On January 6, 2020 Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS) ("Novartis") reported the successful completion of the previously announced tender offer by its indirect wholly-owned subsidiary, Medusa Merger Corporation ("Purchaser"), for all of the outstanding shares of common stock, par value USD 0.001 per share, of The Medicines Company (NASDAQ: MDCO) (the "Company") at a price of USD 85.00 per share, net to the seller in cash, without interest and subject to any tax withholding (Press release, Novartis, JAN 6, 2020, View Source [SID1234552699]).

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American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, the depositary for the tender offer, has advised Purchaser that, as of 12:00 midnight, New York City time, at the end of the day on Friday, January 3, 2020 (the "Expiration Time"), the expiration of the tender offer, (i) 60,669,325 shares were validly tendered and not withdrawn in the tender offer, representing approximately 75.0% of the outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock, and (ii) Notices of Guaranteed Delivery had been delivered with respect to 13,655,837 additional shares, representing approximately 16.9% of the outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock. On January 4, 2020, Purchaser accepted for payment all shares validly tendered and not withdrawn and will promptly pay for such shares.

Novartis will promptly complete its acquisition of the Company through consummation of a merger of Purchaser with and into the Company, with the Company surviving the merger, without a vote of the Company’s stockholders in accordance with Section 251(h) of the Delaware General Corporation Law. Following the merger, the Company will be an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Novartis, and each share of the Company’s common stock outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the merger (other than shares owned by Novartis, Purchaser, the Company, any other subsidiary of Novartis or any subsidiary of the Company, or shares that are held in the Company’s treasury, or shares held by any Company stockholder who has properly demanded and perfected appraisal rights under Delaware law) will be converted into the right to receive USD 85.00 per share, net to the seller in cash, without interest and subject to any tax withholding, the same consideration received by stockholders who tendered their shares in the tender offer. As a result of the merger, as of January 6, 2020, the Company common stock will cease to be traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.

On January 6, 2020 Genprex, Inc. ("Genprex" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: GNPX), a clinical-stage gene therapy company utilizing a unique, nonviral proprietary platform designed to deliver tumor suppressor genes to cancer cells, reported it will attend and present at the Biotech Showcase 2020 to be held January 13–15, 2020 at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square in San Francisco (Press release, Genprex, JAN 6, 2020, View Source [SID1234552720]).

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Genprex’s President and Chief Operating Officer, Julien Pham, MD, MPH, will lead the Company’s presentation and, along with Rodney Varner, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, will be available for one-on-one investor meetings.

Genprex will present at the Biotech Showcase 2020 as follows:

Date: Monday, January 13, 2020

Time: 11:30 a.m. PT (2:30 p.m. ET)

Track: Yosemite C (Ballroom Level)

Location: Hilton San Francisco Union Square Hotel, 333 O’Farrell Street, San Francisco

Biotech Showcase, produced by Demy-Colton and EBD Group, is an investor conference focused on driving advances in therapeutic development by providing a sophisticated networking platform for executives and investors that fosters investment and partnership opportunities. The conference takes place each year during the course of one of the industry’s largest gatherings and busiest weeks.

"We are delighted that Genprex will be presenting at Biotech Showcase this year," said Sara Demy, CEO of Demy-Colton. "Biotech Showcase is a prime occasion for life science entrepreneurs and investors to come together to discover the potential of innovative technologies that will drive the future of drug discovery."

On January 6, 2020 Myovant Sciences (NYSE: MYOV), a healthcare company focused on developing innovative treatments for women’s health and prostate cancer, reported that Lynn Seely, M.D., Myovant’s CEO, will present at the 38th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, January 15, 2020 at 7:30 a.m. Pacific Time in San Francisco, California (Press release, Myovant Sciences, JAN 6, 2020, https://investors.myovant.com/news-releases/news-release-details/myovant-sciences-present-38th-annual-jp-morgan-healthcare [SID1234552737]).

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A live webcast of the presentation will be accessible on the Events page under the Investors & Media section of the Myovant website at www.myovant.com. Please connect to the company’s website at least 15 minutes prior to the presentation to ensure adequate time for any software download that may be required to listen to the webcast. A replay of the webcast will be available at the same location for 30 days following the conference.

On January 6, 2020 Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), reported that Joshua H. Levine, president and chief executive officer, will present at the 38th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, January 15, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. PT (Press release, Accuray, JAN 6, 2020, View Source [SID1234552753]). The conference will be held at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, California. Attendance at the conference is by invitation only.

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Accuray’s presentation will be available via a webcast with accompanying slides on the Investor Relations page of the Company’s website at investors.accuray.com. A replay of the webcast will also be available on the Company’s website following the event.

On January 6, 2020 Taiho Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd., ("Taiho") reported an exclusive worldwide research collaboration and license agreement with Astex Pharmaceuticals (UK), a wholly owned subsidiary of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. ("Astex"), and a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada ("MSD") focused on the development of small molecule inhibitors against several drug targets, including the KRAS oncogene, which are currently being investigated for the treatment of cancer (Press release, Taiho, JAN 6, 2020, View Source [SID1234552700]).

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"Taiho has used its unique and proprietary drug discovery platform to generate a number of small molecule inhibitors," said Teruhiro Utsugi, Ph.D., managing director at Taiho. "This alliance builds on our KRAS research up to now, and together with MSD it allows us to combine expertise to significantly accelerate the global research, development and commercialization of a number of our mutant KRAS programs by accessing external talent and resources."

Under the terms of the agreement, Taiho, Astex and MSD will combine preclinical candidates and their data with knowledge and expertise from their respective research programs. In exchange for providing MSD an exclusive global license to their small molecule inhibitor candidates, Taiho and Astex will receive an aggregate upfront payment of $50 million and will be eligible to receive approximately $2.5 billion contingent upon the achievement of preclinical, clinical, regulatory and sales milestones for multiple products arising from the agreement, as well as tiered royalties on sales. MSD will fund research and development and will be responsible for commercialization of products globally. Taiho has retained co-commercialization rights in Japan and an option to promote in specific areas of South East Asia.

"At MSD we continue to pursue new regimens designed to extend the benefits of highly selective therapies to more patients with cancer," said Dr. Roger M. Perlmutter, president, MSD Research Laboratories. "This agreement with Taiho and Astex combines our respective small molecule assets and industry-leading expertise in cancer cell signaling to enable development of the most promising drug candidates."

Harren Jhoti, Ph.D., president and CEO of Astex Pharmaceuticals (UK), commented,

"Together with our Taiho colleagues we are delighted to be working with MSD, one of the global leaders in oncology drug development, on this strategic alliance. This collaboration is another testament to Astex’s position as the leader in fragment-based drug discovery."

KRAS is among the most frequently mutated oncogenes in human cancers. It is estimated to occur in approximately 90% of pancreatic cancers1 and 20% of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC)2, where they are associated with poorer outcomes.

1: Journal of Cell Science (2016) 129, 1287-1292
2: Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network; Cancer Genome Atlas Research N. Nature 2014;511:543-50