Healthcare Business Recap: Sunesis SHOOTS The Moon, Sanofi’s FLUB

Shares of Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:SNSS) shoot the moon on the news that it’s increasing the size of its Phase 3 trial for its Vosaroxin leukemia drug by 225 patients to 675. This accomplishment is subsequent to a recommendation by the study’s independent Data & Safety Monitoring Board following its interim analysis of trial data. In turn, the recommendation triggers an obligation of Royalty Pharma to stake $25 million in Sunesis.

Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc.’s (NASDAQ:CRTX) Lixivaptan drug should be cleared to treat low sodium levels in the blood due arising from a condition that causes the body to have excess water, says the FDA reviewer Nancy Xu. However, she also said that Lixivaptan should not be authorized for heart-failure patients. An FDA advisory panel will convene on Thursday.

Sanofi-aventis’ (NYSE:SNY) tetravalent drug, which has been recently called the world’s first vaccine against mosquito-borne dengue fever, might not be all that. In a test of 3,600 children in Thailand, 3 percent of the vaccine group acquired dengue, compared to 4 percent in the control group. Scientific advisor Scott Halstead remarked that,”It’s not exactly a slam dunk.”.

Shares of the Chinese medical homecare product developer Dehaier Medical Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:DHRM) gained exactly 20 percent on the day, on word that the company has obtained the Chinese State FDA clearance for DHR-CPAP-C5, which is a device for the treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome. Approval for the product is valid for four years, and it is one of DHRM’s marquee proprietary products.

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