Analyst: La Jolla Pharma A Buy Ahead Of February FDA Date


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La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company (NASDAQ:LJPC) has an upcoming catalyst in the form of a Feb. 28 PDUFA date. An analyst at H.C. Wainwright recommends buying of the shares ahead of the decision. 

The Analyst

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H.C. Wainwright analyst Edward White initiated coverage of the shares of La Jolla with a Buy rating and a $62 price target.

The Thesis

The top-notch rating is based on the outlook for La Jolla's pipeline, including LJPC-501 and LJPC-401, White said in a Thursday note. (See White's track record here.) 

LJPC-501 is La Jolla's proprietary formulation of angiotensin II, a naturally occurring regulator of blood pressure, and LJPC-401 is its proprietary formulation of hepcidin, an endogenous peptide hormone that controls and regulates iron metabolism.

With the company having submitted the NDA for LJPC-501 — a treatment candidate for vasodilatory shockm — to the FDA, the PDUFA date is set for Feb. 28, White said. The company released positive Phase 3 data from the ATHOS-3 Phase 3 study for LJPC-501 in late February 2017, sending the stock higher, the analyst said. 


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White expects the company to launch LJPC-501 in March 2018 pending approval. La Jolla plans to submit a marketing authorization approval for the product in the third quarter of 2018. The pricing is expected to be $5,000 per patient course, White said. 

La Jolla's LJPC-401 for iron overload is now being evaluated in a pivotal clinical study in patients with beta-thalassemia and in a Phase 2 study of hereditary hemochromatosis, according to H.C. Wainwright.

The firm estimates revenues of $27 million for 2018 and $113 million for 2019, against consensus estimates of $33 million and $97 million, respectively. The below-consensus revenue guidance for 2018 is due to a slower ramp up rate, White said. 

The Price Action

The shares of La Jolla are up about 55 percent year-to-date.

Related Links:

Attention Biotech Investors: Mark Your Calendar For These December PDUFA Dates

Goldman Sachs Sees 40% Upside In GW Pharmaceuticals


27% profit every 20 days?

This is what Nic Chahine averages with his option buys. Not selling covered calls or spreads… BUYING options. Most traders don’t even have a winning percentage of 27% buying options. He has an 83% win rate. Here’s how he does it.


Posted In: Analyst ColorBiotechPrice TargetInitiationAnalyst RatingsGeneralEdward WhiteFDAH.C. Wainwright