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Celanese (CE) and Secarna Partner for Antisense Therapies

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Celanese Corporation (CE - Free Report) and Secarna Pharmaceuticals GmbH & Co. KG recently established a research collaboration to create long-acting implants delivering antisense oligonucleotides ("ASO").

ASOs are synthetic compounds that target specific messenger RNA to block the creation of proteins involved in the progression of a variety of diseases, including cardiometabolic, central nervous system, oncologic and uncommon disorders. Antisense therapy is a novel, commercially validated therapeutic method. However, it generally necessitates frequent administration or large dosages to ensure uptake at the desired site of action, resulting in a substantial treatment burden for patients.

The Celanese VitalDose Drug Delivery Platform and Secarna's proprietary ASO Drug Discovery and Development Platform will be used to create ASO-eluting implants with the potential to reduce dosing frequency, reduce off-target immune responses and improve targeting to provide better patient outcomes for a variety of indications.

The VitalDose medication Delivery Platform has a long history of usage in approved parenteral drugs in the United States and Europe, and it delivers consistent, controlled-release results. It can be programmed to deliver months to years of medication release and has shown consistent ASO release over a year.

Celanese's collaboration with Secarna, a prominent independent European antisense drug discovery and development company, enables the development of a novel implant with the potential to significantly alter how disease-modifying ASO treatments are given.

Shares of Celanese have gained 69.1% over the past year compared with a 32.6% rise of its industry.

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Celanese, on its fourth-quarter call, said that it expects adjusted earnings of $1.75-$2.00 per share for the first quarter of 2024. The company anticipates a significant rise in earnings per share year over year in 2024 due to M&M synergy capture, Clear Lake acetic acid and methanol expansions, lower interest expenses from deleveraging and lower inventory costs.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

Celanese currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Better-ranked stocks in the basic materials space include Denison Mines Corp. (DNN - Free Report) , Carpenter Technology Corporation (CRS - Free Report) and Hawkins, Inc. (HWKN - Free Report) .

Denison Mines carrying a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). DNN beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 300%. The company’s shares have soared 94.9% in the past year. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Carpenter Technology currently carries a Zacks Rank #1. CRS beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters while matching it once, with the average earnings surprise being 12.2%. The company’s shares have soared 71.1% in the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Hawkins’ current fiscal year earnings is pegged at $3.61 per share, indicating a year-over-year rise of 26.2%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for HWKN’s current-year earnings has been revised 4.3% upward in the past 30 days. HWKN, a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock, beat the consensus estimate in each of the last four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 30.6%. The company’s shares have rallied roughly 86.8% in the past year.

 


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