Unusual Analyst Upgrade & Endorsement for Cell Therapeutics (CTIC)

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTIC) is a controversial stock in the field of cancer and the company is still aiming for a 2012 debut market launch for its pixantrone drug candidate.  In the last couple of weeks it had reported more positive data and the FDA had earlier this year noted that pixantrone would need a review using a new panel of independent radiologists.  Pixantrone is to be a new treatment for non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.   This morning we saw a very unlikely and very unusual support or endorsement of Cell Therapeutics.  This came from Zacks Investment Research where the outfit was called The Bull of The Day.  That is generally considered a stock that has strong winds behind it and Zacks raised the rating to Outperform. Zacks noted, “we believe pixantrone is getting closer to approval… We are encouraged by the FDA’s decision to allow Cell Therapeutics to re-submit the NDA for pixantrone for review without the need for an additional trial.”  The report also noted that Opaxio is its second most advanced pipeline candidate as a potential maintenance therapy for women with advanced ovarian cancer who achieve complete remission following first-line therapy with paclitaxel and carboplatin. The full Zacks report is available here.  Shares are at $1.19 and the adjusted 52-week trading range is $0.95 to $3.30. JON C. OGG
Source: BioHealth Investor - Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Tags: analyst calls Cancer fda R&D Research CTIC Source Type: news