AZN News & Events

CDT Equity (CDT) announced that AZD5904, a potent inhibitor of human Myeloperoxidase, originally licensed from AstraZeneca (AZN), has progressed into the patent cooperation treaty phase. A total of 181 subjects were dosed across five Phase 1 studies. The asset has demonstrated a favorable safety profile, with no overtly drug-related adverse events identified. The company believes this level of human clinical validation, alongside its IP position. The company holds both a composition of matter patent and a method of use patent relating to AZD5904 in idiopathic male infertility, supported by pre-clinical data demonstrating its potential. The progression to PCT stage enables CDT to pursue broader international protection, supporting the potential global development and commercialization of the asset. The company said CDT has identified promising signals for AZD5904 in idiopathic male infertility, as well as in related oncology-associated infertility markets. The company believes these indications represent areas of significant unmet medical need and commercial opportunity. CDT is now actively seeking out-licensing and strategic partnering opportunities to advance AZD5904 into later-stage development.

The major averages closed broadly higher as oil pulled back, though the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran continues to be fragile. However, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the ceasefire "certainly holds" and claimed that two U.S. commercial ships have already "safely transited the strait, showing the lane is clear."Meanwhile, earnings remain strong and AI capital expenditures continue to act as a structural tailwind. There is persistent capital flow into semis and hyperscalers, with expectations for massive multi-year spend cycles anchoring estimates higher.Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists.1. STOCK NEWS:Palantirprovided areport for Q1PayPalreportedand provided its outlook for Q2 and FY26Coinbaseannounced plans to, or 700 employeesPfizerreportedand reiterated its FY26 guidancePinterestreportedand provided Q2 revenue guidance2. WALL STREET CALLS:Ulta Beautyto Buy at BofA on improved earnings flywheelRobloxto Neutral at Piper Sandler on lack of visibilityArgusChipotleto Buy, expects comp growth to accelerateStephensRepay Holdings, sees "two binary outcomes"Tractor Supplyto Neutral at Piper Sandler3. AROUND THE WEB:FDA officials have blocked publication of several studies supporting the safety of widely used vaccines against Covid-19 and shingles in recent months, NY Times reportsHondaplans to shelve its $11B Canada EV plant as demand sputters, Nikkei reportsNissanis planning to cut roughly 10% of its European workforce and consolidate production lines at its Sunderland Plant as part of a broader restructuring effort, while exploring partnerships such as with Chery to utilize excess capacity and improve financial performance, FT saysBerkshirehas selected Gen Re chairman Charlie Shamieh to succeed Ajit Jain, Vice Chairman of Insurance Operations, when Jain decides to retire, Bloomberg reportsAppleis planning to release a new "Create a Pass' feature for its next iPhone software update, which will allow users to build and customize their digital tickets and gift cards in the Wallet app, Bloomberg says4. MOVERS:Backblazehigher afterand raising its guidance for FY26EverQuote, Digital Oceanand BRC Inc.increase afterDigi Power Xgains after signing aGeneDxlower afterand lowered its guidance for FY26BellRing Brandsand Adtranfalls after5. EARNINGS/GUIDANCE:Portillo's, with EPS and revenue missing consensusIPG Photonicsand provided guidance for Q2, with CEO Mark Gitin commenting, "I am pleased to share that first-quarter revenue came in above our expectations"Neuroneticsand backed its guidance for FY26Surgery Partnersand backed its guidance for FY26, with CEO Eric Evans commenting, "We are encouraged by our solid start to 2026"Expeditors, with EPS and revenue beating consensusINDEXES:The Dow rose 356.35, or 0.73%, to 49,298.25, the Nasdaq gained 258.33, or 1.03%, to 25,326.13, and the S&P 500 advanced 58.47, or 0.81%, to 7,259.22.

Officials at the Food and Drug Administration have blocked publication of several studies supporting the safety of widely used vaccines against Covid-19 and shingles in recent months, according to The New York Times' Christina Jewett, who reports this was confirmed by a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services. Publicly traded companies that make vaccines and drugs include Moderna (MRNA), Pfizer (PFE), BioNTech (BNTX), Novavax (NVAX), AstraZeneca (AZN), Bristol Myers (BMY), Eli Lilly (LLY), GSK (GSK), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Merck (MRK), Novartis (NVS), Roche (RHHBY), and Sanofi (SNY).

Catch up on the top industries and stocks that were impacted, or were predicted to be impacted, by the comments, actions and policies of President Donald Trump with this daily recap compiled by The Fly.SECURITY REVIEWS:The Center for AI Standards and Innovation at the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technologynew agreements with GoogleDeepMind, Microsoftand xAI. "Through these expanded industry collaborations, CAISI will conduct pre-deployment evaluations and targeted research to better assess frontier AI capabilities and advance the state of AI security. These agreements build on previously announced partnerships, which have been renegotiated to reflect CAISI's directives from the secretary of commerce and America's AI Action Plan. Under the direction of Secretary Howard Lutnick, CAISI has been designated to serve as industry's primary point of contact within the U.S. government to facilitate testing, collaborative research and best practice development related to commercial AI systems. CAISI's agreements with frontier AI developers enable government evaluation of AI models before they are publicly available, as well as post-deployment assessment and other research. To date, CAISI has completed more than 40 such evaluations, including on state-of-the-art models that remain unreleased," the group stated.PHARMACEUTICAL DEALS:White House economists estimate that President Donald Trump's deals with pharmaceutical companies to drop some of their U.S. prescription drug prices to what they charge in other countries could save $529B over the next 10 years, The Associated Press' Josh Boak. The analysis obtained by The Associated Press includes the first economy-wide projections behind a policy at the core of Trump's pitch to voters going into November's midterm elections for control of the House and Senate. The analysis was done by administration officials for the White House Council of Economic Advisers. The scope of the savings claimed by the Trump administration are likely to intensify the scrutiny by Democrats, who counter that any price reductions would be offset by higher costs for prescription drugs not covered by the "most favored nation" framework, the author notes. Publicly traded companies in the space include AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers, Eli Lilly, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Rocheand Sanofi.ARMY AWARD:Parsonsannounced that the company was awarded a position on a $2B multiple award task order contract by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to deliver energy resilience and infrastructure modernization projects at military installations nationwide. The contract supporting the Department of War Energy Resilience and Conservation Investment Program has a three-year base performance period and seven one-year option periods. This award represents new work for the company.SPACE FORCE MISSILE DEFENSE:SciTec, a subsidiary of Firefly Aerospace, announced it received an Other Transaction Authority agreement from U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command to support the nation's emerging missile defense architecture as part of the Space-Based Interceptor program. "We're proud to contribute our proven AI-powered defense technologies to our nation's critical Golden Dome program and honored by the trust placed in our team," said David Simenc, SciTec's president. This program was established under the Department of War to develop a space-based missile defense interceptor system that will demonstrate capability integrated into the Golden Dome for America architecture by 2028. The Space Force has awarded 20 total agreements worth up to $3.2B to 12 companies, including SciTec, to build the space-based missile interceptor layer with next-generation space-based tracking and advanced interceptors integrated with artificial intelligence to counter the speed, maneuverability, and lethality of the threats.