cannot be dismissed, Di Maio believes its real-world impact is likely modest — and that open-label studies can still yield valid and meaningful QoL data. ...To Data Interpretation Few oncology trials designate QoL as a primary endpoint, but this isn't inherently a limitation, Di Maio noted. QoL can still be a valuable secondary endpoint — provided the results are interpreted carefully and in the proper context. One of the central challenges is patient compliance with QoL questionnaires, which tends to be inconsistent. Factors contributing to low completion rates include limited time for clinicians to communicate the importance of QoL data, patient dropout due to disease progression or adverse outcomes, and technical issues such as failures in electronic data capture or patients' unfamiliarity with digital tools. In such cases, Di Maio suggested that having a paper-based backup system can improve data reliability. Ultimately, QoL should not be viewed as an optional or secondary concern, but as a fundamental part of assessing the true value of cancer therapies. Patient-reported outcome measures, while designed to capture quality of life, also offer critical insights into the broader effectiveness and utility of treatments. 'QoL data alone aren't sufficient,' Di Maio emphasized, 'but they are indispensable for understanding the value of a therapy — and for communicating that value clearly to patients.' He concluded that interpreting QoL data accurately is not just a scientific imperative but also an ethical obligation to patients navigating serious and often life-limiting conditions.
