Verona Pharma Share Discussion Threads

[phowdo] 23/11/2016 09:30

RNS - Looking to float in the US next year.

[thebossman] 22/11/2016 09:43

Chippenham, UK - 22 November 2016: Vectura Group plc (LSE: VEC) ("Vectura", "the Group"), an industry-leading inhaled airways disease focused business, today announces that it has signed a US development and license agreement with Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC ("Hikma") (through its wholly-owned subsidiary, West-Ward Pharmaceuticals) for Vectura's VR730 product. VR730 is a generic long acting beta-agonist (LABA) for the treatment of Asthma and COPD delivered using Vectura's proprietary dry powder inhalation technology and device. According to IMS, US sales of inhaled DPI and pMDI LABAs were approximately $150 million in 20151.

[timbo003] 21/11/2016 10:14

>>thanks Vas et al

Another thought worth mentioning is that they are unlikely to get an Asthma indication for a product containing vilanterol (only COPD) as FDA really do have it in for LABAs for the treatment of Asthma.

[vasilis] 21/11/2016 09:47

GSK are filing for a '3-in-1' 'once per day' dry powder cortisone based medicine for those patients who need multiple therapies.

1 Side effects of fluticasone furoate -

2 Side effects of umeclidinium -

3 Side effects of vilanterol -

Such a combination therapy tells me that we really do need a new range of non-cortisone based medicines with a much better side effects profile - thus the potential of RPL554 to become a novel 'first in class' medicine.

[ewads] 21/11/2016 07:36

Glaxo have accelerated timing for their triple therapy for COPD in US from 2018 to end 2016.

[thebossman] 21/11/2016 07:35

From the USA..

[vasilis] 28/10/2016 08:21

This news from the NA Cystic Fibrosis Conference in Orlando has been on the Radio 4 Today programme this morning -

Note that due to very high costs (£100,000 per patient per annum) it is not available on the NHS, and it only seems to be effective for around half CF patients.

So it's worth pointing out again the relevant paragraph from Verona's RNS on Monday in relation to today's news from Orlando -

'In clinical trials, RPL554 has been observed to be an
effective bronchodilator and to have anti-inflammatory properties in vitro as
well as in a standard inhaled lipopolysaccharide challenge study in healthy
volunteers. In these studies, the drug candidate has been well tolerated.
Pre-clinical data to date has suggested that RPL554 is also a stimulator of the
CFTR, which is dysfunctional in cells of cystic fibrosis patients. Based on
these observed favorable properties, the Company believes RPL554 may improve
mucociliary clearance (reduce phlegm in the airways), reduce symptoms of
chronic inflammation and ease breathing.'

Bearing in mind that RPL554 may also be a stimulator of the CFTR in similar fashion to lumicaftor/vacaftor, and the NHS's current position with regards to very high costs per treatment per patient per annum, if Verona can show further positive data then surely they will be knocking on an open door to get orphan drug status for CF - especially with the current backing of the CF Trust.

We also still await to hear if anything 'new' has been announced in Orlando as per Monday's RNS.

[haff1] 26/10/2016 12:08

...spoke too soon!!

[haff1] 26/10/2016 09:42

...and an encouraging bounce off the 3.75p line too..

[vasilis] 26/10/2016 08:17

Agreed Tim. No doubt the award was made on the basis of new positive data. I would very much like to see the details of that data to be made available over the next few days -

'New pre-clinical data of RPL554 in CF will be available from 26 October 2016
and presented during two poster sessions on 27 and 28 October 2016 at the
Annual North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference in Orlando, Florida.'

[bewise2] 22/10/2016 07:27

New CF trial:

[bobic] 21/10/2016 16:43

When is the Nasdaq quoting taking place?tia

[meijiman] 21/10/2016 15:16

Well one thing is certain and that's that US fund managers would give a much higher valuation to this and may be happier to buy a NASDAQ quoted vehicle.

[huntie2] 21/10/2016 15:07

Well, what's going on all of a sudden...?

[tomgreg] 19/10/2016 15:01

I think you may be right. I understand that the proposed NASDAQ listing will be some sort of Depository Interest like an ADR or ADS so the Xetra listing may no longer be needed as it would an extra layer of complexity when creating or splitting the ADRs or ADSs. More sensible to have one listing of the GBP shares on the LSE and one for the US ADRs or ADSs only.

[drradcliffe] 19/10/2016 13:45

Maybe they have decided it's not worth having 3 different listings in future, so they are cleaning up before announcing a new listing on Nasdaq.

[meijiman] 19/10/2016 13:27

You are making the assumption that the share price rise is linked to the RNS. It might well be.
Perhaps cost savings? Clearly the company has decided that that listing had no tangible benefits. Any other views???

[haff1] 19/10/2016 13:16

...not sure why this move is being seen as so positive?

[timbo003] 04/10/2016 20:56

Well spotted Mol and Vas

It looks like they are measuring a few Pharmacodynamic parameters (FEV, FVC and Sputum Rheology) as well as the Pharmacokinetics (from two different doses), so the study could give us a very early indication of whether it might have some benefit for CF patients.

I would have thought they might also have wanted to look at the Chloride sweat test which Vertex include in many of their Cystic Fybrosis studies for their CFTR potentiator drugs given that RPL554 may also have CFTR potentiating properties:

[bewise2] 04/10/2016 18:32

Well done Summit today..A nasdaq listing will open up massive opportunities for vrp in the same way as Summit if 554 is a blockbuster......Good to see the start of a new trial....:)

[vasilis] 04/10/2016 11:25

My thanks to 'mol42' on II for unearthing this latest information on the start of the next Cystic Fibrosis trial -

A Phase IIa, Randomised, Double Blind, Placebo Controlled, Three Way Crossover Study to Assess the Pharmacokinetics of RPL554 Administered to Adult Patients With Cystic Fibrosis.

Estimated Enrollment: 10
Study Start Date: November 2016
Estimated Study Completion Date: March 2017
Estimated Primary Completion Date: March 2017 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)

[vasilis] 30/9/2016 14:29

The front page of this week's Investor's Chronicle (30 September - 6 October) has a full colour splash with a very large title : 'The Next Blockbuster Drugs' and just below that in smaller letters, 'Spotting winners in the drug discovery pipeline'. It is also on the website for subscribers - and you can see the artwork of the front cover at the top of the the IC's website today -


The inside article - 5 pages including a another full page headline grabber as per the front cover - is by Megan Boxhall who wrote last week's focus on Verona Pharma. I do recommend that you try and get hold of a copy as you can also hold it as a 'reference' document for biotechs in areas such as Respiratory and Oncology. The specific reference to Verona is -

'Verona Pharma (VRP). His [JAK's] view is that respiratory drug developers have become lazy and a lack of innovation has come at a cost to patient populations inflicted with the most severe respiratory disorders.

For example, for COPD patients, steroids are not terribly reliable and so Verona aims to target that population with its drug, currently in phase 2 clinical trials. RPL554, as it is currently known, will be the first long-acting bronchodilator to not use steroids. Early results have been extremely promising, patient feedback good and, by targeting a specific patient population, Verona goes pretty much uncontested as it attempts to launch its drug. Should it succeed, there could be opportunity for blockbuster status, particularly if RPL554 is approved for asthma and cystic fibrosis, as well as COPD.'

However, you really need to read this in the full context of the section on 'Respiratory' within the article itself.

I presume this full blown biotech feature in this week's IC is behind some of today's buys. Following on from last week's spotlight on Verona this exposure can only help bring other interested investors up to speed with developments in the company as well as focus their attention on the potential investment returns if things go to plan over the next few years and RPL554 does indeed end up achieving 'blockbuster' status. Long way to go, but so far so good.

[127tolmers] 26/9/2016 14:12

Appointment of Piers Morgan(sic) as CFO and where he came from: