NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / June 30, 2016 / SeeThruEquity, a leading independent equity research and corporate access firm focused on smallcap and microcap public companies, today announced it has initiated coverage of CytoDyn Inc. (OTCQB: CYDY).
The report is available here: CYDY Initiation Report. SeeThruEquity is an approved equity research contributor on Thomson First Call, Capital IQ, FactSet, and Zack's. The report will be available on these platforms. The firm also contributes its estimates to Thomson Estimates, the leading estimates platform on Wall Street.
Based in Vancouver, WA, CytoDyn is engaged in the development of humanized monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and other diseases. CytoDyn's lead drug candidate is PRO-140, a viral entry inhibitor which seeks to block HIV from entering a cell by binding to a molecule called CCR5. CytoDyn has a Phase 3 clinical trial underway with PRO-140 for HIV in combination with Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART). The company also recently initiated a Phase 3 trial of PRO-140 for long-term monotherapy as a replacement for HAART for patients who have completed initial antiretroviral therapy (ART). If approved, PRO-140 would be the first, self-administered, injectable antibody therapy for HIV. Indeed, whether approved as a combination therapy or first line therapy, PRO-140 promises to be a significant advancement in the treatment of HIV, which could dramatically improve the quality of life for HIV patients while sharply lowering toxicity, offering fewer side-effects, and lowering costs versus existing treatments.
Additional highlights from the initiation report are as follows:
PRO-140 promised to be a highly differentiated approach to HIV
Core to CytoDyn's value proposition is PRO-140, which is the company's lead clinical candidate for the treatment and prevention of HIV, and potentially other autoimmune diseases. PRO-140 is a viral-entry inhibitor designed to protect healthy cells from viral infection. Specifically, PRO-140 is a self-administered, injectable humanized monoclonal antibody which seeks to prevent HIV entry into white blood cells by binding to the CCR5 co-receptor on white blood cells. CCR5 is the predominant HIV (R5) subtype entry into T-cells, accounting for 70% of HIV-infected Americans and 90% of those newly dosed, which would make PRO-140 a potential therapeutic option to a significant portion of the HIV patient population. Indeed, management estimates that the potential pool of HIV patients that might be applicable for PRO-140 if it is approved as a combination therapy or monotherapy replacing HAART would be 207,000 or 460,000 per year, respectively. CytoDyn recently presented positive data from a Phase 2b clinical trial extension of PRO-140, in which the company stated that weekly PRO-140 subcutaneous 350mg treatments administered to HIV patients for over a year and a half were well-tolerated and provided full viral suppression.
Initiate coverage with a price target of $3.40
We see CytoDyn as a speculative company in the biotechnology sector, with the potential to introduce and commercialize an impactful new therapy with the potential to dramatically improve the lives of many people living with HIV. We see several key events on the horizon for CytoDyn as it advances its lead drug candidate technology PRO-140 in Phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of HIV in both as a combination treatment with the current standard of care as well as a monotherapy. Collectively these represent more than a $15 billion market opportunity for CytoDyn and if PRO-140 is approved by the FDA it would likely be a significant new entry to the market. Indeed, PRO-140 promises lower costs, lower toxicity, fewer side effects and an improvement in lifestyle versus the current standard of care given the advantages of a long-acting subcutaneous, self-administered injection versus a cumbersome daily pill regimen. If achieved, the price target of $3.40 suggests potential upside of 211.9% from the recent price of $1.09 on June 28, 2016.
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About CytoDyn Inc.
CytoDyn is a biotechnology company focused on the clinical development and potential commercialization of humanized monoclonal antibodies for the treatment and prevention of HIV infection. The Company has one of the leading monoclonal antibodies under development for HIV infection, PRO 140, which has completed Phase 2 clinical trials with demonstrated antiviral activity in man and is currently in Phase 3. PRO 140 blocks the HIV co-receptor CCR5 on T cells, which prevents viral entry. Clinical trial results thus far indicate that PRO 140 does not negatively affect the normal immune functions that are mediated by CCR5. Results from seven Phase 1 and Phase 2 human clinical trials have shown that PRO 140 can significantly reduce viral burden in people infected with HIV. A recent Phase 2b clinical trial demonstrated that PRO 140 can prevent viral escape in patients during several weeks of interruption from conventional drug therapy. CytoDyn intends to continue to develop PRO 140 as a therapeutic anti-viral agent in persons infected with HIV and to pursue non-HIV indications where CCR5 and its ligand CCL5 may be involved. For more information on the Company, please visit www.cytodyn.com.
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Since its founding in 2011, SeeThruEquity has been committed to its core mission: providing impactful, high quality research on underfollowed smallcap and microcap equities. SeeThruEquity has pioneered an innovative business model for equity research that is not paid for and is unbiased. SeeThruEquity is the host of acclaimed investor conferences that are the ultimate event for publicly traded companies with market capitalizations less than $1 billion.
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Ajay Tandon
SeeThruEquity
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SOURCE: SeeThruEquity