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Piper Sandler has reaffirmed its positive stance on Tourmaline Bio (NASDAQ: TRML), maintaining an Overweight rating with a $65.00 price target.
The firm's optimism is anchored in the biotechnology company's prospective developments, particularly the upcoming Phase 2 TRANQUILITY trial results anticipated in the first half of 2025.
Tourmaline Bio's stock has remained stable, despite the promising attributes of its drug candidate, pacibekitug, which includes high potency, quarterly dosing, and low immunogenicity coupled with a clean safety profile.
Piper Sandler's reiteration follows a publication that emerged after the ESC Congress, spotlighting a 30-year study on 27,939 healthy women. The study found that high levels of hsCRP, a marker of inflammation, may be a more accurate predictor of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) risk than LDL-C or Lp(a) levels.
The firm points to the breadth of clinical evidence linking inflammation to MACE risk as a bolstering factor for pacibekitug's mechanism of action (MoA). In addition, Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO)'s commitment to a Phase 3 cardiovascular outcomes trial (ARTEMIS CVOT) involving 10,000 patients, with a total of approximately 22,000 patients across four Phase 3 studies, further reinforces confidence in the therapeutic approach that pacibekitug represents.
Tourmaline Bio's focus on inflammation as a pathway for treating cardiovascular diseases aligns with the growing body of evidence suggesting its pivotal role in MACE.
In other recent news, the company announced the appointment of Ryan Robinson as its new Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. Robinson's compensation package includes a $445,000 annual base salary, an annual cash incentive of up to 40% of his base salary, and an option to purchase 76,400 shares of Tourmaline Bio's common stock. The options will vest over a period of four years.
Tourmaline Bio has also initiated a Phase 2 clinical trial, named TRANQUILITY, for TOUR006, aimed at treating atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and other cardiovascular conditions. Top-line results from the TRANQUILITY trial are expected in the first half of 2025.
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