swift air limited was an airline based in lilongwe , malawi .

it was a privately owned airline that operated regional passenger services .

its main base was at kamuzu international airport .

swift air malawi

not worried about air malawi who seem like a good bunch . looking for info on swift air malawi
► malawi : swift air grounded by courts as government mulls air malawi ' s future following huge losses .
• the african aviation tribune • : ► malawi : swift air grounded by courts as government mulls air malawi ' s future following huge losses .
swift air . airline code , web site , phone , reviews and opinions .
make an air malawi reservation and find some amazing deals with discounted air malawi tickets at alternative airlines . air malawi flies to many destinations offering a cost effective and safe service to all its passengers . let alternative airlines help find you cheap air malawi tickets and make international and domestic flight reservations on air malawi today .
fly with swift air today and enjoy a smooth , hassle free and comfortable flight .
swift air chief executive officer , louise hanne , could reportedly not be reached for comment .
air malawi began operations as a subsidiary of central african airways and later became independent as the national airline of malawi . air malawi operated regional and domestic flights from blantyre .
hi everyone , does anyone know who is leasing or going into partnership with swift air malawi using a 737 ? please pm me . cheers
can we please suggest these alternative airlines who fly similar routes to air malawi .
lilongwe based swift air is owned by african flying boats . equipped initially with a single beechcraft 1900d with four more planned to follow , swift air commute between blantyre and lilongwe to destinations on lake malawi such as monkey bay , salima and nkhata bay .
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swift air owes adl alone k700 , 000 in unpaid rentals , according to adl business development manager ali chiwoko .
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the malawi institution of engineers ( mie ) recently called on government to make a concrete stand on air malawi if the country ' s air transport sector is to be revamped .
nyassa air taxi is by far the preferred choice to fly guests in and around malawi .
in july 2013 , air malawi signed an agreement with ethiopian airlines as a new partner . air malawi flew to many destinations including blantyre , dar es salaam , harare , johannesburg , lilongwe and lusaka . air malawi ' s fleet consisted of atr 42s and boeing 737s .
“the debt with air malawi rose to millions and she decided again to use independent travel agents to book our customers on air malawi flights but she has failed to pay them too . ”
swift air is a privately owned airline operating flights between johannesburg , blantyre and lilongwe . it operates a boeing 737 aircraft .
operations at private airline , swift air in malawi have been halted after sheriffs impounded the company’s property in lilongwe for unpaid debt believed to be in millions of kwacha .
air malawi flies small propeller planes between the three big cities of lilongwe , mzuzu and blantyre .
click here to see a route map of air malawi ' s services in the ' 70s .
privately owned malawian airline swift air has been grounded by the malawian courts and had its property in lilongwe attached over outstanding rental fees and monies owed to air malawi , the airport development limited ( adl ) , and various independent travel agents .
malawi’s swift air will begin operating a new south african route from the 21st february 2012 offering cheap fares and a regular schedule . great news for tourists , malawians and south africans alike !
malawi’s capital city , lilongwe , has been a major international gateway into the country because the main international airport is in the city . this airport connects malawi to various destinations such as johannesburg - south africa , nairobi – kenya , and dubai . airlines that are useful for accessing malawi from another country are air malawi ( the national carrier ) and swift air , amongst a few others .
swift air started a promising alternative to the beleaguered air malawi on the domestic and regional routes , and its not clear why the company has run aground . it had a fleet of one embraer emb 120 brasilia and was semi - leasing a dc9 .
swift air chief executive officer mrs . louise hahn - perepeczko could not be reached for a comment amid reports she was in south africa or uk .
currently they service lilongwe , mzuzu , karonga and blantyre but many more routes are in the pipeline . swift air is the preferred carrier for many of the local and international corporations that work in malawi .
swift air launched services from lilongwe to karonga in april last year and launched flights to johannesburg in february . the airline also flies to blantyre and mzuzu .
the airline was taken over by malawi airlines which began operations in 2014 . click here for malawi airlines flights
swift f . 1s of 56 squadron in 1954 ; m . j . f . bowyer
malawi is internationally known for the friendliness of the malawians and air malawi has a slogan ,
africa ' s friendly airline
which is true to the spirit of the country .
you can pay for your flights with air malawi in the currency and payment method of your choice when booking through alternative airlines .
browse the most popular air malawi flight routes to destinations worldwide . alternative airlines can help you make reservations on air malawi for international flights to lots of destinations . use the following list of routes to help you plan your next flight . book air malawi flights on alternative airlines to save big ! alternative airlines is an online travel agency , specialising in booking lesser known airlines and remote destinations .
in swift move to liberalise the country’s air industry , mozambique civil aviation institute ( iacm ) has authorised seven foreign companies , including ethiopian airlines and malawi airways to operate domestic routes for the first time ever , as the southern african nation moves to liberalise the air industry , apa can report on wednesday .
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the previous international departure tax of usd30 is now included in the air fare .
the press has confirmed that the airline owes its landlord – airport development limited ( adl ) , air malawi and independent travel agents millions of kwacha .
hi there swift air have been operating domestically in malawi since april this year . they have 1x b1900d and a bae jetstream recently joined the fleet . they have taken up competition with air malawi on lilongwe - blantyre and are doing quite well . i believe they have a full a . o . c so any of the issues that faced nyasa express are not a factor for swift air . actually , nyasa express is operating again under the ulendo airlink brand , in partnership with cfa charters from south africa . they are flying a c210 and a c208b , mainly charters within the region . hope this helps !
mtchungula passed away last year and air malawi is currently on the brink of bankruptcy and only barely keeping 1 a / c ( the 1993 atr 42 ) airborne . sad times for malawi aviation . should have sold and privatized a few years ago . swift air not doing much better , still haven ' t received their full malawi aoc and have been operating a variety of leased aircraft since april last year . high fuel costs , low yields usually spell the end for any carrier .
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nyassa air taxi has a shuttle service from usd280 per person from mfuwe to lilongwe .
a4o - vl with air ceylon titles taxiing past omani a4o - ab at heathrow .
a4o - vl in gulf air colours but wearing air ceylon titles seen here in storage , probably after its sale to the raf . photo via aviation photography of miami collection
the later gulf air scheme seen in dubai in 1978 . photo by g . hall
malawi is celebrating two new airlines which have taken to the skies this summer . both malawian owned and managed , ulendo airlink and swift air are operating scheduled flights connecting the country’s major tourism and commercial centres , to meet the needs of both business and leisure travellers .
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4 . i have been reading mixed messages ( good and bad ) about swift air . to your knowlege , are the flights reliable ie on time , or at least flying the day they are supposed to ? difficult to say - they have recently teamed with air malawi to share flights so they are becoming more reliable - best to have back up option !
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swift air is a privately owned airline in malawi . they offer a reliable , efficient and safe service with a smile . all aircraft are twin engined turbine aircraft to fulfill companies ' corporate policies on air travel . highly qualified , mature pilots are assisted in the cabin by friendly and well trained cabin crew who look after all the needs and safety of the passengers .
4 . i have been reading mixed messages ( good and bad ) about swift air . to your knowlege , are the flights reliable ie on time , or at least flying the day they are supposed to ?
with devaluation , our traffic has gone down as less and less people are able to travel ,
said air malawi ' s director of marketing tony chimpukuso wednesday .
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prior to its grounding swift air operated domestically between lilongwe , blantyre , mzuzu , karonga with a single regional flight operated to johannesburg , south africa whilst their fleet consisted of a south african leased mcdonnell douglas dc - 9 ( zs - gau ? ) , an embraer 120 ( 9j - ryl ) and a beechcraft 1900d . all of have either been returned to their respective owners or grounded as a result of the financial crisis at swift air .
swift air ' s aircraft all follow the manufacturer ' s maintenance programmes and there is never any compromise on safety . they have their own engineering department for day to day maintenance but all major overhauls are done by outside professional companies .
he appears to float on air after walking off the last step of the impressive wooden staircase in his malawi mansion but at the crucial moment , the camera pans to his feet .
controversial zimbabwe prophet shepherd bushiri claims this footage is proof that he can ' walk on air . '
air malawi is a regional airline , owned by the government of malawi , which affords access to this remarkable country as well as providing the main air link between the nation ' s capital , lilongwe and the country ' s second largest city , blantyre . unusually for a national carrier the airline in not based in the capital but instead from its hub in blantyre .
hi all , air malawi is no more , a new company in association with ethiopian is due to be formed but hasnt happened yet . there are currently no flights between lilongwe and blantyre
we accept paypal making flight purchases with air malawi easy and more secure for customers . paypal is one of the leading forms of online payment , with more than 169 million accounts worldwide .
an employee who held a senior position at the company but spoke on strict condition of anonymity told zodiak that the ceo left two months ago amid pressure from the debtors . “when all our planes were suspended two months ago due to financial challenges , the owner decided to continue selling tickets and in turn use air malawi to fly the customers , ” said the employee adding ; “the debt with air malawi rose to millions and she decided again to use independent travel agents to book our customers on air malawi flights but she has failed to pay them too . ”
axa malawi ( 00 265 1 874254 ; urltoken ) runs a premium non - stop , air - conditioned coach between blantyre and lilongwe twice daily ( four hours ; 3 , 500 malawi kwacha / £13 ) as well as more rustic stopping services running all over the country .
nationals of hong kong may enter malawi visa - free for up to 30 days .
founded in january 2011 , the airline was seen as a viable alternative to the unreliable parastatal air malawi , whose own future has been called into doubt over heavy continuous annual losses , which for the year 2011 , amounted to mwk1 . 1billion . the losses have been attributed to air malawi ' s continued use of leased aircraft for operations ; a reliable if very expensive way to operate .
booking staff can be contacted by email or via the website . as well as a head office in lilongwe swift air also has offices at kamuzu international airport , lilongwe , chileka international airport , blantyre , mzuzu airport , mzuzu and karonga airport , karonga .
agree on the above - bus would be best option - due to fuel issues and you will also have a drop off car hire cost too . or you could arrange a private road transfer - email info @ urltoken for a quot . swift air and air malawi might be an option - again email the above address to find out latest time table etc . if you need accommodation in blantyre - check out these options www . urltoken / hotels - in - blantyre
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and we are still waiting for the new government to state their position on air malawi . the previous government was not interested in us . they just wanted us to close down ,
h e said .
malawi had already regularly been visited by eaa and bua vc10s when air malawi bought g - asiw off british caledonian . operating in a bright red livery it was the flagship of the company for several years until in 1979 it was deemed beyond economic use . stored for several years at bournemouth ( hurn ) it eventually flew home to malawi where it was left to decay , eventually being scrapped in 1994 .
embassy of the republic of malawi to belgium , the netherlands , luxembourg , switzerland and france .
air ceylon never owned its own vc10 but operated services from colombo to london using boac vc10s which were allocated on availability . in december 1977 a4o - vl was leased from gulf air for the same purpose . after the lease , in january 1978 , a4o - vl was returned to gulf air but probably never flew another route for them as the aircraft was sold to the raf in the same year and the photo on the right shows it stored with the air ceylon titles still present .
as a school boy i watched the swift fly from chilbolton . a few years later some of the airframes were at raf st athan being used for trade training .
western - standard hotels can be found in blantyre , lilongwe , zomba and mzuzu , as well as along the shores of lake malawi . the lake malawi resort hotels cater primarily to international tourists .
it is the widespread highlands and forests that provide the most impressive of the malawi ' s varied scenery . up where the air is fresh and cool are clear mountain streams , heaths , rolling montane grassland and evergreen forests .
the airline’s domestic service timetable compliments existing routes already offered by the national carrier , air malawi with connections to international flights from kamuzu international to johannesburg , nairobi and addis ababa . ulendo airlink is also available to quote for private charters .
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looking for flights to malawi ? skyscanner australia is simple , fast and free so finding your flights to malawi and saving on airfare , couldn’t be easier . we search hundreds of airlines and compare prices for thousands of destinations around the world to find you the cheapest flights to malawi whenever you want to go . if your dates are flexible then skyscanner can show you the cheapest days of the month to fly to malawi . why not add a hotel to your flight to malawi ? for the best hotel deals in malawi have a look at skyscanner australia hotels . skyscanner searches all the best hotel suppliers to bring you best deals . once you have found your perfect flight to malawi , why not bookmark skyscanner and if come back for your next adventure .
malawi has been known for years as
the warm heart of africa
, and malawians are known for their friendliness and hospitality . malawi is not known as a particularly dangerous travel destination for western foreigners and expatriates .
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according to the report , operations were halted after sheriffs impounded the company’s property in lilongwe for unpaid debt , believed to be in the region of millions of kwacha , owed to its landlord , airport development limited , air malawi and independent travel agents .
malawi ' s largest tertiary education structure at present is the university of malawi which is made up of chancellor college located in the heart of zomba , blantyre polytechnic in chichiri and college of medicine . bunda college of agriculture and kamuzu college of nursing are located in lilongwe . there is also mzuzu university in the northern part of malawi .
i worked on swifts camberas hunters javelins when i was posted to cmu raf laarbruch . i have still got a scaar on my head going under the wing of a leaking swift in the hanger
air malawi operates a fleet of four aircraft on a route network including six destinations including one domestic destination , lilongwe and four international ones : johannesburg ( south africa ) , harare ( zimbabwe ) , dar es salaam ( tanzania ) and lusaka ( zambia ) .
u . s . sen . john mccain of arizona and his wife cindy shared in a happy occasion saturday night – the wedding of their son jack mccain to renee swift , the senator’s . . .
if you are coming into malawi from mozambique , you can as well use train transport from nampula in mozambique to arrive at the train station at blantyre in malawi . another alternative is boarding a ferry at the either cobue or metangula port in mozambique to arrive at likoma island of malawi . if you are entering from zambia , then board a car at the zambian border of mchinji and use the road route to lilongwe city of malawi . public buses are available in lusaka - zambia , mbeya - karonga route in tanzania , and dar es salaam in tanzania , which will take you to lilongwe , karonga , or mzuzu in malawi .
56 squadron received their first swift f . 1s on the 13th of february 1954 , though the aircraft had numerous restrictions placed upon them with regards to gun firing , top speed and service ceiling . in spite of this , the swift still holds the honour of being the first british built swept - wing jet fighter into raf service . numerous accidents resulted in the grounding of all swifts in late august , and 56 squadron ' ground itself to a halt ' . the central fighter establishment said that it was unlikely that the swift would ever be a suitable fighter . when f . 2s replaced the f . 1s a few days later ( 30th august ) , the restrictions were relaxed , but two aircraft were then lost in pitch - up accidents and the swift fleet was once again grounded . by march of 1955 the raf had had quite enough of the swift and the order was given to withdraw them from service . the major problem was the type was completely incapable of combat at altitudes beyond 40 , 000 ft - it had neither the manouevrability , endurance or reliability required .
travelling around malawi’s tourist attractions takes you to a variety of destinations that makes touring in malawi a memorable holiday event . cape maclear is a fine destination for sandy beach fun in the beautiful natural surroundings of the cape that juts into the large malawi lake . likoma and chisumulu islands are also interesting places to visit . liwonde national park houses a variety of wildlife species like the eagles and the african elephants . apart from sightseeing all these attractions , there are fun activities you can indulge in , like boat riding in lake malawi , water sports , nature trekking , mountain biking , and culture indulgence by visiting villages to understand the local malawi culture blend .
zomba is the old colonial capital of malawi and is noted for its british colonial architecture , the university of malawi , and the remarkable zomba plateau which rises immediately west of the city . while in zomba , visit the extensive market , purchase fabric and handicrafts .
malawi is a tourist destination in africa popular for bearing africa’s third largest lake , lake malawi . malawi is situated in east africa , next to mozambique , tanzania , and zambia . malawi is an independent of friendly people , rich cultural heritage , and a wide variety of attractions that make the country one of the top tourist destinations among south african countries . english is the official language in malawi , while chichewa is the local tongue spoken and common in most remote and urban centers of the country . the geographical scenery of the country is mostly a plateau landscape , and it experiences an alternating warm and rainy season , to a cool and dry season .
trains are no longer running in malawi . minibuses are doing all the stretches of road , and you can catch trains in mozambique .
back in , i think , 1956 , s a teenager , i had the priviledge of working on the swift at the supermarine factory at trowbridge . my job was to paint some evil smelling white solution inside the tailpipe . we also used compressed air drills . since i was ( and am ) ' keen ' on aircraft , the job was a pleasure . a beautiful ' plane ' .
the only beers you will generally find are brewed in blantyre by carlsberg , and it ' s products are available in restaurants and stores throughout the country . a normal carlsberg is known as a ' green ' , but also come as special brew , stout , classic , elephant , light or kuche kuche . you can also buy imported drinks such as heineken , kronenbourg , smirnoff ice , barcadi breezer and some ciders in certain bars . malawi also produces it ' s own spirits - notably malawi vodka , malawi gin , malawi rum , gold label brandy and the cane spirit powers . malawi gin & tonic is a very nice , popular expat drink in the country .
in central malawi , to the west of the lake , the nkhotakota wildlife reserve has 1 , 800sq km of woodland and grasses . experience the wildlife here by hiking and fly - camping . it has malawi ' s last lion population as well as elephant and leopard .
today a major operator , gulf air is partly indebted to the vc10 for its position on the market . initially leasing vc10s from boac , gulf air later bought them off the shelf when boac sold off their fleet of standard vc10s . five airframes were used and these formed the backbone of a large scale route structure expansion , although a4o - vl also spent some time being leased to air ceylon . after a hectic three year operation the vc10s were sold off again , this time going to the raf for conversion .
i worked on swifts camberas hunters javelins when i was posted to cmu raf laarbruch . i have still got a scaar on my head going under the wing of a leaking swift in the hanger . this was between 1961 - 1963
like most other former british colonies , traffic moves on the left in malawi with most cars having their steering wheel on the right . drink - driving is prohibited in malawi . it has a zero - tolerance rule meaning that a driver must not consume any alcohol at all .
and do they need an old air malawi skipper from years ago who has 10 , 000 hours 737 and loads of africa experience ? would give my right arm to go back and finish my career where i started , oh , and train the next generation along the way . pm me if you know anything , please !
malawi is a special place , with unique experiences around every corner . it is a landlocked country with by zambia to the northwest , tanzania to the northeast and mozambique to the south , southwest and southeast . as well as world famous walking safaris , the main attractions are the 365 mile long lake malawi and the world heritage site recognised chongoni rock art area . malawi may not be the first country to choose for a safari adventure but for your second , third or even fourth trip malawi’s national parks and wildlife reserves offer completely unspoilt wilderness and the absence of mass tourism .
air malawi which in the recent years had been dogged with a surmount of difficulty in its operations seems to be crawling back to serious business with a full force as it has just revamped its cargo services department at its offices at heathrow airport , london in the united kingdom ( uk ) with a an improved service delivery .
worked at cmu laarbruch 60 / 61 and travelled to jever to remove swift wings and rebush wing root bushes , seem to remember the bolts just fell out . also the wing was very phrone to fuel leaks was glad to see them replaced with hunters
malawi has a massive diversity of beautiful landscapes . the highest peaks in malawi touch 10 , 000 ft ( 3 , 000m ) while the lowest point is barely above sea level . this range of altitudes in a small area help to make the landscape of malawi one of the most varied in all africa . it is generally a green , lush country , with plateaux , highlands , forests , mountains , plains , escarpments and dramatic river valleys .
hi there , what option did you go with ? i ' m going to malawi next week & am considering flying into lilongwe & hiring a car .
as he is about to land , the camera quickly pans away to avoid filming one of the men who helped to suspend bushiri in the air to make it look as though he was floating .
oag leverages the world ' s largest network of air travel data to provide accurate , timely , actionable digital information and applications to the world’s airlines , airports , government agencies and travel - related service companies .
the rift valley is the dominant feature , providing the vast chasm that lake malawi fills , and extending to te south of the country following the shire river that drains the lake . the flatter areas of the rift valley in south malawi are home to some important wetlands , including elephant marsh , down in the lower shire valley .
with the raf having decided that the swift was a dead - end as a fighter , and with the hunter now entering widespread servicein this role , the swift ' s fortunes lay in what had been seen as a secondary role - reconnaissance . the fr . 5 was fitted with a lengthened nose housing cameras and this was finally a useful aircraft , and as it operated at medium to low level , the high altitude problems did not matter . from march 1956 ii ( ac ) squadron ( and later 79 squadron ) operated the fr . 5 in germany .
unfortunately many car rentals in southern africa do not allow you to enter malawi with their cars . you might have the best chances if you rent a car in zambia .
the swift fr . 5 actually did very well in the reconaissance role ; in 1957 and 1959 swifts actually won the nato ' royal flush ' reconaissance competition , conclusively beating off the best types other nations could offer , including the american ' s rf - 84 thunderflash . the punishing low - level reconaissance role proved to be no problem for the strong swift airframe , and no fatigue problems were encountered . it even became a popular aircraft with crews , something that would have amazed the crews of earlier variants . fr . 5s were eventually replaced by the hunter fr . 10 .
the viphya highlands - undulating hills swathed in evergreen forests - stretch north - south in north malawi and reach the edge of the rift valley . finally , in north malawi is the nyika plateau , a rolling whaleback grassland plateau unique in africa . much of this highest and most extensive high plateau surface in central africa is gazetted as the nyika national park .
the local currency is the malawi kwacha , symbolised mwk . the currency is freely convertible ( but impossible to get rid of outside malawi ) and , as of september 2016 , trades at around mwk729 to the us dollar , mwk819 to the euro and mwk971 to the pound sterling . forex will also be accepted by almost everybody , particularly for larger purchases .
the best time to visit malawi is during the dry season ( may to mid - november ) . exodus ( 0845 805 0140 ; urltoken ) has a 16 - day trip taking in liwonde and nkhotakota national parks , lake malawi , and zambia ' s south luangwa national park from £2 , 049 , including flights from heathrow , camping and most meals .
a proposed unarmed pr . 6 variant ( the type 550 ) was cancelled before production because of the reheat at altitude problems , but fourteen f . 7s were built ; these being equipped with radar in an extended nose cone and blue sky ( fairey fireflash ) beam - riding air - to - air missiles . while not used in raf squadron service , they provided valuable information to the guided weapon development squadron and were the first raf fighters to employ aams .
malawi ( chichewa : malaŵi ) is a country in africa , bordered by mozambique to the south and east , tanzania to the north , zambia to the west . lake malawi , the third largest lake in africa , runs along most of its eastern border . it ' s often described as the
warm heart of africa
, referring to the friendliness of the people .
luxury
buses , medium - sized buses , and minibuses all service malawi . they vary in comfort and price . vehicle condition can be very poor and road accidents are relatively common .
moving back to the swift programme proper , the second of the real swift ancestors was vv119 , the type 528 . very soon after its first flight on the 27th of march 1950 , it was modified to change the hated tailwheel undercarriage to a nosewheel arrangement ( though the twin tailwheels were retained as bumpers ) . other modifications were carried out ; longer , pointed nose ; kinked wing leading edge , larger fuselage diameter ( to accommodate an afterburning tailpipe ) , greater fuel capacity and provision for four cannon in the wings . in this form the aircraft was known as the type 535 , and this variation first flew on the 23rd of august 1950 .
the story of nigeria airways and the vc10 , and the crash of 5n - abd is well presented in scott henderson ' s
silent , swift , superb : the story of the vc10
. pages 88 - 93 , detailing the story of nigeria airways and the vc10 , including the crash , are reproduced on this page :
malawi’s people are its greatest asset - friendly , welcoming , colourful and vibrant . it ' s impossible to visit and not become engaged with the people , but there are now opportunities to spend time in real villages ( including staying overnight ) for a first - hand experience of the cultures , traditions and daily life . this is an option pretty much everywhere in malawi , and one well worth taking .
when searching for accommodation in malawi , you will facilities in the forms of lodging , hotel rooms , and camping sites . the hotels at lake malawi are of international standards and luxurious , hence they bear a dear charge for every day spent overnight in their hotel rooms . there are lodgings located within the wildlife region . the bua river lodge is located at the eastern side of the nkhotakota wildlife reserve .
alternative airlines is an online travel agency bonded by the international air transport association ( iata ) . we specialise in finding the best available fares on the widest range of airlines and making them available to you online , with prices in the currency of your choice .
note that there are no direct buses from mbeya to malawi although scammers in mbeya bus station will tell you so , and sell you tickets . you must take a bus to the border and walk across .
one of the most interesting ways to get to know a country and its people , and which has become increasingly popular , is to volunteer . as volunteer you can support malawi in terms of community development , wildlife conservation or education . to get a broad overview of all the organizations that offer volunteer opportunities in malawi , you can search and compare the projects on a comparison platform [ 1 ] for international volunteer work .
nkhotakota on the shores of lake malawi in the central region , is where the explorer david livingston sat down with the swahili arab slave traders to attempt to negotiate an end to the slave trade . nkhotakota was a slave entrepot , from which slaves were ferried across lake malawi to the eastern shore to resume their travel over land to what is now the tanzanian coast . nkhotakota is a compact and fascinating town , old in its way and true to the ethnic diversity of this region of malawi . the place is renowned amongst the tourists for its unspoilt golden sandy beaches north of nkhotakota . it is home to several small family - run resorts .
crowded minibuses whizz between malawi ' s towns and villages on a leave - when - full basis . in rural areas , hopping a
bus
may mean sitting in the back of a pick - up truck .
when i started my raf apprenticeship at halton in 1957 , there was some swift airframes being broken up . during my later service , i spoke with fellow armourers who had worked on the thing . it was not well loved by them , mainly because the 30mm . cannon were prone to many technical stoppages when fired . basically , it was a lousy gun platform .
malawi ' s largest international airport is in lilongwe , although there are also some flights from blantyre to regional destinations . most travellers connect via johannesburg ( south africa ) , addis ababa ( ethiopia ) or nairobi ( kenya ) .
lake malawi is the perfect playground for snorkellers and novice divers . there are no powerful tides , and although crocodiles cruise malawi ' s rivers they are seldom spotted in the lake . what you are likely to see are cichlids . more than 1 , 000 species of this brilliant tropical freshwater fish make diving in parts of the lake like exploring a giant fish tank as vast numbers of fish of every hue dart in and out of underwater caves and canyons .
most of malawi ' s 15 million inhabitants are subsistence farmers . the main ethnic groups are : the chewa , in the south and central area ; the yao , in the south ; and the tumbuka in the north . to learn more head for the kungoni centre of culture and art ( 00 265 1 262706 ; urltoken ) , at mua parish , 160km south - east of lilongwe . it is dedicated to greater understanding of malawi ' s culture and history and houses an art gallery , carving workshop and museum .
cape maclear - laid back fishing village on the tip of a peninsula jutting out into the southern portion of lake malawi . the cape has excellent , sandy beaches and crystal - clear water perfect for swimming , and is a favourite among backpackers , boaters , and sun - seekers .
state carrier air malawi claims to be
africa ' s friendliest airline
, but its limited network covers only nearby countries . they have flights from blantyre to lilongwe and back , 7 days a week . three times a week they fly from both lilongwe and blantyre to johannesburg ( su , w & f ) . two times a week there is a flight to dar es salaam ( tanzania ) , from blantyre and lilongwe ( sun , thu ) . lusaka ( zambia ) is three times a week ( su , w & f ) and harare ( zimbabwe ) is also three times a week ( su , w & sa ) .
much of malawi is plateau , often reaching to 1 , 000m ( 3 , 000 ft ) , and the temperature in these highlands is moderate , with the hottest period occurring during the autumn rainy season and the coolest and chilliest in winter . the hottest region in the country is the lower shire river valley well south of blantyre . temperatures along scenic lake malawi are generally warm , but with a cooling breeze , especially in the evenings . winters ( may till july ) are dry . the rainy season begins in mid - october to early november and generally runs until march .
to the far north is the nyika plateau , a starkly beautiful wilderness where antelope wander over open grassland and thick woods hide leopard and hyena . from here , you can hike to the colonial hilltop town of livingstonia , in 1894 , the free church of scotland founded a mission in the cool mountain air after heat and malaria foiled earlier attempts at cape maclear and bandawe .
direct buses run from lusaka , zambia to lilongwe , but are best avoided ( or done in stretches ) if 18 - 20 hours on a bus doesn ' t sound like your idea of a good time . there is also minibus from mbeya in tanzania to the border . from the border in malawi side , take a taxi to karonga . the cost is around mwk400 - 500 depending on negotiation . from karonga bus station , take a bus or minibus to other destinations in malawi . bus is cheaper than minibus . the easiest way take direct bus from dar es salaam in tanzania to mzuzu or lilongwe .
homosexuality is officially banned by the law , and homosexual and transgender couples should exercise discretion when traveling to malawi . it took a presidential pardon to release a couple recently arrested for
homosexuality
( in reality , one of the persons involved was transgender ) and sentenced to 14 years of hard prison labour .
dotted across malawi are remnants of former imperial occupiers , from the wide verandas of old tea planters ' houses in the south , to missionary churches at mua and likoma island ( pictured ) , and the sobering relics from the 1800s , when arab trader salim bin abdalla oversaw a large slave market at nkhotakota .
the lake is only part of malawi ' s charm . shrouded in a cotton - wool haze in malawi ' s deep south is the imposing mount mulanje , a impressive hunk of dark , twisted rock that looms 3 , 000m above the surrounding plains and tea plantations . mount mulanje is known locally as the
island in the sky
. this is prime hiking territory : the mountain is criss - crossed by a clearly marked network of walking trails . the available routes last from one to several days and there ' s a collection of well - maintained huts along the trails in which travellers can spend the night .
there are high - level five - star resort hotels in some rural areas charging western prices . typical 5 star in blantyre / malawi would cost upwards of $ 220 / night if booked at the hotel itself ( oct 2017 ) ; even though some of them would run out of power on a hot night .
unlike in kenya or south africa , malawi ' s nine national parks and wildlife reserves don ' t hold the promise of predator sightings , but they are also blissfully free of 4x4 traffic jams and they provide excellent opportunities to get close to wildlife on foot . elephant , hippo , zebra and antelope make appearances .
compared to its neighbours , the main roads in malawi are in surprisingly good shape and travel times between major destinations should be reasonable . the volume of traffic is low and most people drive reasonably slowly . road travel after dark is not advisable as road markings are poor to non - existent and not all cars have headlights .
liwonde national park , 160km north of blantyre in southern malawi , is home to elephant herds , hippo , crocodile , zebra , antelope , hyena and more than 400 species of bird . it offers canoe safaris on the shire river . the park is also at the centre of a black rhino re - introduction programme ( urltoken ) .
on these borders we have swiftair manned offices on both sides and can offer a seamless service to clients who are transporting goods between these countries . we are able to offer transport and customs clearing services into namibia , botswana , lesotho , swaziland , mozambique , zimbabwe , malawi , zambia , angola and the democratic republic of congo drc .
malawians are in general extremely courteous , and a part of that courtesy is shaking hands , speaking softly , and referring to travellers and others with respect . malawians avoid rudeness . it is common for malawi men to hold hands when they ' ve gathered together to chat , and this shouldn ' t be given a sexual interpretation when it is encountered .
probably the best national coach services are provided by axa bus company . they have their main office building very close the the immigration department in lilongwe . they are also the only company with some sort of a timetable which they follow very well for malawian standards . axa coaches go to the bigger cities of malawi and generally don ' t stop in small towns .
handmade wood and soapstone carvings , wood and cane furniture , colourful textiles , pottery , beadwork have high standards - especially at the mua mission to the south of salima . they have their own shop and traditional musical instruments make good souvenirs throughout malawi . australians and new zealanders will need to factor in the fumigation and quarantine charges when they return home , though .
the cultural museum centre at karonga ( 00 265 1 362574 ; urltoken cmck ) , in the far north of malawi , highlights fossil discoveries in the rift valley , most famously a dinosaur skeleton ,
malawisaurus
, up to 140 million years old . there ' s also the lower jaw of homo rudolfensis , a 2 . 5 - million - year - old man .
food options in the major cities of lilongwe and blantyre are good . fast food — to include burgers , pizza , and fried chicken — is very popular in malawi . for sit - down meals , ethnic eateries ( thanks to a significant ex - pat population ) are popular . do note that , in many restaurants , pork products are not served to accommodate the muslim population .
the african flying boats company has pledged to invest an additional k3billion ( $ 20 million ) into the airline over the next two years , and has also promised to introduce two new 30 passenger amphibian plans to their fleet . these will be used on services to some of the relatively smaller and understated lake malawi beach resorts in an exciting and innovative move to boost the region’s tourism industry .
malawi’s cuisine involves unique blend of recipes that include maize , dried fish , and pumpkin leaves . some restaurants offer the local dishes at low cheaper prices than the hotels in town and in the city . apart from the local cuisine , the western food dishes are also available . in case a tourist is muslim , he or she will never be served with pork meat in most restaurants .
this company acquired their vc10s through the merger with bua , getting four airframes as part of the deal . the vc10 ' s were repainted and given names of famous ' lochs ' in keeping with british caledonian tradition . they flew in this guise for three years , mainly on bcal ' s south american routes , after which they were sold off one by one . in 1971 fleet changes were announced , the company would rather standardise on the 707s , and a sales brochure was drawn up for the vc10 fleet . eventually , g - atdj went to the rae in february 1973 , g - asix to the omani government in october 1974 and g - asiw followed in november 1974 going to air malawi . g - arta ' s accident in 1972 sealed her fate before a potential new owner turned up . dave thaxter has set up a wonderful tribute website dedicated to british caledonian .
to get into malawi from mozambique , in the south , one can take the bus from tete ( north - west mozambique ) to zobwe . after crossing , take another bus from the border to blantyre . this crossing is quite hectic , and it is closed at night , so one should plan on getting there early , and trying to keep it cool with all the border - hawkers .
malawi has both patriarchal and matriarchal ethnicities and cultures . in the cities , men tend to be more respected than women , but the reverse might be true in the rural villages depending on ethnicity . whites tend to be well - respected , a holdover from colonial times , but this is largely a malawian ' s way of being courteous . accept their hospitality . they are an exceptionally friendly people .
unlike the general idea that minibuses fly over the road , ignoring every traffic sign . they are the slowest mode of transportation . in general , transport in malawi is slow , but it ' s not unheard of doing lilongwe to zomba in 7 or 8 hours on a minibus whereas most big buses do it in 5 to 6 hours . also , minibuses are more expensive than the big buses on longer distances .
the ruler of qatar felt that his position justified the use of an impressive vip transport and for this purpose g - arvj was put on a long - term wet lease to the qatar government . although not owned by them the aircraft did fly in gulf air colours , apparently she was sometimes used as a spare aircraft for their services . it provided an interesting posting for several boac ( by then british airways ) crews until it was returned to boac , and was sold to the raf as a spares source for the conversion program .


catalyst pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company based in coral gables , florida .

the company is developing therapeutics for rare neurological diseases , including firdapse ( 3,4-diaminopyridine phosphate , a potassium channel blocker ) for the treatment of lambert-eaton myasthenic syndrome ( lems ) and cpp-115 ( a gaba transaminase ) for the treatment of infantile spasms .

catalyst pharmaceuticals

catalyst pharmaceuticals inc ( cprx ) and achillion pharmaceuticals , inc . ( achn ) among five cheap healthcare stocks to buy now
catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . common stock ( cprx ) historical prices & data - urltoken
sources : catalyst pharmaceuticals and filings with the u . s . securities and exchange commission .
catalyst pharmaceuticals announces publication of cpp - 115 clinical efficacy data for infantile spasm - bioflorida , inc .
company contact patrick j . mcenany catalyst pharmaceuticals chief executive officer ( 305 ) 420 - 3200 pmcenany @ urltoken
catalyst pharmaceuticals inc’s ( nasdaq : cprx ) : catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . , a biopharmaceutical company , focuses on the development and commercialization of therapies for people with rare debilitating diseases . with the latest financial year lossread more . . .
catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . ( nasdaq : cprx ) files sec prospectus - abn newswire ( @ abn _ newswire )
catalyst pharmaceuticals stock split history | www . stock split history . com | copyright © 2013 - 2018 , all rights reserved
looking at the catalyst pharmaceuticals stock split history from start to finish , an original position size of 1000 shares would have turned into 1000 today . below , we examine the compound annual growth rate — cagr for short — of an investment into catalyst pharmaceuticals shares , starting with a $ 10 , 000 purchase of cprx , presented on a split - history - adjusted basis factoring in the complete catalyst pharmaceuticals stock split history .
coral gables - based catalyst pharmaceuticals is betting its future on a drug called firdapse , which is used to treat a rare neurological disease called lems .
she began taking firdapse , a new drug that was then being tested in clinical trials by coral gables - based catalyst pharmaceuticals , and saw dramatic improvement .
coral gables , fla . , june 13 , 2018 ( globe newswire ) - - catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . ( catalyst ) ( nasdaq : cprx ) , a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people with rare debilitating , chronic . . .
catalyst pharmaceuticals reported a net loss for the second quarter of 2015 , but also said it expects to submit a new medication for federal drug administration approval in the fourth quarter of this year .
cprx catalyst pharmaceutical partners inc . stock and investing information on stocktwits ( cprx )
patrick mcenany is the ceo and co - founder of catalyst pharmaceuticals . the company is betting its future on a drug called firdapse , which is used to treat a rare neurological disease called lems .
coral gables , fla . , june 13 , 2018 ( globe newswire ) - - catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . ( catalyst ) ( nasdaq : cprx ) , a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people with rare debilitating , chronic neuromuscular and neurological diseases , today
coral gables , fla . , may 31 , 2018 ( globe newswire ) - - catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . ( catalyst ) ( nasdaq : cprx ) , a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people with rare debilitating , chronic neuromuscular and neurological diseases , today
coral gables , fla . , may 02 , 2018 ( globe newswire ) - - catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . ( catalyst ) ( nasdaq : cprx ) , a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people with rare debilitating , chronic neuromuscular and neurological diseases , today
coral gables , fla . , may 09 , 2018 - - catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . , a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people with rare debilitating , chronic . . .
historical stock splits for catalyst pharmaceuticals since 2006 . prices shown are actual historical values and are not adjusted for either splits or dividends . please see the
historical prices
tab for adjusted price values .
reata enrolls first patient in phase 3 catalyst trial of bardoxolone methyl in ctd - pah patients and reports positive interim data from ctd - pah patients in phase 2 lariat trial | reata pharmaceuticals , inc .
coral gables , fla . , april 24 , 2018 ( globe newswire ) - - catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . ( catalyst ) ( nasdaq : cprx ) , a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people with rare debilitating , chronic neuromuscular and neurological diseases , today is
catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . ( catalyst ) ( cprx ) , a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people with rare debilitating , chronic neuromuscular and neurological diseases , today announced the appointment of daniel j . brennan as chief commercial officer . mr . brennan will be responsible for leading the company’s marketing , sales and commercial operations as catalyst prepares for a potential launch of firdapse® . “we are pleased to welcome dan to the catalyst team , as he brings extensive experience in leading the commercial efforts at biopharmaceutical companies , particularly those focused on orphan , neurological diseases , ” said patrick j . mcenany , chairman and chief executive officer of catalyst pharmaceuticals .
these analysts , plus piper jaffray , have all assigned “buy” ratings to catalyst stock .
historical daily stock prices for catalyst pharmaceuticals since 2006 adjusted for splits and dividends . open , high , low , close ( ohlc ) data as well as percentage changes for multiple date ranges . display 20 , 50 and 200 day moving averages and export charts as images to use in articles and blogs . the latest closing price for catalyst pharmaceuticals ( cprx ) as of july 06 , 2018 is 3 . 29 .
- - pdufa date set for november 28 , 2018 coral gables , fla . , may 29 , 2018 ( globe newswire ) - - catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . ( catalyst ) ( nasdaq : cprx ) , a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people with . . .
teva pharmaceuticals has agreed with procter & gamble to terminate the pgt healthcare partnership that they founded in 2011 to market otc medicines .
catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . , may also evaluate that drug for the treatment of myasthenia gravis and other rare neuromuscular diseases . no clinical programs for these indications have yet been developed , the company stated in the prospectus .
- - pdufa date set for november 28 , 2018 coral gables , fla . , may 29 , 2018 ( globe newswire ) - - catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . ( catalyst ) ( nasdaq : cprx ) , a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people with rare debilitating , chronic neuromuscular
pivotal study sites in u . s . and italy coral gables , fla . , april 19 , 2018 ( globe newswire ) - - catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . ( catalyst ) ( nasdaq : cprx ) , a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people with rare debilitating , chronic neuromuscular
or successfully commercialized , and those other factors described in catalyst ' s annual report on form 10 - k for the fiscal year 2015 and its other filings with the u . s . securities and exchange commission ( sec ) , could adversely affect catalyst . copies of catalyst ' s filings with the sec are available from the sec , may be found on catalyst ' s website , or may be obtained upon request from catalyst . catalyst does not undertake any obligation to update the information contained herein , which speaks only as of this date .
at catalyst pharmaceuticals , we understand that receiving a rare disease diagnosis can be extremely difficult . often patients feel isolated and hopeless . that’s why we believe that , when you’re battling a rare disease—it’s all about the company you keep .
investor contact brian korb the trout group llc ( 646 ) 378 - 2923 media contact david schull russo partners ( 212 ) 845 - 4271 company contact patrick j . mcenany catalyst pharmaceuticals chief executive officer ( 305 ) 420 - 3200
derek , i think your picture of catalyst pharmaceuticals is incomplete at best . they have licensed gaba - aminotransferase inhibitors from rick silverman’s lab , and it looks like they are supporting preclinical studies with these compounds for ptsd and other disorders :
coral gables , fla . , may 10 , 2017 ( globe newswire ) - - catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . ( catalyst ) ( nasdaq : cprx ) , a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people with rare debilitating neuromuscular and neurological diseases , today reported financial results for the first quarter ended march 31 , 2017 .
catalyst pharmaceutical partners signed a licensing deal with northwestern university for a potential new treatment for neurological diseases .
since 2011 , catalyst has raised about $ 86 . 4 million by selling shares to the public .
two months ago the fda slapped a refuse to file letter on catalyst pharmaceuticals’ ( $ cprx ) rare disease drug firdapse - - and the woe keeps raining down as the u . s . regulator now wants the biotech to undertake more trials .
current and historical pe ratio for catalyst pharmaceuticals ( cprx ) from 2006 to 2018 . the price to earnings or pe ratio is calculated by taking the latest closing price and dividing it by the most recent earnings per share ( eps ) number . the pe ratio is a simple way to assess whether a stock is over or under valued and is the most widely used valuation measure . the current pe ratio for catalyst pharmaceuticals ( cprx ) as of march 31 , 2018 is 0 . 00 .
friday , catalyst stock closed at $ 5 . 21 a share , down 1 cent from the previous day . the 52 - week range for catalyst was $ 2 . 14 to $ 5 . 30 .
© 2018 reata pharmaceuticals , inc . all rights reserved . | sitemap | legal message | privacy policy | site designed and developed by agency creative .
catalyst also hit a bump in the road late last year when a small group of catalyst shareholders sued the company for damages , claiming that catalyst failed to disclose that another company — jacobus — was testing a drug biologically equivalent to firdapse . that omission caused them to lose money on the stock in 2013 , they claimed — although catalyst shares in the five years leading up to year - end 2014 have increased significantly .
coral gables , fla . , march 29 , 2018 ( globe newswire ) - - catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . ( nasdaq : cprx ) , a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people with rare debilitating , chronic neuromuscular and . . .
coral gables , fla . , march 12 , 2018 ( globe newswire ) - - catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . ( nasdaq : cprx ) , a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people with rare debilitating , chronic neuromuscular and . . .
coral gables , fla . , aug . 09 , 2017 ( globe newswire ) - - catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . ( catalyst ) ( nasdaq : cprx ) , a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people with rare debilitating neuromuscular and neurological diseases , today reported financial results for the second quarter ended june 30 , 2017 and provided a corporate update .
coral gables , fla . , feb . 28 , 2018 ( globe newswire ) - - catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . ( nasdaq : cprx ) , a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people with rare debilitating , chronic neuromuscular and . . .
this prospectus offering is part of the company’s shelf registration statement declared effective by the sec on march 19 , 2014 . that enabled it to periodically sell its stock shares in the aggregate of $ 33 , 842 , 512 , catalyst pharmaceuticals said in the new prospectus filing .
coral gables , fla . , march 29 , 2018 ( globe newswire ) - - catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . ( nasdaq : cprx ) , a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people with rare debilitating , chronic neuromuscular and neurological diseases , today announced its
coral gables , fla . , march 12 , 2018 ( globe newswire ) - - catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . ( nasdaq : cprx ) , a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people with rare debilitating , chronic neuromuscular and neurological diseases , today announced that
thanks for posting links . loathsome individuals all . my sentiment is that if readers find the actions and behavior of catalyst pharmaceuticals’ executive management , bos , and sab professionally and ethically objectionable ( certainly do ) , then make their lives as difficult and as uncomfortable as legally permissible .
catalyst pharmaceuticals has announced they are offering an expanded access program ( eap ) for firdapse™ ( amifampridine phosphate tablets equivalent to 10 mg amifampridine ) . eligible patients will be part of a phase iv open label study the company is conducting as they complete the submission requirements for regulatory approval .
or catalyst could decide that it can’t afford to move ahead , and investors could lose tens of millions of dollars .
investors focus will be on pipeline and regulatory updates during catalyst ' s ( cprx ) fourth - quarter earnings call .
catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . ( catalyst ) ( cprx ) , a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people with rare debilitating , chronic neuromuscular and neurological diseases , today announced that the company will be presenting at the jefferies 2018 global healthcare conference , in new york . patrick j . mcenany , catalyst’s chief executive officer and steven miller , ph . d . , chief scientific officer / coo , will provide an overview of the company and its key programs on wednesday , june 6 at 8 : 00 am et .
investor contact brian korb the trout group llc ( 646 ) 378 - 2923 company contact patrick j . mcenany catalyst pharmaceuticals chief executive officer ( 305 ) 420 - 3200 media contacts david schull matt middleman , m . d . russo partners ( 212 ) 845 - 4271 ( 212 ) 845 - 4272
for many years , mcenany was an executive in the pharmaceuticals industry . he had been chairman and chief executive office of miami - based royce laboratories inc . , and oversaw its merger with watson pharmaceuticals of california . after the merger , he was president of royce , then a wholly owned subsidiary of watson , and vice president for corporate development at watson .
- - company to host quarterly conference call at 8 : 30 am et tomorrow coral gables , fla . , may 09 , 2018 ( globe newswire ) - - catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . ( nasdaq : cprx ) , a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people with rare debilitating ,
catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . ( catalyst ) ( cprx ) , a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people with rare debilitating , chronic neuromuscular and neurological diseases , today announced that it will release first quarter 2018 financial results after market close on wednesday , may 9 , 2018 . further , catalyst management will host an investment - community conference call at 8 : 30 a . m . et on thursday , may 10 , 2018 to discuss the financial results and to provide a corporate update . a webcast replay will be available on the catalyst website for 30 days following the call by visiting the investor page of the company ' s website at www . catalystpharma . com .
catalyzed reactions can be broadly characterized into two categories : heterogeneous and homogeneous . in heterogeneous reactions , the phase of catalyst is different from that of reactants , i . e . solid , liquid or gas . however , it can also mean that the miscibility of the catalyst is different from the reaction mixture too . with homogeneous reactions , the catalyst and other reactants are the same phase and are miscible with one another . the type of reaction will have implications for the recovery of the catalyst post - reaction .
analysts from two other investment advisory firms , suntrust robinson humphrey and mlv & co . , also have assigned “buy” ratings to catalyst . thompson / first call reported this month that four analysts cover catalyst , and all four currently have a “buy” rating on the stock .
not sure i’d get that worked up about this . catalyst is running a phase 3 trial . they are putting money into this .
at june 30 , 2017 , catalyst had cash and cash equivalents and short - term investments of $ 35 . 1 million and no debt . catalyst believes that its existing capital resources will be sufficient to support its planned operations through at least the next 12 months .
at march 31 , 2017 , catalyst had cash and cash equivalents and short - term investments of $ 36 . 5 million and no debt . catalyst believes that its existing capital resources will be sufficient to support its planned operations through at least the next 12 months .
when the drug failed to work on cocaine addicts during clinical trials , catalyst lost millions of dollars and saw its shares plummet in 2012 .
investors apparently agree . in february , catalyst raised about $ 34 . 7 million by selling 11 . 5 million shares of its stock .
catalyst has said however that , should it gain approval , it will discount the drug heavily if a patient struggles substantially to pay it .
catalyst is a small biopharmaceutical company that finds and develops drugs to treat rare diseases , a business that requires large investments and carries a high level of risk . although it currently does not sell any drugs , the company has invested heavily in developing one new compound — called firdapse — for treating two rare and debilitating neurological diseases . catalyst will soon apply to the u . s . food and drug administration ( fda ) for approval to sell firdapse in north america . if the fda grants approval , catalyst expects to begin selling this new drug sometime next year . the company is also developing another new drug to treat other rare medical conditions such as infantile spasms and tourette syndrome . the fda defines rare diseases or disorders as those affecting less than 200 , 000 people in the united states . the company , originally founded as catalyst pharmaceutical partners inc . , recently changed its name to catalyst pharmaceuticals inc .
catalyst is designed to detect a minimum treatment effect of 12 . 5 meters assuming a standard deviation of 50 meters . the observed treatment effect in the lariat ctd - pah subgroup analyses , both with and without the anemic patients included , is larger than the minimally detectable treatment effect in catalyst . further , the pooled standard deviation observed in lariat of 37 meters is lower than the estimated standard deviation of 50 meters in catalyst .
rountree , for example , received firdapse at no charge under catalyst’s phase iii clinical trial and currently obtains it under the company’s expanded access program .
as a development - stage specialty pharmaceutical company , catalyst had no revenues in either the first quarter of 2017 or the first quarter of 2016 .
now catalyst is poised to face the final hurdle in the fda process : applying for new drug approval ( nda ) . to succeed , catalyst must submit data proving conclusively to regulators that firdapse is safe to use on patients . the company expects to do that this summer or early fall .
investment advisory firm suntrust robinson humphrey recently predicted that catalyst will price firdapse at $ 70 , 000 to $ 100 , 000 per year per patient . another equity research firm , mlv & co . , predicted that catalyst could charge between $ 150 , 000 to $ 200 , 000 per year .
major pharmaceutical companies like merck , bayer and pfizer spend most of their research money — estimated by the pharmaceuticals industry to have totaled more than $ 51 billion last year — on new drugs targeting large population groups .
huckel , who died in december , also had a long career in the pharmaceutical sector . he earned his medical degree from the university of vienna and worked in the hoechst group for 29 years . he retired in 1993 as chairman of the board of hoechst - roussel pharmaceuticals inc . , and he was a member of the rockefeller university council as well as catalyst’s board .
coral gables - based catalyst pharmaceuticals , which trades on the nasdaq exchange under the symbol cprx , lost $ 15 . 5 million last year and nearly $ 12 . 2 million in 2013 . these losses resulted mostly from large investments in research and development for a drug to treat a rare autoimmune neurological disease called lems ( lambert - eaton myasthenic syndrome ) and other neurological disorders .
and its development by publicly traded catalyst throws a spotlight on the way orphan drugs are readied for the federal approval they need before they can hit the marketplace .
according to biopharmguy , a national website that provides a data base on pharmaceutical companies in each state , florida has more than 120 biotech , pharmaceutical and life sciences companies . the list includes catalyst , bio - tissue , beckman - coulter , teva and noven pharmaceuticals in the miami area . the fda will not comment on whether any of these companies are seeking approval of a new drug .
coral gables , fla . , feb . 27 , 2017 ( globe newswire ) - - catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . ( nasdaq : cprx ) , ( catalyst ) a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people with rare debilitating diseases , today announced that it has joined forces with 30 million americans and health care advocates around the world for rare disease day® on february 28 . rare disease day is an annual awareness day dedicated to elevating public understanding of rare diseases and calling attention to the special challenges they present to patients and families .
duncan , and his research analyst associate at piper jaffray , roy buchanan , ph . d . , recommend that investors buy catalyst stock , with an “overweight” rating .
as a development - stage biopharmaceutical company , catalyst had no revenues in either the second quarter of 2017 and 2016 or the first six months of 2017 and 2016 .
coral gables , fla . , september 19 , 2016 ( globe newswire ) - - catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . ( nasdaq : cprx ) , a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people with rare debilitating diseases , today announced that the journal of epilepsy & behavior case reports has accepted for publication a case report on the efficacy of cpp - 115 in a child with refractory infantile spasms .
the corporate chain reaction that eventually led catalyst to obtain the rights to the drug in north america started when eusa pharma first acquired development rights from the french hospital group .
irving , texas , oct . 06 , 2016 ( globe newswire ) - - reata pharmaceuticals , inc . ( nasdaq : reta ) (
reata
or
the company
) today announced that it has enrolled the first patient into its phase 3 trial ( catalyst ) to evaluate the efficacy and safety of bardoxolone methyl in patients with connective tissue disease - associated pulmonary arterial hypertension ( ctd - pah ) .
today , urltoken takes a close look at the following generic drugs stocks : catalent inc . ( nyse : ctlt ) , catalyst pharmaceuticals inc . ( nasdaq : cprx ) , collegium pharmaceutical inc . ( nasdaq : coll ) , and diplomat pharmacy inc . ( nyse : dplo ) . generic pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturers develop prescription and over - the - counter drug products that are used to prevent or treat illnesses in humans or animals .
as required for all prescription drugs seeking approval for commercial use in the united states , firdapse has completed all the necessary steps . biomarin and catalyst carried out four different phase i studies . biomarin started the phase iii clinical trial , which was taken over and completed successfully by catalyst . in this case , the fda did not require a phase ii , but rather one , well - controlled pivotal study ( in catalyst’s case , phase iii ) and other supportive evidence because of orphan drug designation and the very small number of patients with lems .
patrick j . mcenany has been chief executive officer and a director of catalyst since its formation in january 2002 . in 2006 he became chairman , president and chief executive officer . from 1991 to april of 1997 , mr . mcenany was chairman and chief executive officer of royce laboratories , inc . from 1997 to 1998 , after the merger of royce into watson pharmaceuticals , inc . , mr . mcenany served as president of the wholly - owned royce laboratories subsidiary and vice president of corporate development for watson pharmaceuticals , inc . from 1993 through 1997 , he also served as vice chairman and director of the national association of pharmaceutical manufacturers . he currently serves on the board of directors for the jackson memorial hospital foundation .
new york , new york , 08 : 30 est feb 22 , 2017 ( networknewswire ) – catalyst pharmaceuticals , inc . ( nasdaq : cprx ) on january 10 , 2017 , filed with the sec a prospectus ( urltoken ) for the sale in the aggregate of $ 33 , 842 , 512 of its common stock . the use of proceeds will be to fund both clinical and non - clinical studies of its product candidates and for general working capital .
biomarin ( $ bmrn ) has marketed the drug in europe since 2009 , and , in out - licensing firdapse to catalyst in 2012 , took a $ 5 million stake in the biotech .
solvent extraction , nanofiltration , chemical precipitation , and adsorption are catalyst recovery techniques typically employed in industrial and pharmaceutical processes . nanofiltration recovery is used only with homogeneous processes and catalysts are immediately re - used in the liquid phase . therefore , nanofiltration is not particularly amenable to incineration and recovery of the catalysts for later use . solvent extraction and chemical precipitation tend to be somewhat non - specific and can lead to yield losses of the api . adsorptive recovery techniques can include materials such as activated carbon and ion exchange resins to recover either homogeneous catalysts , or homogeneous ligand and / or leachate . with a homogeneous catalyst , the carbon or resin will selectively absorb the catalyst . the catalyst is then stripped from the adsorbent for reuse or sent to a recovery specialist for incineration and recovery . for a homogeneous ligand and / or leachate , a fragment of a heterogeneous catalyst is shed and then dissolved in the phase where the chemical transformation is taking place . the catalyst is filtered from the batch and the ligand and and / or leachate that remains in solution is removed via resin or carbon treatment . whichever is the case , the spent heterogeneous catalyst ( or carbon used to scrub the batch of catalyst leachates , ligands , and / or impurities ) is washed with fresh solvent . these solvents can vary widely from process to process in pharmaceutical production , but typical organic solvents used in synthesis are mtbe , dichloromethane , tetrahydrofuran ( thf ) , 2 - methyl thf , acetonitrile , toluene , acetone , methanol , ethanol , ethyl acetate , or water .
1 statements made in this press release include a non - gaap financial measure . such information is provided as additional information and not as an alternative to catalyst ' s financial statements presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles ( gaap ) . this non - gaap financial measure is intended to enhance an overall understanding of catalyst ' s current financial performance . catalyst believes that the non - gaap financial measure presented in this press release provides investors and prospective investors with an alternative method for assessing catalyst ' s operating results in a manner that catalyst believes is focused on the performance of ongoing operations and provides a more consistent basis for comparison between periods . the non - gaap financial measure in this press release excludes from the calculation of net loss the expense ( or the income ) associated with the change in fair value of the liability - classified warrants . non - gaap net loss per share is calculated by dividing non - gaap net loss by the weighted average common shares outstanding .
should firdapse not make it through this final step , catalyst might consider taking another gamble , this time on the success of other drugs it has in development , and raise millions in new capital .
catalyst also came under criticism from a writer at thestreet , an online publication that provides financial news and analysis . in its articles , thestreet accused catalyst of “profiteering , ” saying it will charge lems patients $ 60 , 000 to $ 80 , 000 a year for firdapse if it receives fda approval . it also suggested that jacobus would seek fda approval for its version of the lems drug .
catalyst pharmaceutical partners inc . ( nasdaq : cprx ) said its oral potassium channel blocker firdapse amifampridine met the co - primary endpoints in a phase iii trial to treat lambert - eaton . . .
availability in the united states , both the phosphate and the free base have completed clinical trials to treat lems . both formulations are available to lems patients in the u . s . : the free base is available to patients with lems and congenital myasthenic syndromes under a compassionate distribution program by jacobus pharmaceutical company , and the phosphate salt is available to lems patients under an expanded access program by catalyst pharmaceuticals . patients must be diagnosed with lems or congenital myasthenic syndrome and meet appropriate inclusion criteria .
brian elsbernd joined catalyst in february 2016 as the senior vice president of legal and compliance . prior to joining catalyst , mr . elsbernd was senior director of us healthcare compliance at mallinckrodt pharmaceuticals , a growing us specialty pharmaceutical business . from its inception , he led their healthcare compliance and business ethics program while also managing multiple other legal and business functions . previously , mr . elsbernd was an associate at proskauer rose llp , within its health care practice group , representing healthcare providers nationwide in matters pertaining to regulatory and administrative law , transactional matters , litigation , and reimbursement issues . mr . elsbernd earned his law degree from saint louis university school of law and his undergraduate degree at the university of illinois .
catalyst launched a clinical trial for cpp - 109 – its version of vigabatrin – to treat cocaine addition , but it stopped the study in may when it failed to find any statistical significance in curing patients .
catalyst pharmaceuticals is a development stage biopharmaceutical company which is developing cpp - 115 to treat reduced gabaergic signaling - associated neurological conditions , such as tourette’s and post - traumatic stress disorder . the fda has designated cpp - 115 orphan drug status in the u . s . for the treatment of infantile spasms . in europe , for the treatment of west syndrome , it has been granted e . u . orphan medicinal product designation . in addition , the company is also developing a generic version of sabril® ( vigabatrin ) .
a graph published in catalyst’s 2014 annual report indicated that $ 100 invested in catalyst shares at the end of december 2009 would have been worth $ 471 . 73 at the end of dec . 2014 . in comparison , $ 100 invested in the same period in the nasdaq composite index would have been worth $ 223 . 74 , in the russell microcap $ 211 . 34 and in the nasdaq biotechnology index $ 379 . 71 .
catalyst is also developing cpp - 115 to treat refractory infantile spasms , and possibly refractory tourette ' s disorder . cpp - 115 has been granted u . s . orphan drug designation for the treatment of infantile spasms by the fda and has been granted e . u . orphan medicinal product designation for the treatment of west syndrome by the european commission . in addition , catalyst is developing a generic version of sabril® ( vigabatrin ) .
currently 16 , up from eight last year . catalyst plans to add more professional staff in anticipation of a new drug launch in 2016 . the company contracts outside laboratories and institutions to conduct clinical trials and other studies .
his investment firm and others are optimistic that catalyst will obtain fda approval to market firdapse in north america to about 900 neuromuscular specialist and will be able to obtain substantial revenues to cover their past investments and financial losses .
catalyst pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people with rare debilitating diseases , including lambert - eaton myasthenic syndrome ( lems ) , congenital myasthenic syndromes ( cms ) , infantile spasms , and tourette ' s disorder . firdapse® has received breakthrough therapy designation from the u . s . food and drug administration ( fda ) for the treatment of lems and orphan drug designation for lems , cms and myasthenia gravis . firdapse is the first and only approved drug in europe for symptomatic treatment in adults with lems .
catalyst pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people with rare debilitating diseases , including lambert - eaton myasthenic syndrome ( lems ) , congenital myasthenic syndromes ( cms ) , infantile spasms , and tourette ' s disorder . firdapse® for the treatment of lems has received breakthrough therapy designation from the u . s . food and drug administration ( fda ) and orphan drug designation for lems , cms and mysthenia gravis . firdapse is the first and only approved drug in europe for symptomatic treatment in adults with lems .
catalyst has not yet released its projected price for firdapse , which is sold by biomarin in europe for an annual cost of about $ 60 , 000 a patient . but like other orphan drugs , it won’t be cheap .
approval this year would come about six years after biomarin acquired the rights to the drug , which it called firdapse , and began clinical trials , and three years after catalyst continued the clinical trials , which concluded last year .
as it moves closer to firdapse’s final review for commercial use , however , catalyst is dealing with some thorny problems . among those is a potential challenge from a family - owned pharmaceutical company based in princeton , n . j .
jacobus pharmaceutical co . inc . produces 3 , 4 - dap in a formulation different from catalyst ' s firdapse . jacobus has conducted clinical trials and is providing the drug to lems patients as part of an expanded access program .
catalyst has zero revenues because it doesn’t sell anything — as yet . still , the company has raised tens of millions of dollars through public stock offerings in recent years and stock analysts have assigned a “buy” rating to its shares .
behind every discovery , there are people who we must praise . behind every business decision , there are also people . let’s not talk about catalyst pharmaceuticals , but about the fine people who want to transform the treatment of lems and cms . the board of directors : urltoken the c - level management : urltoken the scientific advisory board ( academic mds who treat lems , check for any of your colleagues you might want to have a talk with ) : urltoken let’s see how well mcenany likes being as well - recognized for his contributions to medicine as shkreli .
mcenany and hubert huckel , m . d . , established catalyst in 2002 to develop a drug that held promise for treating cocaine addiction , using their own savings and money from friends and family to fund the then - private company .
firdapse has already been approved for sale in the european union and is being produced and sold there by another u . s . pharmaceutical firm , california - based biomarin , which sold the firdapse north america rights to catalyst in 2012 .
the drug is also being studied in patients with musk - antibody positive myasthenia gravis and this year , catalyst also expects to complete a clinical trial of firdapse for pediatric patients with cms . the fda’s request does not affect these trials .
historically , adsorption techniques for catalyst recovery have involved activated carbon . carbon is well characterized , it is relatively inexpensive and it is relatively effective in removing spent catalysts from process streams . however , carbon suffers from several drawbacks . first , it can be difficult to handle and filter from the process stream . this is usually overcome by operating the removal process with pre - packed carbon cartridges . the second , and more difficult , drawback is the non - specific adsorptive nature of carbon . carbon will remove the catalyst , but it will also bind a percentage of the api . this leads to yield losses and increased production costs . the selective removal of the catalyst would be a more attractive adsorption option .
lexington , mass . - - ( business wire ) - - may 10 , 2017 - - inotek pharmaceuticals corporation ( nasdaq : itek ) , a clinical - stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery , development and commercialization of therapies for ocular diseases , today reported financial results and operational highlights for the quarter ended march 31 , 2017 .
some financial analysts who have watched as firdapse has wended its way through the regulatory process are excited by the drug’s possibilities and have given catalyst a “buy” rating because of that . doctors who treat lems patients are also generally positive about it .
it is not clear how far along jacobus may be in seeking fda approval for its lems drug . but in recent reports to investors , two analysts who cover catalyst said they did not view jacobus as a likely threat to firdapse’s approval .
for 78 - year - old tony , 3 , 4 dap — which can be obtained at low cost from compounding pharmacies or for free through a compassionate - use program supported by a small privately held company , jacobus pharmaceuticals — is a lifesaver . but for catalyst , the pharmaceutical company that purchased the north american rights to a slightly modified formulation of 3 , 4 dap ( firdapse ) in 2012 , the drug represented a market opportunity to the tune of $ 300 million to $ 900 million annually ( $ 60 , 000 to $ 100 , 000 or more per patient ) .
catalyst shares surged 53 cents , or 115 percent , to 99 cents in midday trading . the 52 - week high was $ 4 . 34 on aug . 29 , 2008 . the 52 - week low was 39 cents on july 23 .
there are plenty of opportunities to invest in healthcare stocks , as there are thousands of companies , ranging from big and well - established pharmaceuticals that also pay substantial dividends , to small , emerging companies without any products on the market or revenue , but backed by their research into novelty therapies for various illnesses . when looking for healthcare stocks [ … ]
shin j . oh , an alabama neurologist who has been seeing lems patients for more than 30 years , is more enthusiastic : he sees firdapse as an important new drug for treating lems . he became a consultant for catalyst about a month ago .
if firdapse is approved by the fda , catalyst will work with eap physicians to help their patients understand how to transition to the approved drug and make sure all patients who need firdapse have access to the drug , regardless of their ability to pay .
catalyst is also developing cpp - 115 to treat infantile spasms , epilepsy and other neurological conditions associated with reduced gabaergic signaling , like post - traumatic stress disorder and tourette ' s disorder . cpp - 115 has been granted u . s . orphan drug designation for the treatment of infantile spasms by the fda and has been granted e . u . orphan medicinal product designation for the treatment of west syndrome by the european commission . in addition , catalyst is developing a generic version of sabril® ( vigabatrin ) .
the company believes it currently has enough cash to launch firdapse commercially next year , when it expects to receive the fda’s approval : as of march 31 , 2015 , catalyst reported it had more than $ 41 million on hand in cash and cash equivalents .
a big reason why catalyst found firdapse an attractive investment was that the drug had already been studied and tested . other companies that owned the rights to 3 , 4 dap before 2012 also had spent millions assembling 57 pre - clinical studies , in addition to early clinical studies . the fda also was aware that firdapse has been sold in the european union since 2010 . these facts enabled catalyst to greatly reduce the amount of time and money a company would typically spend on preliminary research for a drug in development .
and don’t forget catalyst took some risk bringing this in front of the fda . sure there is some data to suggest the srug works , but what if the trial failed ? they’re out probably a few millions dollars . you need to reward the risks taken !
other new drugs in catalyst’s pipeline : cpp - 115 , which appears to be useful in treating infantile spasms , epilepsy , tourette syndrome and post traumatic stress disorder ( ptsd ) ; and cpp - 109 , which also may be useful in treating ptsd and tourette’s .
the drug has however proved controversial . as thestreet ' s adam feuerstein has previously reported , a family - owned outfit called jacobus pharmaceuticals has been giving away doses of 3 , 4 - dap - - a treatment similar to firdapse - - for more than 20 years . that drug has never secured fda approval and thus can ' t be sold legally in the u . s .
catalyst ceo patrick mcenany said in a news release that the gaba aminotransferase inhibitors have been 200 times more potent than cpp - 109 in initial lab tests . he said they could lead to a more powerful drug with fewer of vigabatrin’s side effects , such as impaired vision .
“our mission is to develop treatments for rare neurological diseases like lems , and firdapse fit our model , ” patrick mcenany , chairman , ceo and co - founder of catalyst . “to do this , a lot of money has to be invested in r & d . ”
“catalyst is a business , but we got into this business to help people , ” mcenany said . “if small companies like ours don ' t take the financial risks to develop drugs for rare diseases , the big pharma companies aren’t going to not fill the gap . ”
catalyst says that firdapse , a tablet , dramatically relieves symptoms , as it did for rountree . it has benign side effects , the company says , and is more stable than another version of 3 , 4 - dap made by a different company , which requires refrigeration .
about inotek pharmaceuticals corporation inotek pharmaceuticals is a clinical - stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery , development and commercialization of therapies for glaucoma and other eye diseases . the company’s lead product candidate , trabodenoson , is a first - in - class selective adenosine mimetic currently in phase 3 development . trabodenoson was developed in inotek’s laboratories and is designed to restore the eye’s natural pressure control mechanism . additionally , the company is evaluating the potential for selective adenosine mimetics to address optic neuropathies and other degenerative retinal diseases , including naion , and to improve the patho - physiology associated with dry eye disease . for more information , please visit urltoken . the inclusion of our website address here and elsewhere in this press release does not include or incorporate by reference the information on our website into this press release .
two research analysts at piper jaffray investment research , charles duncan and roy buchanan , also believe that catalyst is on track for firdapse approval ; they also believe that the drug has the potential to treat another rare disease , congential myasthenic syndrome ( cms ) , and perhaps other disorders .
reata pharmaceuticals , inc . , is a clinical - stage biopharmaceutical company that develops novel therapeutics for patients with serious or life - threatening diseases by targeting molecular pathways involved in the regulation of cellular energy production and inflammation . our two most advanced clinical candidates ( bardoxolone methyl and omaveloxolone ) target important transcription factors , called nrf2 and nf - îºb , to restore mitochondrial function , reduce oxidative stress , and resolve inflammation .
catalyst said it expects to win approval for the drug next year , and some financial analysts are excited about its possibilities . doctors have also spoken positively about the drug . but an fda denial could spell big trouble for the publicly traded firm and mean that it spent millions of dollars in vain .
catalyst plans to submit the drug for fda approval in the fourth quarter of 2015 . firdapse is designed to treat lambert - eaton myasthenic syndrome , or lems — a rare and sometimes fatal autoimmune neuromuscular disease that affects about 3 , 000 people in the u . s . , according to the company .
with the initiation of catalyst , we have brought bardoxolone methyl one step closer to ctd - pah patients who respond poorly to currently available therapies , have a high mortality rate , and are in need of new therapeutic options ,
said warren huff , reata ' s chief executive officer and president .
bardoxolone methyl has a novel mechanism of action that has the potential to complement current vasodilator therapy by addressing the bioenergetic impairment and chronic inflammation that are key features of ctd - pah . we are looking forward to working with the trial investigators and coordinators and the pah clinical community as we conduct catalyst .
“we were able to show definite benefits with firdapse among lems patients , ” said oh , who was an independent researcher on the phase iii clinical trials of firdapse conducted for catalyst on lems patients at 13 clinical sites in the u . s . and europe . “this drug will make a difference for patients . ”
i’ve been blaming the fda for providing incentives to do this sort of thing , so this latest news is interesting . the agency has sent catalyst a rare refusal - to - file letter for their drug , saying that the application was incomplete . further details are lacking , but this is potentially an interesting development .
catalyst agreed to a $ 3 . 5 million settlement last november to dismiss the class action lawsuit , which was covered by its insurance carrier . at the time , mcenany said the company believed it would have prevailed in court but decided to settle to “avoid potential costs of continued litigation” and disrupting the company and its management .
opiant pharmaceuticals , inc . (
opiant
) ( opnt ) , a specialty pharmaceutical company developing pharmacological treatments for addictions , today announced the appointment of richard j . daly as a non - executive director and a member of the audit committee . mr . daly has supported the successful launch of 10 drugs during a 27 - year career in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry . with his appointment , the opiant board now consists of six members , four of whom are independent .
firdapse is one of a group of specialized “orphan drugs” being developed across the country to treat rare diseases , mostly by small pharmaceutical companies like catalyst . its chemical name is a mouthful : amifampridine phosphate , or 3 , 4 - dap . it is an organic compound first synthesized by researchers at a paris hospital center more than three decades ago .
there is no cost to patients who are eligible . catalyst pharmaceutical has stated they will absorb all costs and the drug firdapse will be shipped to the patient’s home on a periodic basis ( usually 90 days’ supply ) . costs for other diagnostic tests or routine medical treatment will need to be covered by the patient’s insurance or at the patient’s expense .
the method of statistical analysis for the catalyst primary endpoint is the placebo - corrected change from baseline in 6mwd to the end - of - treatment at 24 weeks . this method allows for greater separation in 6mwd values between active and placebo groups assuming improved efficacy over time , which was observed in the ctd - pah patients in lariat ( figure 1 ) .
since 2011 , catalyst has raised $ 86 . 4 million dollars by selling shares to the public . currently the largest shareholders are institutional and mutual fund investors : baker brothers advisors ; point72 asset management ; consonance capital management ; broadfin capital and federated kauffman fund , according to yahoo ! finance . fifteen other institutional investors hold stakes , and mcenany is also a large shareholder .
catalyst continues to support patient organizations that provide disease awareness for lambert - eaton myasthenic syndrome ( lems ) and congenital myasthenic syndromes ( cms ) . these are rare diseases in which patients are often misdiagnosed with other diseases prior to getting a definitive diagnosis , thus educating the patient and physicians at medical congresses is an important outreach to the rare disease community to facilitate proper and prompt diagnoses .
another analyst concurred . “we expect catalyst to file for approval of firdapse by the fourth quarter of this year and receive regulatory approval by mid - 2016 , paving the way for a second - half 2016 launch of the drug in the united states , ” said raghuram selvaraju , a researcher at mlv & co . , an investment bank and institutional broker dealer , in a recent report .
catalyst management will host an investment - community conference call and webcast at 8 : 30 a . m . edt on thursday , august 10 th , 2017 to discuss the financial results and provide a corporate update . investors who wish to participate in the conference call may do so by dialing ( 877 ) 407 - 8912 for domestic and canadian callers or ( 201 ) 689 - 8059 for international callers . those interested in listening to the conference call live via the internet may do so by visiting the investors page of the company ' s website at urltoken and clicking on the webcast link on the investors home page . a webcast replay will be available on the catalyst website for 30 days following the call by visiting the investor page of the company ' s website at urltoken .
catalyst management will host an investment - community conference call and webcast at 8 : 30 a . m . edt on thursday , may 11 th , 2017 to discuss the financial results and provide a corporate update . investors who wish to participate in the conference call may do so by dialing ( 877 ) 407 - 8912 for domestic and canadian callers or ( 201 ) 689 - 8059 for international callers . those interested in listening to the conference call live via the internet may do so by visiting the investors page of the company ' s website at urltoken and clicking on the webcast link on the investors home page . a webcast replay will be available on the catalyst website for 30 days following the call by visiting the investor page of the company ' s website at urltoken .