Healthcare Stocks: Arena Pharmaceuticals Retreats (ARNA, ALXA, PLX, PCYC, NPSP)

Healthcare Stocks: Arena Pharmaceuticals Retreats (ARNA, ALXA, PLX, PCYC, NPSP)

Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:ARNA) decreased 14.81% to $9.97. The stock is getting closer to an expected decision on its new diet-drug lorcaserin by U.S. regulators. The Food and Drug Administration is slated to decide on whether to approve the product by June 27,2012.

Alexza Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:ALXA) escalated 35.03% to $3.70. The Company has resubmitted its ADASUVE New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in response to a Complete Response Letter received in May 2012.  ADASUVE is being developed for the acute treatment of agitation associated with schizophrenia or bipolar I disorder in adults.

Protalix BioTherapeutics Inc (NYSEAMEX: PLX) declined 7.27% to $.12. Protalix BioTherapeutics Inc and Pfizer Inc was unsuccessful to win European Union backing for a medicine to treat a rare genetic ailment because a competing treatment from Shire Plc has exclusive market rights for 10 years. The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use said in a statement, Taliglucerase alfa shouldn’t be allowed on the market because it works in the same way as Shire’s Vpriv.

Pharmacyclics Inc (NASDAQ:PCYC) increased marginally 0.94% to $47.49. Pharmacyclics Inc updated results from two clinical trials of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor, ibrutinib for the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia small lymphocytic lymphoma. The trial results of PCYC-1108 were updated at EHA with three patients that received an ibrutinib combination.

NPS Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:NPSP) jumped up 13.75% to $8.19. The Company reported that three abstracts related to the Phase 3 REPLACE study of Natpara in hypoparathyroidism would be presented at ENDO 2012. ENDO 2012 is the annual meeting of The Endocrine Society in Houston, TX, June 23-26, 2012. The company said it will webcast an analyst and investor briefing on Natpara beginning on June 25, 2012.