The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved NPS Pharmaceuticals Inc's drug Natpara to treat a rare hormone disorder, validating a bet by Shire Plc , which recently agreed to acquire NPS for $5.2 billion.Natpara is designed to treat hypoparathyroidism, a condition in which the body's parathyroid gland does not secrete enough parathyroid hormone (PTH). The hormone works with vitamin D to regulate body calcium.Analysts expect the drug to generate peak annual sales of $542 million by 2019, according to Thomson Reuters data.The FDA approval is for patients who cannot be well-controlled on calcium supplements and active forms of vitamin D alone. It stipulates that the drug's label include a boxed warning that bone cancer has been observed in rat studies with the drug. NPS is also required to track patient use under a risk evaluation and mitigation program.
Shire plc (Shire) is a specialty biopharmaceutical company that focuses on meeting the needs of the specialist physician. Shares of SHPG traded higher by 1.06% or $2.27/share to $216.03. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $141.66 and as high as $264.98. On average, 1182280 shares of SHPG exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 454235.
Thomson Reuters Corporation (Thomson Reuters) is a provider of information for the world?s businesses and professionals. Shares of TRI fell by 0.2% or $-0.08/share to $39.74. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $33.21 and as high as $41.44. On average, 748460 shares of TRI exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 909150.
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