Synaffix Enters into a Commercial License Agreement with ADC Therapeutics

On October 20, 2016 Synaffix BV reported it has entered into a Commercial License Agreement with ADC Therapeutics for its proprietary GlycoConnect and HydraSpace site-specific antibody-drug conjugate technologies (Press release, Synaffix, OCT 20, 2016, View Source [SID1234522092]).

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Under the terms of the agreement, ADC Therapeutics has been granted a single-target license for one of its preclinical programs and has also been granted an option to take a limited number of additional single-target licenses for potential future programs.

Floris van Delft, CSO at Synaffix said,

"We are delighted that ADC Therapeutics has recognized the value of our proprietary antibody-drug conjugate technologies and has elected to incorporate Synaffix technology into one of its preclinical programs."

"The experience of Synaffix and its partners has consistently confirmed that, in preclinical models, our proprietary GlycoConnect and HydraSpace technologies significantly improved both efficacy and safety as compared to other mainstream site-specific conjugation approaches."

"We look forward to working closely with the ADC Therapeutics team to advance these promising therapeutics to the patients who need them."

Synaffix is eligible to receive upfront, milestone and royalty payments on a per-target basis.

About GlycoConnect and HydraSpace

The Synaffix technology platforms include GlycoConnect, the site-specific and stable antibody conjugation technology that involves proprietary enzymes and metal-free click conjugation reagents, and HydraSpace, the antibody-drug conjugate enhancing spacer technology.

GlycoConnect was shown to be capable of significantly enhancing the therapeutic index of an antibody-drug conjugate on its own. The highly polar properties of HydraSpace improve the solubility and stability of the payload and the resulting antibody-drug conjugate product, thus enhancing further the therapeutic index of the antibody-drug conjugate.

Both technologies have demonstrated compatibility with all antibody-drug conjugate payload classes and all IgG isotypes without requiring antibody engineering.

Transgenomic and Precipio Diagnostics Announce Planned Merger

On October 12, 2016 Transgenomic, Inc. (NASDAQ:TBIO), and privately-held Precipio Diagnostics, LLC reported entry into a merger agreement, pursuant to which Precipio will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Transgenomic, and Transgenomic will be renamed Precipio, Inc (Press release, Transgenomic, OCT 20, 2016, View Source [SID1234515937]). In connection with the merger, it is anticipated that the original Precipio security holders will receive between 62% and 80% of the outstanding shares of the combined company, depending on the relative amount of outstanding liabilities of the parties at closing and prior to the investment of new capital. The merger is expected to close in 2016, pending approval by Transgenomic shareholders and other closing conditions set forth in the merger agreement. Simultaneous to the merger, the combined company will receive an investment of up to $7 million from a syndicate led by BV Advisory Partners in a private placement of preferred convertible securities, and $3.0 million of outstanding debt of each company is expected to convert into this same class of preferred convertible securities. This comprehensive transaction will provide the Company with a clean balance sheet and sufficient capital to achieve its planned expansion.

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Transgenomic has filed to complete a reverse stock split of between one-for-ten and one-for-thirty before the merger closes, and the company’s outstanding debt is expected to convert into common and preferred shares. The companies expect that shares of the combined company will be listed on the NASDAQ exchange and trade under the "PRPO" ticker (subject to filing and approval by NASDAQ). The merger agreement provides that, Ilan Danieli, Precipio founder and Chief Executive Officer, will serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the combined company. BV Advisory Partners is acting as advisor to the transaction.

Paul Kinnon, Transgenomic President and Chief Executive Officer, said "In recent years we have transitioned from a provider of conventional life science tools and diagnostic services into an innovative biotechnology enterprise focused on advancing precision medicine. We have done this through our revolutionary ICE COLD-PCR (ICP) technology, which enables accurate, non-invasive tumor profiling using circulating DNA in patient plasma. We have established a solid platform for commercialization of ICP, with leading global distributors and a solid pipeline of potential agreements with partners and customers. This is a good time to join forces with Precipio, which shares our commitment to accurate and timely advanced cancer diagnostics and has established an impressive infrastructure of academic experts and a growing customer base, validated by successful case studies. I look forward to working with my new colleagues to ensure a successful transition."

Ilan Danieli, Precipio founder and Chief Executive Officer, said "We are proud of Precipio’s progress in building a growing platform that provides unique services to cancer patients and their physicians by providing a demonstrated superior level of diagnostic accuracy, ensuring that patients receive the best possible treatment. Cancer misdiagnosis is an all too common and underappreciated problem, which frequently has a negative impact on patient treatment, and may cause needless loss of life. We provide both primary and second opinion screening, and our network of leading academic cancer researchers and advanced diagnostic technologies have proven to be an invaluable resource for patients and physicians. Our entire team is committed to ensuring that our services are made widely available. To that end we will continue building out our sales team to accelerate adoption and revenue growth. We believe Transgenomic’s ICP technology and commercial infrastructure fit well with our values and our business model, and look forward to this next stage of growth, as we work together to integrate our teams, technologies and services."

Keith Barksdale, Founder of BV Advisory Partners, commented, "Transgenomic and Precipio have complementary strengths with the potential to be a dynamic and strong competitor in the rapidly growing market for advanced cancer diagnostics. ICP is a revolutionary mutation detection technology that is now available through global distributors, and adoption by drug researchers and developers is ramping up. The technology is also available to help guide cancer diagnosis and treatment through Transgenomic’s CLIA laboratory. Precipio’s platform of leading academic cancer experts provides superior diagnostic accuracy level to oncologists and their patients; it represents a unique resource that can benefit from and leverage the power of ICE COLD-PCR. We look forward to working with the combined company going forward to help assure its growth and success."

Transgenomic’s ICE COLD-PCR offers major advantages over current sequencing technologies. It delivers at least a 100-fold improvement in sensitivity compared to standard methodologies, allowing detection of both known and previously unknown genetic alterations in any exon of any gene using a single assay. It is robust, easy to use and easily implemented, requiring minimal disruption to established sequencing workflows. It is available as ICEme Kits that deliver up to a 500-fold increase in mutation detection compared to most current methods, with levels of detection routinely achievable down to 0.01%. This ultra-high sensitivity enables detection of low level mutations and allows accurate patient monitoring as well as stratification of cancer sub-populations. ICEme Kits are compatible with most patient samples, including tissue, blood, plasma, urine and other biofluids. The kits are simple to use and work with most of the genomic analysis platforms available in laboratories today. They are easily customizable for use with single mutations or multiple mutations in combination. The current menu includes approximately 20 clinically relevant, actionable mutations that are associated with important cancers. The ICP range of mutation targets is being expanded on an ongoing basis.

ICE COLD-PCR was originally developed by the laboratory of Dr. Mike Makrigiorgos at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, which has exclusively licensed rights to the technology exclusively to Transgenomic.

Dilaforette changes name to Modus Therapeutics and announces intention to conduct an Initial Public Offering

On October 20, 2016 Dilaforette Holding AB, a clinical-stage drug development company, reported its name change to Modus Therapeutics Holding AB and its intention to undertake an Initial Public Offering ("IPO") (Press release, Modus Therapeutics Holding, OCT 20, 2016, View Source [SID1234517242]). A rights issue is planned in connection with the IPO in order to finance the further clinical development of the Company’s lead candidate sevuparin for the treatment of sickle cell disease ("SCD").

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Commenting on today’s announcement, Christina Herder, CEO of Modus Therapeutics, said: "Modus Therapeutics is entering an exciting phase with the opportunity to develop sevuparin in sickle cell disease in two separate uses based on promising data, recently published in the British Journal of Haematology (Telen et al, August, 2016). Sevuparin is now in Phase II clinical trials and we have a clear objective to advance this promising candidate through these trials to establish clinical proof of concept in both a hospital and a home setting over the next years."

Viktor Drvota, Chief Investment Officer at Karolinska Development and recently elected as new member of Modus Therapeutics Board of Directors, said: "Modus Therapeutics has established a strong basis with sevuparin in SCD from which to advance to the next value inflection milestones. The proposed IPO would provide further support to the Company to build on its encouraging clinical findings with sevuparin and develop a potentially best- and first-in-class treatment for SCD patients with few effective therapeutic options. Modus Therapeutics is one of several companies in our portfolio that are expected to deliver important milestones in the coming years and we are delighted with how this portfolio is maturing."

For further information: Christina Herder, CEO, Tel: + 46 70 374 71 56, [email protected]

David Dible or Pip Batty, Citigate Dewe Rogerson, Tel: +44 207 282 2049/1022, [email protected]

SOTIO and NBE Therapeutics Sign Collaboration and License Agreement for Next-Generation Antibody-Drug Conjugates

On October 20, 2016 NBE Therapeutics AG and SOTIO a.s. reported that the companies have entered into a collaboration for the development of next-generation antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for improved cancer therapy (Press release, NBE Therapeutics, OCT 20, 2016, View Source [SID1234573379]). Under the agreement, NBE and SOTIO will collaborate on the discovery, non-clinical development and manufacturing of novel ADC products against undisclosed targets. The ADC products will be based on NBE’s proprietary antibody discovery and conjugation platforms, including NBE’s Transpo-mAb antibody platform, its site-specific SMAC conjugation technology and its novel ultra-potent toxin platform. SOTIO will have global responsibility for clinical development, registration and commercialization of the ADC products.

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Upon exercise of the target options, NBE will be eligible for an option exercise fee, as well as milestone payments and royalties based on global net sales of the products. In addition, NBE will be reimbursed for its R&D expenses incurred in connection with the development of the product in collaboration with SOTIO.

As part of the deal, PPF Group, the owner of SOTIO, has committed to invest CHF10m in the next financing round of NBE.

Dr Ulf Grawunder, CEO of NBE Therapeutics commented: "We are excited about entering a strategic collaboration with SOTIO. This partnership validates our ADC platform and will allow us to further expand our ADC product pipeline. SOTIO’s proven clinical development expertise will help us to develop our ADC platform to the next level."

Ladislav Bartonicek, CEO of SOTIO and shareholder of PPF commented: "NBE’s product platform addresses the key issues of today’s antibody-drug conjugates. With the very strong preclinical data generated by NBE that show superiority in terms of potency, safety and product homogeneity, as well as strong immunotherapeutic effects, this platform has the potential to provide new superior treatment options for cancer patients."

Abbott Reports Third-Quarter 2016 Results

On October 19, 2016 Abbott (NYSE: ABT) financial results for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, 2016 (Press release, Abbott, OCT 19, 2016, View Source [SID1234515913]).

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Third-quarter worldwide sales of $5.3 billion increased 2.9 percent on a reported basis and 4.0 percent on an operational basis.
Reported diluted EPS from continuing operations under GAAP was a $(0.24) loss in the third quarter, primarily due to an adjustment of $(0.66) per share associated with Abbott’s equity investment in Mylan to reflect Mylan’s share price as of Sept. 30, 2016. Excluding specified items, adjusted diluted EPS from continuing operations was $0.59 in the third quarter, at the high end of the previous guidance range.

Abbott adjusted its full-year 2016 EPS guidance for continuing operations under GAAP to $0.59 to $0.61, and narrowed and raised at the mid-point its full-year 2016 adjusted EPS for continuing operations to $2.19 to $2.21, exceeding its initial guidance for the year.

In the third quarter, Abbott received U.S. FDA approval for its FreeStyle Libre Pro system, a revolutionary continuous glucose monitoring system for healthcare professionals to use with their patients with diabetes; submitted for U.S. regulatory approval a consumer version of FreeStyle Libre, to be used by people with diabetes to self-monitor glucose levels; received U.S. FDA approval for AbsorbTM, the only fully dissolving heart stent; and received U.S. FDA approval for TECNIS Symfony intraocular lenses for the treatment of cataracts, the first and only extended depth of focus lenses for people with cataracts.

On Sept. 16, 2016, Abbott announced the sale of Abbott Medical Optics, its vision care business, to Johnson & Johnson for $4.325 billion. This transaction aligns with Abbott’s shaping of its portfolio, which has recently focused on developing leadership positions in cardiovascular devices and expanding diagnostics. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017 and is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

"Strong performance in Established Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices led our sales growth this quarter," said Miles D. White, chairman and chief executive officer, Abbott. "We’re on track to deliver the financial commitments we set at the beginning of the year. We also had several key product launches and continued to take strategic actions to shape our business for long-term growth."

THIRD-QUARTER BUSINESS OVERVIEW

Following are sales by business segment and commentary for the third quarter and the first nine months of the year:

Total Company
($ in millions)


% Change vs. 3Q15

Sales 3Q16

Int’l

Total

U.S.

Int’l

Total

U.S.

Reported

Operational

Reported

Operational
Total *
1,645

3,657

5,302

4.5

2.2

3.7

2.9

4.0

Nutrition
755

1,000

1,755

3.5

(5.7)

(4.1)

(2.0)

(1.0)

Diagnostics
362

851

1,213

4.1

5.3

6.0

5.0

5.4

Established Pharmaceuticals


1,012

1,012

n/a

5.3

9.0

5.3

9.0

Medical Devices
519

791

1,310

6.0

6.7

6.1

6.4

6.0

* Total Abbott Sales from continuing operations include Other Sales of $12 million.



% Change vs. 9M15

Sales 9M16

Int’l

Total

U.S.

Int’l

Total

U.S.

Reported

Operational

Reported

Operational
Total *
4,831

10,689

15,520

3.5

1.3

5.9

2.0

5.2
Nutrition
2,224

2,942

5,166

3.8

(3.0)

1.6

(0.2)

2.5
Diagnostics
1,062

2,495

3,557

3.6

3.9

7.1

3.8

6.1
Established Pharmaceuticals


2,880

2,880

n/a

1.6

9.8

1.6

9.8
Medical Devices
1,520

2,359

3,879

2.8

4.1

5.6

3.6

4.5

* Total Abbott Sales from continuing operations include Other Sales of $38 million.
n/a = Not Applicable.
Note: Operational growth reflects percentage change over the prior year excluding the impact of exchange rates. In order to compute results excluding the impact of exchange rates, current year U.S. dollar sales are multiplied or divided, as appropriate, by the current year average foreign exchange rates and then those amounts are multiplied or divided, as appropriate, by the prior year average foreign exchange rates.

Third-quarter 2016 worldwide sales of $5.3 billion increased 2.9 percent on a reported basis, including an unfavorable 1.1 percent effect of foreign exchange, and increased 4.0 percent on an operational basis. Excluding the impact of Venezuelan operations, sales would have increased 4.5 percent on a reported basis and 5.6 percent on an operational basis.

International sales increased 2.2 percent on a reported basis and 3.7 percent on an operational basis in the third quarter. International operational growth was led by strong performance across Established Pharmaceuticals, Diagnostics and Medical Devices.

Nutrition
($ in millions)


% Change vs. 3Q15

Sales 3Q16

Int’l

Total

U.S.

Int’l

Total

U.S.

Reported

Operational

Reported

Operational
Total
755

1,000

1,755

3.5

(5.7)

(4.1)

(2.0)

(1.0)
Pediatric
414

553

967

4.3

(9.4)

(7.5)

(4.0)

(2.8)
Adult
341

447

788

2.6

(0.8)

0.6

0.6

1.4



% Change vs. 9M15

Sales 9M16

Int’l

Total

U.S.

Int’l

Total

U.S.

Reported

Operational

Reported

Operational
Total
2,224

2,942

5,166

3.8

(3.0)

1.6

(0.2)

2.5
Pediatric
1,242

1,664

2,906

5.0

(5.1)

(0.7)

(1.0)

1.6
Adult
982

1,278

2,260

2.3

(0.1)

4.7

0.9

3.7

Worldwide Nutrition sales decreased 2.0 percent on a reported basis in the third quarter, including an unfavorable 1.0 percent effect of foreign exchange, and decreased 1.0 percent on an operational basis.

Worldwide Pediatric Nutrition sales decreased 4.0 percent on a reported basis in the third quarter, including an unfavorable 1.2 percent effect of foreign exchange, and decreased 2.8 percent on an operational basis. During the quarter, Abbott introduced Similac Pro-Advance and Similac Pro-Sensitive, the first infant formulas in the U.S. with a human milk oligosaccharide that offers a unique immune-nourishing prebiotic. International sales declined 9.4 percent on a reported basis and 7.5 percent on an operational basis, driven by challenging market conditions in China, partially offset by continued strong performance in Latin America and Southeast Asia.

Worldwide Adult Nutrition sales increased 0.6 percent on a reported basis in the third quarter, including an unfavorable 0.8 percent effect of foreign exchange, and increased 1.4 percent on an operational basis. Operational sales growth in the quarter was led by growth of Ensure, Abbott’s complete and balanced nutrition brand.

Diagnostics
($ in millions)


% Change vs. 3Q15

Sales 3Q16

Int’l

Total

U.S.

Int’l

Total

U.S.

Reported

Operational

Reported

Operational
Total
362

851

1,213

4.1

5.3

6.0

5.0

5.4
Core Laboratory
220

757

977

7.6

5.0

5.7

5.6

6.1
Molecular
42

70

112

(9.6)

5.4

6.3

(0.8)

(0.3)
Point of Care
100

24

124

3.4

15.6

14.1

5.6

5.3



% Change vs. 9M15

Sales 9M16

Int’l

Total

U.S.

Int’l

Total

U.S.

Reported

Operational

Reported

Operational
Total
1,062

2,495

3,557

3.6

3.9

7.1

3.8

6.1
Core Laboratory
616

2,224

2,840

3.4

3.8

7.1

3.7

6.3
Molecular
140

199

339

(3.4)

1.9

5.2

(0.3)

1.5
Point of Care
306

72

378

7.6

13.3

13.6

8.6

8.7

Worldwide Diagnostics sales increased 5.0 percent on a reported basis in the third quarter, including an unfavorable 0.4 percent effect of foreign exchange, and increased 5.4 percent on an operational basis. During the quarter, Abbott unveiled its new suite of diagnostic instruments, AlinityTM, at the American Association for Clinical Chemistry conference. The Alinity suite includes new instruments for every area of the diagnostics market where Abbott competes and incorporates features deemed important to customers, including increased automation, higher volumes, faster results, smaller size and an improved user interface.

Core Laboratory Diagnostics sales increased 5.6 percent on a reported basis in the third quarter, including an unfavorable 0.5 percent effect of foreign exchange, and increased 6.1 percent on an operational basis. Operational sales growth in the quarter was led by continued share gains in the U.S. and internationally.

Molecular Diagnostics sales decreased 0.8 percent on a reported basis in the third quarter, including an unfavorable 0.5 percent effect of foreign exchange, and decreased 0.3 percent on an operational basis. As expected, continued strong growth in Abbott’s infectious disease testing business was offset primarily by the planned scale down of its genetics business.

Point of Care Diagnostics sales increased 5.6 percent on a reported basis in the third quarter, including a favorable 0.3 percent effect of foreign exchange, and increased 5.3 percent on an operational basis. Sales growth was led by continued adoption of Abbott’s i-STAT handheld system in the U.S. and international markets.

Established Pharmaceuticals
($ in millions)


% Change vs. 3Q15

Sales 3Q16

Int’l

Total

U.S.

Int’l

Total

U.S.

Reported

Operational

Reported

Operational
Total


1,012

1,012

n/a

5.3

9.0

5.3

9.0
Key Emerging Markets


747

747

n/a

7.0

12.2

7.0

12.2
Other


265

265

n/a

0.7

0.6

0.7

0.6



% Change vs. 9M15

Sales 9M16

Int’l

Total

U.S.

Int’l

Total

U.S.

Reported

Operational

Reported

Operational
Total


2,880

2,880

n/a

1.6

9.8

1.6

9.8
Key Emerging Markets


2,135

2,135

n/a

2.7

13.4

2.7

13.4
Other


745

745

n/a

(1.5)



(1.5)

Established Pharmaceuticals sales increased 5.3 percent on a reported basis in the third quarter, including an unfavorable 3.7 percent effect of foreign exchange, and increased 9.0 percent on an operational basis.

Key Emerging Markets include India, Russia, Brazil and China, along with several additional emerging markets that represent the most attractive long-term growth opportunities for Abbott’s branded generics product portfolio. Sales in these key geographies increased 7.0 percent on a reported basis and 12.2 percent on an operational basis. Operational sales growth was led by continued strong growth in India, which comprises more than 20 percent of Abbott’s Established Pharmaceuticals sales, as well as above-market growth in several countries throughout Latin America driven by commercial initiatives and locally relevant portfolio expansion.

Medical Devices
($ in millions)


% Change vs. 3Q15

Sales 3Q16

Int’l

Total

U.S.

Int’l

Total

U.S.

Reported

Operational

Reported

Operational
Total
519

791

1,310

6.0

6.7

6.1

6.4

6.0
Vascular
305

403

708

9.8

2.0

1.4

5.2

4.9
Diabetes Care
96

210

306

(2.2)

19.1

20.7

11.5

12.5
Medical Optics
118

178

296

3.7

4.8

1.7

4.4

2.5

Vascular Product Lines:

Coronary Devicesa)
201

336

537

4.8



(0.8)

1.8

1.2
Endovascularb)
76

66

142

4.6

13.7

14.3

8.6

8.9

a) Includes DES / BVS product portfolio, structural heart, guidewires, balloon catheters and other coronary products.
b) Includes vessel closure, carotid stents and other peripheral products.



% Change vs. 9M15


Sales 9M16

Int’l

Total

U.S.

Int’l

Total

U.S.

Reported

Operational

Reported

Operational
Total
1,520

2,359

3,879

2.8

4.1

5.6

3.6

4.5
Vascular
940

1,235

2,175

9.5

0.1

1.8

3.9

4.9
Diabetes Care
238

594

832

(18.6)

12.6

15.7

1.5

3.5
Medical Optics
342

530

872

4.2

4.9

4.6

4.6

4.4

Vascular Product Lines:

Coronary Devicesa)
597

1,039

1,636

4.5

(1.5)



0.6

1.6
Endovascularb)
226

194

420

7.5

9.0

11.7

8.2

9.4

a) Includes DES / BVS product portfolio, structural heart, guidewires, balloon catheters and other coronary products.
b) Includes vessel closure, carotid stents and other peripheral products.

Worldwide Medical Devices sales increased 6.4 percent on a reported basis in the third quarter, including a favorable 0.4 percent effect of foreign exchange, and increased 6.0 percent on an operational basis.

Worldwide sales of Vascular products increased 5.2 percent on a reported basis in the third quarter, including a favorable 0.3 percent effect of foreign exchange, and increased 4.9 percent on an operational basis. Sales growth in Vascular products was led by double-digit growth of MitraClip, Abbott’s device for the treatment of mitral regurgitation, as Abbott continues to build the market for this first-in-class device. Strong sales growth in Abbott’s Endovascular business was driven by vessel closure products and Supera, Abbott’s unique stent for the treatment of blockages in the leg. In the quarter, Abbott received U.S. FDA approval for Absorb, the only fully dissolving heart stent.

Worldwide Diabetes Care sales increased 11.5 percent on a reported basis in the third quarter, including an unfavorable 1.0 percent effect of foreign exchange, and increased 12.5 percent on an operational basis. International sales growth was driven by continued consumer uptake of FreeStyle Libre, Abbott’s revolutionary continuous glucose monitoring system that eliminates the need for finger-sticks. In September, Abbott received U.S. FDA approval for the FreeStyle Libre Pro system, which is designed to help healthcare professionals make better, customized treatment decisions for their patients – and at a significantly lower cost than other professional continuous glucose monitoring systems. During the quarter, Abbott submitted the consumer version of the FreeStyle Libre system for review by the U.S. FDA. The consumer version of the FreeStyle Libre system is designed to eliminate the need for routine finger-sticks and provides glucose data in a simple format that allows people with diabetes to better self-monitor their glucose levels.

Worldwide Medical Optics sales increased 4.4 percent on a reported basis in the third quarter, including a favorable 1.9 percent effect of foreign exchange, and increased 2.5 percent on an operational basis. Operational sales growth was driven by continued market uptake of cataract products in the premium intraocular lens segment. In the quarter, Abbott received U.S. FDA approval and launched its TECNIS Symfony intraocular lenses, the first and only lenses in the U.S. that provide a full range of continuous high-quality vision following cataract surgery.

ABBOTT NARROWS ITS FULL-YEAR EARNINGS-PER-SHARE GUIDANCE

Abbott is adjusting its projected earnings per share from continuing operations under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) to $0.59 to $0.61 for the full year 2016.

Abbott forecasts net specified items for the full year 2016 of approximately $1.60 per share. Specified items include intangible amortization expense, the impact of the Venezuelan currency devaluation in the first quarter and an adjustment to the equity investment in Mylan in the third quarter, expenses associated with acquisitions, including bridge facility fees, charges related to cost reduction initiatives and other expenses and the recognition of deferred taxes associated with the pending sale of the Abbott Medical Optics business (AMO), partially offset by the favorable resolution of various tax positions from prior years.

Excluding specified items, Abbott is raising the mid-point and narrowing its full-year 2016 guidance range for earnings per share from continuing operations to $2.19 to $2.21, exceeding its initial guidance for the year.

ABBOTT DECLARES 371ST QUARTERLY DIVIDEND

On Sept. 15, 2016, the board of directors of Abbott declared the company’s quarterly dividend of $0.26 per share. Abbott’s cash dividend is payable Nov. 15, 2016, to shareholders of record at the close of business on Oct. 14, 2016.

Abbott is a member of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index, which tracks companies that have annually increased their dividend for 25 consecutive years.