TechMARK movers: Antisoma awaits trial results

13th Oct 2010 12:57

Drugs developer Antisoma is higher following its interim management statement which says that it is on track to report phase III trial results for its AS1413 leukaemia treatment in the first half of 2011. Market research suggests that the potential market for AS1413 is worth up to $670m a year. If the trial is successful then Antisoma will be able to make submissions for marketing authorisation. Phase IIb trial data is also expected next year from AS1411, which is another leukaemia treatment. If the trials are positive, the treatment will move to phase III trials. There are indications that the treatment could be used for a number of blood cancers and tumours. Antisoma says that it has enough cash to last it until it reports critical trial data in the first half of next year. Medical firm Smith & Nephew is lower after US-based replacement joints rival Biomet reported disappointing figures. It appears that patients are putting off having replacement hips and knees because of the cost and the time they would need to take off work. S&N admitted in its interim figures that its replacement knee product was benefiting from "substitution from higher specification products".The orthopaedic side of the business accounts for nearly one-third of group revenues. FTSE TechMARK - RisersVectura Group (VEC) 57.50p +6.48%Antisoma (ASM) 6.30p +4.41%Vernalis (VER) 49.00p +4.26%Network Technology (NTY) 650.00p +4.00%ProStrakan Group (PSK) 77.00p +2.67%Kofax (KFX) 275.00p +2.04%Innovation Group (TIG) 13.25p +1.92%XP Power Ltd. (XPP) 1,010.00p +1.66%Axis-Shield (ASD) 298.00p +1.45%Ark Therapeutics Group (AKT) 5.35p +1.36%FTSE TechMARK - FallersAEA Technology (AAT) 6.40p -4.22%Asterand (ATD) 12.50p -3.85%Parity Group (PTY) 10.25p -2.38%Anite (AIE) 53.00p -2.09%Skyepharma (SKP) 37.75p -1.85%E2V Technologies (E2V) 95.00p -1.73%Smith & Nephew (SN.) 560.00p -1.58%NCC Group (NCC) 438.50p -1.39%BATM Advanced Communications Ltd. (BVC) 22.75p -1.09%Autonomy Corporation (AU.) 1,434.00p -0.69%