MyoKardia Inc [NASDAQ: MYOK]
In a bid to expand its portfolio of heart drugs, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. Has agreed with MyoKardia Inc to purchase the company for $13.1 billion. In the agreement, Bristol-Myers is set to pay $225 per share which is about 61% premium over the company’s Friday’s closing stock price. MyoKardia’s stock price had risen 59% in its premarket trading. Following this purchase, Bristol-Myers will now control MyoKardia’s leading product Mavacamten.
This experimental drug treats obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This acquisition will have expanded Bristol-Myers’ scope of heart drugs from those focussing only on oncology, an area where the industry has focussed on for quite a while now. According to the statement issued regarding this deal, Bristol-Myers will issue an application for the approval of Mavacamten during the first quarter of 2021.
The company plans to research more on the uses of this drug and manufacture other additional experimental compounds that they will get from MyoKardia. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a heart condition in which heart muscles develop abnormal thickness preventing the heart from pumping blood effectively. The condition affects about one in 500 people.
Kosmos Energy Ltd [NYSE: KOS]
Kosmos Energy, a deepwater independent gas and oil exploration and production company announced today that it has shut down its facility at the Gulf of Mexico with Trafigura Trading LLC and Beal Bank USA. In a move set to strengthen the corporation’s liquidity position, it has restructured its facility at the Gulf of Mexico into a five-year $200 million loan term that will be backed by the company’s assets at the same Gulf.
Another $50 million advanced from Trafigura signed in June has been rolled into the facility with backing from CSG Investments; Inc. Beal Bank will provide the remaining $150 million. With a 6% interest rate, the facility has increased its borrowing capacity by $50 million, extended its repayment term by five years, and secured a feature to expand the facility by up to $300 million.
Neal Shah, the Chief Financial Officer said in a statement that the closing of this facility has enhanced the company’s liquidity position, given it access to low-cost and flexible financing as well as free cash generated low-cost production assets. He expects the company’s balance sheet to strengthen significantly as of 2021.
Corvus Pharmaceuticals Inc [NASDAQ: CRVS]
Corvus share price saw a sudden spike after the company announced that its small phase 1 early-stage clinical trial could produce antibodies and T-cells among some Covid-19 patients. The share price rose by 39.1% in premarket trading on Monday after this announcement.
The clinical trial, open-label, Phase 1 study has already administered three doses in 15 test-patients and hopes to expand its scope to about 30 patients that exhibit mild to moderate symptoms of the disease. In a preprint issued in September, the company had shown the results for the two of the doses administered in 10 patients. This publication has not been peer-reviewed.
Corvus plans to release the full results from the first phase at the end of this year. Its stock is still 25.2% down as of this year with the S&P 500 gaining about 3.6%.
