Sanofi, Regeneron Cancer Drug Posts Optimistic Results

Sanofi-Aventisand Regeneron Pharmaceuticals said Monday that their investigational cancer drug Zaltrap led to longer survival of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer compared to an older treatment.The companies, which tested 1,226 patients with colorectal cancer that had been previously treated with oxaliplatin or bevacizumab, said Zaltrap “significantly improved” both overall survival and progression-free survival.“We are excited by these results and are committed to bringing this novel therapy to patients as soon as possible,” Dr. Debasish Roychowdhury, senior vice president and of Sanofi Oncology said in a statement.The pharmaceutical giants plan on submitting regulatory applications for marketing approval of Zaltrap to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency in the second half of this year.The latest development is part of a collaboration between Sanofi Oncology and Regeneron in combining Zaltrap with common chemotherapy regimens to treat patients with advanced cancers.

SANOFI, REGENERON PHARMACEUTICALS ANNOUNCED DATA SHOWING ZALTRAP SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED SURVIVAL IN METASTATIC COLORECTAL CANCER (REGN)

Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:REGN) announced that data showing that the investigational agent ZALTRAP significantly improved survival in previously treated metastatic colorectal cancer patients will be presented at the ESMO World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer on June 25. ZALTRAP is also known as VEGF Trap.

Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer previously treated with oxaliplatin were randomized to receive ZALTRAP or placebo in combination with the FOLFIRI regimen.

"We are excited by these results and are committed to bringing this novel therapy to patients as soon as possible," said Debasish Roychowdhury, M.D., Senior Vice President and Head, Sanofi Oncology. "We plan to submit regulatory applications for marketing approval to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency in the second half of the year."

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals has a potential upside of 12.5% based on a current price of $58.04 and an average consensus analyst price target of $65.3.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is currently above its 50-day moving average (MA) of $50.75 and above its 200-day of $35.63.

In the last five trading sessions, the 50-day MA has climbed 3.13% while the 200-day MA has risen 1.99%.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, and commercializes pharmaceutical products for the treatment of serious medical conditions. The Company has therapeutic candidates in clinical trials for the potential treatment of cancer, eye diseases, and inflammatory diseases, and has preclinical programs in other diseases and disorders.