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ENTX & OPK Stock May Gain Following Positive PK/PD Research Data
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Entera Bio Ltd. (ENTX - Free Report) and OPKO Health, Inc. (OPK - Free Report) recently announced positive topline pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) results from their ongoing collaborative research combining a proprietary long-acting oxyntomodulin (OXM) analog developed by OPKO and Entera’s proprietary N-Tab technology.
The program is focused on developing the first oral dual agonist GLP-1/glucagon peptide as a potential once-daily treatment for patients with obesity and metabolic and fibrotic disorders. OXM is a naturally occurring peptide hormone found in the small intestine that acts to suppress appetite and induce weight loss.
Likely Trend of ENTX & OPK Stocks Following the News
Following the announcement, shares of ENTX moved south 1.5% and closed at $1.93, while shares of OPK closed nearly flat at $1.48 on Wednesday.
Per a report by Grand View Research, the global weight management market size was valued at $142.58 billion in 2022 and is expected to witness a CAGR of 9.94% from 2023 to 2030. Accordingly, we anticipate the stocks to gain on investors’ optimism around the positive research results focused on treatment for patients with obesity.
Meanwhile, ENTX and OPK currently have a market capitalization of $70.14 million and $1.03 billion, respectively.
More on the ENTX & OPK’s Collaborative PK/PD Research Results
OXM is a naturally occurring peptide hormone found in the colon, with GLP-1 and glucagon dual agonist activity, which suppresses appetite and induces weight loss. OPKO has developed several proprietary, modified OXM analogs as potential candidates for treating obesity, including an injectable pegylated peptide, which demonstrated significant reductions in weight loss and decreased plasma triglyceride levels in a 420-patient phase 2B study.
Entera and OPKO have completed in vivo proof-of-concept PK/PD studies in rodent and pig models. The studies’ objectives were met with oral OXM exhibiting significant systemic exposure following a single dose in both models. Furthermore, a favorable PK profile and bioavailability were shown with oral OXM. In the pig model, oral OXM achieved high plasma concentrations with prolonged systemic exposure, which is consistent with the reported half-life for semaglutide (Rybelsus), the only approved oral GLP-1 analog.
Rats were given a glucose tolerance test to evaluate the pharmacologic impact of oral OXM. After glucose was administered, oral OXM significantly decreased plasma glucose levels as compared to a placebo. These data are likely to be presented at a future clinical meeting by Entera and OPKO.
OPKO previously reported that weekly injections of pegylated OXM demonstrated significant weight loss and reduction in HbA1, triglyceride and cholesterol levels in 113 obese and diabetic patients in a Phase 2B study. The OXM agonist peptide has since been modified to maintain its long-acting profile while increasing its potential potency. Currently, there are no approved OXM agonists available, and those in development by others are small molecules or require subcutaneous injections.
ENTX & OPKO’s Price Performance
For the past six months, ENTX and OPK shares have rallied 24.6 % and 46.6%, respectively, against the industry’s decline of 0.9%. The S&P 500 increased 10.3% in the same time frame.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Zacks Rank & Other Stocks to Consider
ENTX has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) while OPK carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) at present.
A couple of other top-ranked stocks in the broader medical space are Universal Health Service (UHS - Free Report) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX - Free Report) . While Universal Health Service sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Quest Diagnostics carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Universal Health Service has an estimated long-term growth rate of 19%. UHS’ earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average being 14.58%.
Universal Health Service has gained 41.1% compared with the industry's 34.8% rise so far this year.
Quest Diagnostics has an estimated long-term growth rate of 6.20%. DGX’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 3.31%.
Quest Diagnostics shares have gained 3.7% so far this year compared with the industry’s 10.2% rise.
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ENTX & OPK Stock May Gain Following Positive PK/PD Research Data
Entera Bio Ltd. (ENTX - Free Report) and OPKO Health, Inc. (OPK - Free Report) recently announced positive topline pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) results from their ongoing collaborative research combining a proprietary long-acting oxyntomodulin (OXM) analog developed by OPKO and Entera’s proprietary N-Tab technology.
The program is focused on developing the first oral dual agonist GLP-1/glucagon peptide as a potential once-daily treatment for patients with obesity and metabolic and fibrotic disorders. OXM is a naturally occurring peptide hormone found in the small intestine that acts to suppress appetite and induce weight loss.
Likely Trend of ENTX & OPK Stocks Following the News
Following the announcement, shares of ENTX moved south 1.5% and closed at $1.93, while shares of OPK closed nearly flat at $1.48 on Wednesday.
Per a report by Grand View Research, the global weight management market size was valued at $142.58 billion in 2022 and is expected to witness a CAGR of 9.94% from 2023 to 2030. Accordingly, we anticipate the stocks to gain on investors’ optimism around the positive research results focused on treatment for patients with obesity.
Meanwhile, ENTX and OPK currently have a market capitalization of $70.14 million and $1.03 billion, respectively.
More on the ENTX & OPK’s Collaborative PK/PD Research Results
OXM is a naturally occurring peptide hormone found in the colon, with GLP-1 and glucagon dual agonist activity, which suppresses appetite and induces weight loss. OPKO has developed several proprietary, modified OXM analogs as potential candidates for treating obesity, including an injectable pegylated peptide, which demonstrated significant reductions in weight loss and decreased plasma triglyceride levels in a 420-patient phase 2B study.
Entera and OPKO have completed in vivo proof-of-concept PK/PD studies in rodent and pig models. The studies’ objectives were met with oral OXM exhibiting significant systemic exposure following a single dose in both models. Furthermore, a favorable PK profile and bioavailability were shown with oral OXM. In the pig model, oral OXM achieved high plasma concentrations with prolonged systemic exposure, which is consistent with the reported half-life for semaglutide (Rybelsus), the only approved oral GLP-1 analog.
Rats were given a glucose tolerance test to evaluate the pharmacologic impact of oral OXM. After glucose was administered, oral OXM significantly decreased plasma glucose levels as compared to a placebo. These data are likely to be presented at a future clinical meeting by Entera and OPKO.
OPKO previously reported that weekly injections of pegylated OXM demonstrated significant weight loss and reduction in HbA1, triglyceride and cholesterol levels in 113 obese and diabetic patients in a Phase 2B study. The OXM agonist peptide has since been modified to maintain its long-acting profile while increasing its potential potency. Currently, there are no approved OXM agonists available, and those in development by others are small molecules or require subcutaneous injections.
ENTX & OPKO’s Price Performance
For the past six months, ENTX and OPK shares have rallied 24.6 % and 46.6%, respectively, against the industry’s decline of 0.9%. The S&P 500 increased 10.3% in the same time frame.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Zacks Rank & Other Stocks to Consider
ENTX has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) while OPK carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) at present.
A couple of other top-ranked stocks in the broader medical space are Universal Health Service (UHS - Free Report) and Quest Diagnostics (DGX - Free Report) . While Universal Health Service sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Quest Diagnostics carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Universal Health Service has an estimated long-term growth rate of 19%. UHS’ earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average being 14.58%.
Universal Health Service has gained 41.1% compared with the industry's 34.8% rise so far this year.
Quest Diagnostics has an estimated long-term growth rate of 6.20%. DGX’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 3.31%.
Quest Diagnostics shares have gained 3.7% so far this year compared with the industry’s 10.2% rise.