Dynavax Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:DVAX) has revealed that it is currently undertaking a review of the options that it currently has for its hepatitis B treatment.
Sources familiar with the matter claim that some of the options that the company might be considering for its hepatitis B include a potential licensing deal or even a sale. Dynavax is still at its early stages of the review and as such, the final decisions have not materialized. The firm might even decide to carry out its own commercial launch of the treatment which at this point is also one of the options.
Dynavax has maintained a tight seal regarding the proceedings of the review process but will most likely announce the results of its decision. The drug which is known as Heplisav is the company’s offering for the market and it is designed to combat hepatitis B. It is currently pending regulatory approval which will most likely happen before the end of the year. The company is betting big on the drug because the revenue flow that it will generate will be used to fund the development of cancer treatments.
“We remain fully committed to preparing for a commercial launch in 2018. We continue to evaluate any interest from potential partners as part of our long-term strategic planning,” stated Ryan Spencer, a spokesman for Dynavax.
The company is confident that the hepatitis B treatment will receive an approval from the FDA once the review process is complete. This is because Heplisav already received the green light from the FDA in July this year, thus the chances of an approval decision are quite high. The announcement of the July outcome also gave investors a positive outlook, thus causing the company’s stock to surge by 70 percent.
Market analysts believe that Heplisav will gain a lot of traction once it is launched in the market. It is expected to gain significant market share over its main competitor, Engerix-B which is owned by GlaxoSmithKline plc (ADR) (NYSE:GSK). This is because patients require fewer doses of Heplisav.
Dynavax stock closed the latest trading session on Wednesday at 23.95.