Monday's Health Winners & Losers

On the clinical side, Endo Pharmaceuticals(ENDP Quote) said Monday that it had positive results from its interim analysis of late-stage data from Rapinyl as a treatment for breakthrough cancer pain. The company said the primary and secondary endpoints were all met in the 61-patient study. The interim analysis was only intended to determine efficacy and not tolerability, but Endo said the adverse events that were reported were consistent with what is usually observed with other opioids. Endo shares rose 15 cents, or 0.6%, to $27.27.

Also, Kosan Biosciences(KOSN Quote) said its tanespimycin demonstrated meaningful antitumor activity and tolerability in a small, midstage trial in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, when administered in combination with Herceptin in patients whose disease progressed following treatment with Herceptin immediately prior to entering the trial. Of 20 evaluable patients, the company said 11 patients saw a clinical benefit to tanespimycin. Common toxicities were mainly mild to moderate and included fatigue and gastrointestinal symptoms.

The company licensed the exclusive rights to develop and market Rapinyl in North America from Orexo AB. Shares rose 8 cents, or 2.4%, to $3.36.

Elsewhere, UBS upgraded Apria Healthcare(AHG Quote) to neutral from sell, sending shares up $1.41, or 6%, to $24.52.