The Week Ahead In Biotech: Focus On Epizyme, Merck Ahead Of PDUFA Dates, J&J To Kickstart Big Pharma Earnings

Biotech news flow remained light last week, although there were some notable developments such as FDA panel reviews of opioid pain drugs, a few clinical data readouts, presentations and updates at the JPMorgan Healthcare conference.

Here are the key catalysts that could prove market moving in the unfolding week.

Conferences

American Society of Clinical Oncology, or ASCO, Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium: Jan. 23-25 in San Francisco, California

PDUFA Dates

The FDA is scheduled to rule on Epizyme Inc's EPZM tazemetostat, an experimental drug to treat metastatic or locally advanced, unresectable epithelioid sarcoma. FDA's Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee, which met Dec. 18 to discuss the NDA for tazemetostat, unanimously recommended approval of the drug. The PDUFA date is set for Thursday.

The regulatory agency will announce Thursday its verdict on Merck & Co., Inc.'s MRK NDA and sNDA for DIFICID (fidaxomicin) to treat Clostridium difficile infections. The NDA pertains to an oral suspension formulation and the sNDA is for the label expansion of the indication to treat children, ages six and older. Dificid, in tablet formulation, has already been approved to treat Clostridium difficile infections in adults 18 years and older.

See Also: Attention Biotech Investors: Mark Your Calendar For These January PDUFA Dates

Clinical Readouts

ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium Presentations

Bellicum Pharmaceuticals Inc BLCM: Phase 1 Cohort 5B new translational data for its pancreatic cancer experimental drug BPX-601 (Friday)

Forty Seven Inc FTSV: Phase 1b data for magrolimab in combination with cetuximab in colorectal cancer

Earnings

Wednesday

Abbott Laboratories ABT (before the market open)
Johnson & Johnson JNJ (before the market open)

Thursday

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. ISRG (after the market close)

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