Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARNA) stock lost over 6.5% on August 7th, 2018 (As of 12:03 PM GMT-4 ; Source: google finance) on bottom line pressure. Net loss during the second quarter reached $31.8 million or $0.65 per share.
On the other hand, the group delivered a positive topline results from their Phase 2 study last year. The group sees potential in ralinepag to be the first, once-daily, oral prostacyclin agonist and offering ongoing receptor engagement driving a better exercise capacity and clinical outcomes in PAH patients.
Ralinepag Phase 3 program is designed to elucidate the benefits of ralinepag across the spectrum of PAH patients, including not just prevalent patients, but newly diagnosed or incident patients. PAH patients got early treatment with prostacyclin therapy and ralinepag is the best therapy to meet that need because a better receptor potency and extended pharmacokinetics resulting in a profile closer to the ID prostacyclin’s than any other oral prostacyclin analog. The group started ralinepag Phase 3 clinical program and forecasts to be the most comprehensive Phase 3 program ever conducted in PAH. They developed this Phase 3 plan with a focus on four goals; speed to market, physician experience, rest of label, and differentiation data. The ralinepag Phase 3 advanced program is designed to be wide range consisting of two main components.
Going forward, the group forecasts several catalysts in the next 12 months to 24 months. They are focused on starting a multiple Phase 3 study for ralinepag and the olorinab Phase 2 readout in September. For etrasimod, they are advancing toward a Phase 3 program in Ulcerative Colitis or UC, as well as the program in Crohn’s disease focused on rapid time-to-market.
The group sees Etrasimod to be the only next generation S1P modulator with the potential to be the preferred oral option for patients suffering from a broad range of T-lymphocyte mediated immune and inflammatory disorders, such as IBD. For etrasimod program the group reported a solid Phase II results from the OASIS trial meeting all primary and secondary endpoints with statistical significance for patients receiving 2 milligram doses of etrasimod at 12 weeks.
The primary biliary cholangitis study or PBC study is ongoing wherein PBC is a chronic liver disease were T-lymphocyte accumulate in liver leading to the destruction of bile ducts.