Athersys' (ATHX) MultiStem Cell Therapy Succeeds In Study

Shares of Athersys, Inc. ( (NASDAQ:ATHX) went up about 14% after the company announced positive results from its exploratory clinical study on the intravenous administration of MultiStem cell therapy to treat patients suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

The exploratory study evaluated the impact of MultiStem treatment in subjects with acute onset of moderate to severe ARDS. The study demonstrated lower mortality of 25% in the MultiStem treatment group versus 40% in the placebo group.

The results also showed that patients in the MultiStem treatment group experienced 40.2% higher ventilator-free (VF (NYSE:VFC)) days compared to those in the placebo group. The patients in the MultiStem treatment group also had 27.2% higher ICU-free days compared to those in the placebo group.

Patients enrolled in the study were evaluated through 28 days for the primary clinical assessment and will be further assessed through a one-year follow-up period. MultiStem cell therapy is a patented regenerative medicine product in clinical development that has shown the ability to promote tissue repair and healing in a variety of ways. Per Athersys, the exploratory study met all of its key objectives, and the company believes that the therapy can be administered in another critical care area where there is substantial unmet medical need.

Share price of Athersys has decreased 14.9% in the past year compared with the industry’s decline of 22.8%.

In addition to this ARDS study, Athersys is conducting ongoing studies in ischemic stroke (MASTERS-2 phase III study) and acute myocardial infarction. The company is planning to initiate a study to treat severe trauma patients. Athersys is also supporting studies in Japan conducted by its partner Healios K.K, targeting ischemic stroke (TREASURE study) and ARDS.

Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider

Athersys currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks worth considering are Celgene Corp. (NASDAQ:CELG) , Aduro Biotech, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADRO) and Axovant Sciences Ltd. (NASDAQ:AXON) . All the companies sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Celgene’s earnings per share estimates have increased from $8.79 to $8.80 for 2018 in the past 90 days. The company delivered a positive earnings surprise in all the trailing four quarters, with average of 2.54%.

Aduro’s loss per share estimates have narrowed from $1.11 to $1.06 for 2018 in the past 60 days. The company delivered a positive earnings surprise in all the trailing four quarters, with average of 5.49%.

Axovant’s loss per share estimates have narrowed from $1.60 to $1.25 for 2019 and from $1.35 to $1.03 for 2020 in the past 90 days.

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