California’s Timeless Veggie Sandwiches Have One Key Ingredient

Rainbow, hippie, avocado, California — in Los Angeles, these sprout-stuffed creations will never grow old.

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By Tejal Rao

Tejal Rao reported from Los Angeles, where she lives.

ProQR Therapeutics Stock Surges 75% As It Expands Collaboration Deal With Eli Lilly

Shares of ProQR Therapeutics N.V. (PRQR) are surging over 75% on Thursday morning driven by the news that the company has expanded its licensing and collaboration deal with Eli Lilly and Co. (LLY) for new genetic medicines.

PRQR is currently trading at $2.9099, up $1.2599 or 76.3576%, on the Nasdaq, on a huge volume of 48 million shares, above average volume of 0.9 million. The stock opened its trading at $2.7200 after closing Wednesday’s trading at $1.6500. The stock has traded between $0.5300 and $8.6000 in the past 52-week period.

Eli Lilly announced Thursday that it is expanding its licensing and collaboration agreement with ProQR Therapeutics focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of new genetic medicines.

Lilly said the new agreement supports the discovery and development of additional assets directed toward high conviction targets utilizing ProQR’s Axiomer technology.

It was in September 2021 that both companies announced their collaboration, which applied ProQR’s proprietary Axiomer RNA editing platform to target disorders of the liver and nervous system.

Under the new deal terms, Lilly will gain access to additional targets in the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system with ProQR’s Axiomer platform. ProQR will receive $75 million consisting of an upfront payment, as well as an equity investment.

Rocket Pharmaceuticals Stock Slips 12%

Shares of Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (RCKT) are slipping over 12% on Thursday morning after the company provided an update on anticipated registration path for RP-A501 in Danon disease following end-of-Phase 1 FDA meeting.

RCKT is currently trading at $19.45, down $2.85 or 12.78%, on the Nasdaq. The stock opened its trading at $21.40 after closing Wednesday’s trading at $22.30. The stock has traded between $7.57 and $24.39 in the past 52-week period.

Rocket Pharmaceuticals is a late-stage biotechnology company advancing an integrated and sustainable pipeline of genetic therapies for rare childhood disorders with high unmet need. It announced updates from the company’s end-of-Phase 1 meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding RP-A501, the company’s investigational adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy for Danon Disease.

“I am pleased to announce that following discussions with FDA, we anticipate proceeding with a dose of 6.7e13 GC/kg, and we anticipate utilizing a single arm open-label trial design with a robust natural history comparator, pursuant to the FDA’s acknowledgment of the challenges associated with executing a randomized controlled trial in Danon Disease,” said Gaurav Shah, Chief Executive Officer, Rocket Pharma.

Domino’s Sets Up Business In Uruguay And Latvia

Pizza giant Domino’s Pizza (DPZ) is expanding its global presence by opening stores in two new countries – Uruguay and Latvia.

The company recently opened its first Domino’s store in Latvia in the city of Riga at Deglava 100 by master franchisee Morgacita Ltd. Meanwhile, the first Domino’s store in Uruguay was opened in Montevideo at 1163 Luis Alberto de Herrera by master franchisee Alsea.

Domino’s currently operates more than 19,500 stores in over 90 markets worldwide, with over half of its global retail sales coming from international stores.

Domino’s generated global retail sales of nearly $17.8 billion in 2021, with over $8.6 billion in the U.S. and over $9.1 billion internationally. In the third quarter of 2022, Domino’s had global retail sales of over $4.0 billion, with over $2.0 billion in the U.S. and nearly $2.0 billion internationally

“We are thrilled to bring such a globally prominent brand like Domino’s to Latvia,” said Laura Tomkeviciene, chief operating officer of Morgacita Ltd. “We are eager to offer our delicious products, exceptional service and innovative ordering technology to our new customers. This, combined with our extremely efficient delivery and carryout, will bring much success to the Latvia market.”

“I am very pleased to announce Alsea’s entry into Uruguay with the Domino’s brand, as it allows us to continue with our solid growth strategy,” said Armando Torrado, CEO of Alsea.

Renren Slips 12% After Reporting 9-month Loss

Renren Inc. (RENN) shares are declining more than 12 percent on Thursday morning trade after reporting loss for the nine-month period, compared to profit in the prior year.

The company reported net loss of $56.81 million or $0.050, compared to profit of $62.18 million in the previous month.

Currently, shares are at $1.89, down 15.33 percent from the previous close of $2.24 on a volume of 1,230,926.

Acasti Pharma Adds 8% After Meeting Primary Outcome In Single Dose Pharmacokinetic Study Of GT-101

Acasti Pharma Inc. (ACST) shares are gaining more than 8 percent on Thursday morning trade after the specialty pharma company met all primary outcome measures in the single dose pharmacokinetic study for GT-101 for the treatment of Postherpetic Neuralgia.

The pharmacokinetic study was the next step in the proposed 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway for GTX-101. Postherpetic Neuralgia is a persistent and debilitating neuropathic pain caused by nerve damage from the varicella-zoster virus or shingles.

Currently, shares are at $0.53, up 7.94 percent from the previous close of $0.49, on a volume of 1,816,492.