ARK Invest’s chief has stood by the fund’s poor recent performance as investors flee to benchmarks and anti-innovation funds.
Cathie Wood, chief executive officer of ARK Invest, has presided over a steep drop in the group’s ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK), which prioritises innovative technologies like gene editing, electric vehicles and artificial intelligence.
Goodbody Health Inc (AQSE:GBDY, CSE:GBDY, OTC:SCNNF) said it has signed the lease for its first testing clinic premises in Vancouver, following the successful rollout of its clinics in the UK for blood and Covid PCR testing.
The nine-storey building is home to numerous doctors, therapists, medical practitioners, and other personal service professionals, it said.
GlaxoSmithKline PLC (LSE:GSK) said it has paused a phase III clinical trial on safety grounds.
The recommendation to halt enrolment and vaccination in the GRACE study, which is evaluating GSK’s jab for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in pregnant women, was made by an independent data monitoring committee.
Open Orphan PLC (AIM:ORPH, OTC:OPORF) has highlighted positive results of a human challenge study assessing Enanta Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ENTA)’ respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) antiviral candidate, EDP-938, which is being advanced by Enanta Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ENTA) Inc.
AIM-quoted Open Orphan, which is a contract research organisation (CRO) specialising in the testing of infectious and respiratory disease products, helped facilitate the challenge trial which enrolled 178 healthy adult volunteers in an age range between 18 and 55.
Inspiration Healthcare Group PLC (AIM:IHC) said results for the year to end of January 2022 are expected to be above market expectations.
Revenues are expected to be around £41.0mln, up 10.9% year-on-year, while adjusted underlying earnings (EBITDA) should be not less than £6.2mln, which would represent an increase of at least 10.5% on the previous financial year.
Shield Therapeutics PLC (AIM:STX, OTCQX:SHIEF) said 2021 revenues will be in line with expectations at £1.5mln as it made the first sales of its breakthrough drug for iron deficiency.
America is the key thrust for the group as it looks to roll out its ferric maltol product, which is known as Accrufer in the States and Feraccru elsewhere.
SkinBioTherapeutics PLC (AIM:SBTX) plans to accelerate the rollout of its psoriasis treatment with the help of social media influencers.
The life science business said the social media strategy should help meet its target of £1.2m in sales for its AxisBiotix-Ps food supplement in the year to June.
Oncimmune Holdings PLC (AIM:ONC) said its Early CDT Lung blood test was approved for use in the treatment of solitary pulmonary nodules by a hospital in Spain.
The green light was given by the Regional Ministry of Health for Aragon and the diagnostic will be used by the thoracic surgery unit of the University Hospital Miguel Servet, Zaragoza.
Indivior PLC (LSE:INDV) said it is assessing the benefits of a secondary listing in the US as it announced a 20% jump in revenue for 2021 and forecast strong growth for this year.
Net revenue totalled US$791mln last year compared with US$647mln in 2020, well above market forecasts, with the US contributing sales of US$603mln, up 32%, the opioid addiction treatment maker said in an earnings release.
Elon Musk’s neurotech company Neuralink was forced to admit it had to euthanise eight animals as it responed to claims it "mutilated" the brains of several laboratory-kept monkeys.
In response to accusations that it committed "invasive and deadly experiments on 23 monkeys", Neuralink denied it subjected animals to "extreme suffering".
AstraZeneca PLC (LSE:AZN) has received EU approval for the first new drug in over a decade for people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
The disease occurs when the body’s own immune system attacks tissue and organs.
NetScientific PLC (AIM:NSCI) has announced that its portfolio company, PDS Biotechnology Corporation (NASDAQ:PDSB), will begin an investigator-initiated trial with Mayo Clinic for PDS0101, a drug aimed at treating head and neck cancer.
An investigator-initiated trial is clinical trial where the investigator assumes the research, develops the protocol and serves as the sponsor investigator.
US drugmaker Moderna Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:MRNA) is closing in on a deal with the UK government to open a vaccine research and manufacturing centre.
The company, which makes the mRNA Coronavirus (COVID-19) jab, was originally in talks to buy an existing research and manufacturing hub in Oxford but has veered away from the idea.
AstraZeneca PLC (LSE:AZN)'s cancer drug used in combination with a common hormone therapy prolonged the life of end-stage prostate cancer treatments by eight months compared with the current treatment, according to the clinical trial’s lead investigator.
Lynparza (also known as olaparib) paired with abiraterone reduced the risk of disease progression by 34% versus the standard of care, which is abiraterone on its own.
Oncimmune Holdings PLC (AIM:ONC) said its ImmunoINSIGHTS operation had landed a further contract under a master services agreement with an unnamed top-five global pharma company.
It has been given the task of profiling people with chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU), a skin condition that is also sometimes referred to as ‘hives’.
OKYO Pharma Ltd said the US regulator has given it the green light to take its dry eye disease treatment directly into a phase II clinical trial.
The Food & Drug Administration’s decision to fast-track the OK-101 in this manner will accelerate the approval process, the company said.
Faron Pharmaceuticals Ltd said it plans to host a virtual R&D day via webcast next week, where chief executive Dr Markku Jalkanen will host the event together with members of the management team and external experts.
The event will be held on 23 February at 4pm EET (2pm GMT, 9am EDT).
Polarean Imaging PLC (AIM:POLX, OTC:PLLWF) said it had received an order from an existing customer for its Xenon Polariser System.
McMaster University, Ontario, will take delivery of the latest iteration of the kit, version 9800, which will “supplement” its research programme.
IXICO PLC (AIM:IXI, OTC:PHYOF) said its next-generation brain imaging technology that is more sensitive, accurate and flexible than the current platform will be available for clinical trials from next month (March).
Used for virtual brain segmentation and based on artificial or convolutional neural networks, IXIQ.Ai has been developed and validated in collaboration with academic and pharma partners, the company said.
Inspiration Healthcare Group PLC (AIM:IHC) said it has received an order worth £1mln for the supply of SLE6000 and SLE6000c ventilators to Egypt.
The medical technology company expects the order will be satisfied within the next three to four months.
Open Orphan PLC (AIM:ORPH, OTC:OPORF) said its hVIVO subsidiary has recently launched the STRiVE project to collect respiratory viral strains suitable for challenge agents from volunteers at the company.
STRiVE stands for Seasonal Transmissible Respiratory Virus SurvEy and thus far it has identified over 180 ‘promising virus’ candidates that could be used to manufacture agents for its human challenge trials.