Four ASX shares that are not letting that hold them back are listed below. Here's why they are rising:

Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL)

The Coles share price is up 5.5% to $16.76. This follows the release of the supermarket giant's half-year results. Coles reported a 3.7% increase in sales revenue to $22.2 billion and a 4.1% lift in underlying EBITDA to $1.9 billion. Management also revealed that the second half has started strongly with supermarket sales up 4.9% during the first eight weeks of the third quarter.

G8 Education Ltd (ASX: GEM)

The G8 Education share price is up almost 12% to $1.25. This morning, this childcare operator released its full year results and reported a 9.1% increase in revenue to $983.4 million and a 53.1% jump in statutory net profit after tax to $56.1 million. G8 Education's second half performance was significantly stronger than the first, which bodes well for FY 2024.

Helia Group Ltd (ASX: HLI)

The Helia share price is up 11% to $4.82. This follows the release of the mortgage insurance company's FY 2023 results. Helia reported statutory net profit after tax growth of 37% to $275.1 million and underlying net profit after tax growth of 7% to $247.7 million. This allowed the company to declare a fully franked final dividend of 15 cents per share and an unfranked special dividend of 30 cents per share.

Reece Ltd (ASX: RCE)

The Reece share price is up almost 16% to $27.87. Investors have been buying the plumbing parts company's shares after it delivered a stronger than expected half-year result. Reece revealed a 2.5% lift in sales revenue to $4,537 million and a 6% increase in adjusted net profit after tax to $224 million. A fully franked interim dividend of 8 cents per share was declared.

The post Why Coles, G8 Education, Helia, and Reece shares are storming higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

In afternoon trade, the pharmaceutical company's shares are down 26% to 48 cents.

Why is the Recce Pharmaceuticals share price crashing?

This pharmaceutical company's shares have come under pressure today after it announced the results of an institutional placement.

According to the release, the company has received commitments from new and existing institutional and sophisticated investors for an $8 million placement. This will see the placement of 18.2 million new shares at a price of 44 cents per share.

The release also notes that an unnamed global fund will become a substantial shareholder with a 5%+ interest upon completion of the placement.

In addition, the company is undertaking a $3 million entitlement offer at the same price. The company's directors intend to take up their entitlements in part or in full.

Why is it raising funds?

Recce Pharmaceuticals has laid out its plans for the proceeds of the capital raising. It is as follows:

• $6 million for clinical trials (significant, unmet medical needs):
  • Phase I/II (I.V.) – UTI/Urosepsis infections
  • Phase II (topical) – Burn wound infections
  • Phase II (topical) – Diabetic Foot infections
• $2 million for the build out of advanced pre-clinical portfolio (in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo studies).
• $1 million towards a manufacturing boost, including geographical expansion (USA).
• $2 million for general working capital (operational costs delivering above).

Commenting on the capital raising, Recce Pharmaceutical's CEO, James Graham, said:

We are thrilled to receive such strong financial interest, particularly among global investment funds. It was important to the Recce team that our shareholders be offered the same opportunity and are pleased to make this available to them. As the world's most clinically advanced New Class of Anti-Infectives at this time it is clear the commercial potential is recognised. With a strengthened balance sheet and multiple clinical trials current, we are now well positioned for the time ahead.

The Recce Pharmaceutical share price is now down 36% over the last 12 months.

The post Why is the Recce Pharmaceuticals share price collapsing 26% today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Shares in the ASX biotech company are down 3.7% at time of writing to 40 cents a share.

That puts Mesoblast shares down a painful 55% since the opening bell rang on 3 January.

But it's not all bad news in the ASX biotech space today.

Recce Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: RCE) is setting the bar high, soaring 23% today. Shares in the ASX biotech stock are currently swapping hands for 75 cents apiece.

Here's what's happening.

Mesoblast shares remain out of favour

First, the bad news.

Mesoblast shares have yet to find support after suffering through a devastating fall on Friday.

That came after the company exited a trading halt to announce that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had not approved its stem cell therapy, remestemcel-L, for use in the US.

Mesoblast has been trying to gain FDA approval for its treatment for a number of years. But the agency again held the process back, saying it needed more data to support marketing approval for remestemcel-L in the world's top economy.

Although the company said it would continue to pursue future approval, Mesoblast shares crashed 56.9% on Friday and tumbled another 12.8% yesterday.

What's sending the Recce Pharmaceuticals share price soaring?

Moving on from the continuing slide for Mesoblast shares to this rocketing ASX biotech stock, investor enthusiasm looks to be stoked by a positive announcement released this morning.

Recce is developing a new class of synthetic anti-infectives.

One of those is RECCE 327 Gel, an experimental compound not yet market-approved for use in humans.

According to the release, RECCE 327 showed a positive clinical response in the treatment of multiple antibiotic-resistant infections under the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) Special Access Scheme Category A.

The compound was administered via a new Gel formulation, with the ex vivo burn wound study indicating a 99.99% reduction against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Commenting on the promising results, Recce Pharmaceuticals CEO James Graham said:

Antibiotic resistance is globally recognised as one of the greatest threats to human health today. To see Recce making a difference to patients in such great medical need before us, is another welcomed sign of new hope in the fight against drug-resistant superbugs.

The company said that clinical trial preparations are underway across multiple unmet medical needs.

How have Mesoblast shares been performing relative to Recce?

While both ASX biotech stocks remain down over the past 12 months, Recce has outperformed Mesoblast.

Since this time last year, Recce shares are down 18% while Mesoblast shares have sunk 54%.

The post Mesoblast shares continue slide, but this ASX biotech stock is soaring 23%! appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) backtracked yet again, ending Thursday's session 1.97% lower at 6,568.1 points.

In contrast, the healthcare sector was the best performer on the ASX today, falling just 0.19% after spending much of the day in the green.

What's happening in the ASX 200 healthcare sector?

The biggest and most heavily weighted share price within the ASX 200 healthcare sector is CSL Limited (ASX: CSL).

The global biotech outperformed the ASX 200, closing just 0.27% lower at $269.06. Much like the healthcare index, it was in positive territory for most of the day before retreating late in the session.

However, it was the smaller cap companies such as Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: PAR) and Recce Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: RCE) that led the charge. They gained 10.29% and 9.88%, respectively.

Paradigm reported a positive release before market open, stating it had received official acceptance of an Australian patent application. However, there was no fresh news out of Recce Pharmaceuticals.

Meanwhile, the Race Oncology Ltd (ASX: RAC) share price gained 4.84% after the company released the latest interim results from its preclinical cardioprotection program.

While the ASX 200 Health Care index has rebounded 3.2% this week, it's still down 12% year-to-date.

The ASX has been hit hard in recent weeks following high inflation levels and aggressive rate hikes.

During the March quarter, inflation rose by 5.1%, the highest increase in many years. This led the Reserve Bank of Australia to ramp up the official cash rate by 0.5% to 0.85%.

Foolish takeaway

Investing in an ASX-index tracking fund is considered a much safer alternative than picking an individual company.

This is because the sector is relatively impervious to wild swings from any one share price.

Furthermore, it's worth noting that an index has historically provided long-term stable growth.

It is often the most boring investments that reap the largest rewards.

The post ASX 200 healthcare shares provided some pain relief today. Here's why appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

This comes after the pharmaceutical company provided an update on its development of a new class of synthetic anti-infectives.

At the time of writing, the ASX biotech share is soaring 28.32% to 73 cents.

What's pushing the Recce share price higher?

The company has reported positive results for its broad-spectrum antibiotic Recce 327 drug today.

The phase I study assessed the safety and tolerability of Recce 327 in patients with sepsis.

As such, investigators reviewed the data and found that all 10 male subjects indicated a good safety and tolerability record.

The healthy patients received the cohort six dosing at 4,000mg – an 80-fold increase from cohort one at 50mg.

Following the successful results, the Independent Safety Committee will carefully review the cohort six data. Once completed, the Committee will make a recommendation for the dosage limit and the commencement of testing with the next group of patients.

What did Recce management say?

Recce CEO James Graham commented:

We are pleased with these data which builds on previous results and strongly supports the potential of RECCE 327 as a new treatment option for patients with sepsis.

We look forward to continuing to work with the Independent Safety Committee and further evaluating RECCE 327's safety and tolerability profile in additional cohorts.

Recce is conducting the study at Adelaide's CMAX clinical trial facility. It is seeking to evaluate seven to 10 healthy subjects per dose across eight cohorts.

Recce is aiming to wrap up the phase I trial by the second quarter of 2022.

In addition, the PEW Charitable Trusts global antibiotic pipeline review noted that "R327 is the only clinical-stage new class of antibiotic in the world being developed for sepsis, the largest unmet medical need in human health".

Recce share price snapshot

The ASX biotech share has tumbled 33% in 2022 despite today's outstanding gains.

For context, the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare (ASX: XHJ) sector is down 15% over the same time frame.

Based on today's price, Recce presides a market capitalisation of roughly $113.71 million.

The post 'The largest unmet medical need in human health': Why this ASX biotech share is surging 28% today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

• The Recce share price is up 3.85% to $1.35
• An independent safety committee has cleared stronger dosing of Recce 327
• Trial subjects are expected to be recruited sometime this week

The Recce Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: RCE) share price is on the move today. This comes after the pharmaceutical company reported further positive data from the clinical trial of its antibiotic candidate, Recce 327.

At the time of writing, the biotechnology company's shares are swapping hands for $1.35, up 3.85%. In comparison, the All Ordinaries (ASX: XAO) is down 0.13% to 7,729.6 points.

Recce moves ahead with clinical trial

Investors are snapping up Recce shares after the company reported positive safety results in a trial for its broad-spectrum antibiotic drug, Recce 327.

The phase I trial assessed the safety and efficacy of Recce 327 against infectious bacteria on burn wounds in patients.

According to its announcement, the company advised that 7 healthy male patients have received 150mg of Recce 327 intravenously. It said this second group of subjects appears to be safe and well, tolerating the level of dosage.

An earlier first study cohort had been administered 50mg of the drug.

Based on the above data, an independent safety committee has approved a threefold increase in the dose for the third study cohort. This will see between 7 to 10 healthy volunteers being administered up to 500mg of Recce 327.

The subjects are expected to be recruited this week and dosed at Adelaide's CMAX clinical trial facility.

Recce CEO James Graham commented:

We are pleased to see R327 (150mg) successfully tolerated as an intravenous infusion in Cohort Two subjects. Having successfully cleared two dosing levels (50mg and 150mg) we look forward to embarking upon this next significant milestone.

Recce share price summary

Recce is involved in the advancement of synthetic antibodies designed to address the global health challenge of antibiotic-resistant superbugs. The medical company's flagship drug Recce 327 is being developed to treat blood infections and sepsis.

Over the past 12 months, the Recce share price has accelerated by almost 30%. These gains have come year to date following the positive safety data from its phase 1 clinical trial.

Based on today's price, Recce presides a market capitalisation of roughly $235 million, with approximately 174 million shares on issue.

The post Here's why the Recce (ASX:RCE) share price is climbing today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

At the time of writing, the Recce share price is up 12.21% to 96.5 cents. In comparison, the All Ordinaries (ASX: XAO) is up 0.51% to 7,567.7 points.

What did Recce announce?

The Recce share price is surging after the company reported positive results for its broad-spectrum antibiotic Recce 327 drug.

The phase I/II study assessed the safety and efficacy of Recce 327 against infectious bacteria on burn wounds in patients.

As such, investigators reviewed the findings and noted a visible infection reduction within the first 24 hours of treatment. Patients with acute infected wounds completely recovered, requiring no further treatment. Investigators adopted a shorter five-day treatment protocol for these patients.

Those who had more severe surface area wounds were given a seven-day timeframe, resulting in a similar outcome.

Initially, the trial had been scheduled to run over the 14 days. Two cohorts of patients would either receive Recce 327 daily or three times per week.

Recce advised that the study is ongoing, with further patient enrolment expected by early 2022.

Once the trial is completed, clinicians will review the results and decide upon the best standards of care for future programs. In addition, burn wound specialists will oversee the delivery of Recce 327 via a spray-on formulation.

The trial is being sponsored by the Western Australian government's Department of Health. It is taking place at the Fiona Stanley Hospital (Burns Unit) in Perth.

Commenting on the results fuelling the Recce share price today, CEO James Graham said:

We are pleased with the progress of our lead compound, R327, in patients harbouring serious burn wound infections. This initial update builds upon strong pre-clinical data demonstrating fast and efficient killing activity against common and problematic bacterial strains, and we are excited for the potential of R327 in the clinic. We look forward to updating shareholders of further human clinical data points as this trial progresses.

Recce share price summary

Despite today's euphoric rise, the Recce share price has had a disappointing 12 months, falling by around 20%. When looking at year-to-date, it is hovering around 9% lower.

Based on today's price, Recce presides a market capitalisation of roughly $149.45 million, with approximately 173.79 million shares on issue.

The post Here's why the Recce (ASX:RCE) share price is rocketing 12% today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Recce shares were trading 1.61% lower at 91.5 cents before being placed into a trading halt.

Let's get into the thick of it to understand what went down today.

What's happening with Recce Pharmaceuticals?

To understand what's led us to this point, we have to take a step back to the start of last month when Recce issued 10,000 ordinary shares upon the exercise of unlisted options.

Normally, if securities aren't listed, they can't be sold until 12 months after issue – but of course, there are exceptions to the rule. Companies can just submit a few forms to disclose the issue and sale of the shares, and everyone is on their way. It's routine practice on the ASX.

However, "due to an administrative oversight", the company forgot to lodge the cleansing notice forms that are required under section 708A(5)(e) of the Corporations Act 2001, when issuing and then on-selling its shares last month.

Under the legislature, companies are obliged to submit a cleansing notice within 5 business days of issuing shares in certain circumstances, such as when stock options are exercised.

The aim is to in effect 'cleanse' the market of any information that would have otherwise been undisclosed, that also may have a material impact on a share's price. It can also be used to lay false information to rest.

The company advised that it shortly intends to apply to the NSW Supreme Court for an extension on the time to lodge the cleansing notice. It intends to make the application on 11 October, according to the release.

Recce Pharmaceuticals share price snapshot

The Recce Pharmaceuticals share price has been swimming in a sea of red this year. It's fallen 15% in the last 12 months, 13% since January 1, and 11.5% in the past month.

These returns have lagged the S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO)'s return of around 20% this past year.

The post Here's why the Recce Pharmaceuticals (ASX:RCE) share price was on ice today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

At the closing bell, the pharmaceutical company's shares finished the day up 3.27% to $1.10.

Let's take a closer look at what Recce announced to the ASX this morning.

Recce furthers patent protection

According to its release, the United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted Patent Family 3 to Recce anti-infectives.

Titled "Anti-Virus Agent and Method for Treatment of Viral Infections", the patent furthers the company's marketing and manufacturing property until February 2037.

The approved claims relate to its flagship drug, Recce 327, and anti-viral formulation, Recce 529. They are as follows:

• Composition/method of manufacture of Recce anti-infectives;
• Use of Recce 327 or Recce 529 for the treatment of viruses having a lipid envelope or coat, examples being SARS-CoV-2 and Corona viruses, Influenza viruses, HIV, Hepatitis, Ross River and Herpes viruses; and
• Administration of Recce 327 or Recce 529 by oral, injection, inhalation and transdermal dose applications.

Recce's lead drug candidate (Recce 327) is being developed to treat blood infections and sepsis.

Investors appeared buoyed by this latest development, sending the Recce share price higher on Thursday.

According to World Atlas, the US is the largest pharmaceutical market in the world, valued at $33.97 billion. The country's stringent processes in developing and manufacturing drugs has led to some of the best-selling products across the globe.

Just this week, China also granted Recce Patent Family 3 to its anti-infectives. This leaves Australia as the only remaining nation yet to approve the patent. China, Japan, Europe and now the United States have all authorised Recce's Family 3 patent.

Recce CEO James Graham said:

Recce's intellectual property portfolio continues to grow in-line with our business strategy and the unprecedented global infectious disease crisis before us. We are thrilled to see that our anti-viral patent granted in the USA, the largest pharmaceutical market in the world; with yet further market-monopolies reinforcing the unique opportunities among a significant range of both bacterial and viral pathogens.

Recce share price summary

Despite today's rise, Recce shares have had a disappointing 12 months, falling more than 15%. However, year-to-date, the company's share price is slightly up by 5%.

Recce has a market capitalisation of roughly $192 million, ranking as the 722nd largest company on the ASX.

The post Recce (ASX:RCE) share price edges higher after patent approval appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

At the time of writing, the Recce share price is up 5.73% to $1.015. In comparison, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is down 0.65% to 7,238 points.

What's pushing the Recce share price higher?

The Recce share price is pushing higher today after the Chinese Patent Office granted Patent Family 3 to Recce anti-infectives. Titled 'Anti-virus Agent and Method for Treatment of Viral Infection', the patent allows marketing and manufacturing monopolies until February 2037.

According to the company's update, the granted claims relate to antibiotic drug Recce 327 and the new anti-viral formulation Recce 529.

China is considered one of the largest pharmaceutical markets in the world, valued at roughly US$86.74 billion. This places the lucrative Chinese market behind the United States and Japan in terms of revenue size.

The latest patent approval in Family 3 follows recent patent grants in Europe and Japan.

The country witnesses millions of cases where infections are caused by lipid enveloped or coated viruses. Patent Family 3 applications in other major pharmaceutical markets around the world are in their own advanced stages of independent patent reviews.

Recce CEO James Graham commented:

Recce's intellectual property portfolio continues to grow in line with our business strategy and the unprecedented global infectious disease crisis before us. With this new patent granted in one of the largest pharmaceutical markets in the world, our market monopolies reinforce the unique opportunities among a significant range of both bacterial and viral pathogens.

About the Recce share price

Recce is involved in the advancement of synthetic antibodies designed to address the global health challenge of antibiotic-resistant superbugs. The medical company's flagship drug Recce 327 is being developed to treat blood infections and sepsis.

The group operates solely in research and development in both Australia and the United States.

The Recce share price has fallen by more than 25% in the past 12 months and 3.3% year-to-date. The company's shares hit a 52-week low of 86 cents in late June after weak investor sentiment kicked in.

At today's price, Recce commands a market capitalisation of around $177 million, with roughly 173.7 million shares on issue.

The post Why the Recce (ASX:RCE) share price is racing 5% higher today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The update announced delays to the company's overseas COVID-19 animal studies.

Let's take a closer at today's news.

Recce's clinical pipeline update

COVID-19 studies

According to Recce, overseas studies testing the efficacy of its RECCE 529 on animals infected with COVID-19 variants has been delayed.

RECCE 529 is a synthetic anti-infective which has, to date, been studied as a treatment for COVID-19.

Some of the studies testing the ability of RECCE 529 to treat COVID-19 variants are experiencing delays, as labs struggle to infect ferrets with the variants.

Despite this, the company believes it will have data on the effectiveness of RECCE 529 against the UK and South African COVID-19 strains by the fourth quarter of 2021.

Meanwhile, Reece's other synthetic anti-infective which has proven to be promising against COVID-19, R327, has shown more encouraging results. It has moved to the second stage of its Australian study, with results due late this year.

Burns trial

Also underway is a human clinical trial using R327 to treat burns. The eight-month trial is being conducted at Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth, Western Australia.

Recce expects data from the burns trial to be available in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Intravenous trial

R327 is also being injected intravenously in the first phase of a human clinical trial.

According to Recce, so far, injecting R327 intravenously has been found effective in treating sepsis, kidney infections, and urinary tract infections.

The first trial will see healthy patients dosed with R327 in August 2021. Recce expects interim data from the intravenous trial late this year. Full results are likely to be available mid-2022.

Helicobacter pylori pre-clinical studies

Finally, Recce Pharmaceuticals updated the market on its oral compound (RECCE 435) designed to fight helicobacter pylori infections.

The company is currently testing RECCE 435 on mice, and expects results from the pre-clinical study in mid-2022. Recce hopes the results will lead to a clinical study next year.

Recce share price snapshot

The Recce Pharmaceuticals share price has been bobbing along on the ASX so far this year. The most notable peaks were $1.26 and $1.19 in mid-April and early May respectively.

Currently, the Recce Pharmaceuticals share price is up by around 3% year to date. It has gained 32% since this time last year.

The company has a market capitalisation of around $185 million, with approximately 173 million shares outstanding.

The post Recce (ASX:RCE) share price edges lower following study delays appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

In afternoon trade, the biotechnology company's shares are up 8.5% to $1.13.

Why is the Recce share price surging higher?

Investors have been bidding the Recce share price higher today following the release of a promising update.

According to the release, the company has announced positive results from a pre-clinical study investigating the Mechanism of Action (MoA) of its lead compound RECCE 327 (R327).

The company notes that R327 is a broad-spectrum synthetic anti-infective that has the potential to address the urgent global health threat posed by antibiotic resistant superbugs and emerging viral pathogens.

Recce advised that the study was performed by independent, world leaders in bacterial MOA analysis and antibiotic profiling.

What were the results?

The release explains that R327's MoA was "unlike that of any antibiotic seen before" with multiple mechanisms identified in the study. These will be presented at an upcoming World Microbe Forum in June.

In addition, the study showed that R327 was rapidly and irreversibly bactericidal against Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria, in both active and stationary phase cells. Positively, it outperformed the best in class commercial antibiotics.

Management notes that current antibiotics rarely retain bactericidal activities against non-dividing bacterial cells. However, R327 shows significant activity against both slow-growing bacteria and actively dividing cells, thereby enabling continuous treatment of infections throughout the bacterial cell life cycle.

Recce's Executive Director & Chief Scientific Officer, Michele Dilizia, commented: "The data from this study further supports the potential of RECCE 327 to provide a novel and universal way to treat harmful infections. We are excited about these highly encouraging results as they provide important insights regarding how RECCE 327 is able to work repeatedly against the same strain of bacteria and their superbug forms."

The post Why the Recce (ASX:RCE) share price is surging 8% higher today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

In morning trade, the pharmaceutical company's shares are up 3.5% to $1.17.

This latest gain means the Recce Pharmaceuticals share price has now almost tripled in value over the last 12 months.

Why is the Recce Pharmaceuticals share price storming higher?

Investors have been buying Recce Pharmaceuticals shares this morning following the release of an update on its Recce 327 (R327) product.

According to the release, R327 has demonstrated bactericidal activity against all six antibiotic resistant ESKAPE pathogens. This includes drug resistant mutations (superbugs), as well as two additional World Health Organisation (WHO) priority pathogens list. The study was conducted by an independent Contract Research Organisation.

Management advised that the bactericidal activity of R327 demonstrated a three-log or 99.9% reduction in the number of colony forming units (CFUs) over 24 hours against all six strains at various concentrations and times.

What are ESKAPE pathogens?

These antibiotic resistant bacteria have been named 'ESKAPE' due to their propensity of escaping the biocidal action of antibiotics. They are collectively responsible for over 720,000 hospital acquired infections in the United States alone each year.

The ESKAPE pathogens include both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria; Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species.

The release explains that ESKAPE pathogens are also responsible for 42.2% of blood infections, around 50 million infections each year, resulting in one in five deaths in the community or one in three deaths in hospitals and are associated with higher lengths of stay, cost of care, and mortality compared with non-ESKAPE pathogens.

In light of this, there is a large market opportunity for a successful anti-infective product.

Recce Pharmaceuticals' CEO, James Graham, said: "We are encouraged by the data from this study and will continue to explore the potential of RECCE 327 to treat hospital-acquired infections. Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most urgent threats to global public health with the suite of ESKAPE pathogens posing a significant threat due to their virulence and rapid development of drug resistance."

"Additionally, with R327 effective against two more priority pathogens listed by the WHO, we believe reinforces the potential of R327 to treat some of the greatest threats to human health," he concluded.

The post Why the Recce Pharmaceuticals (ASX:REE) share price is storming higher today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

At the time of writing, the Recce share price is down 1.85% to $1.06 per share.

Recce is a drug discovery and development business commercialising a new class of synthetic antibiotics with a broad-spectrum activity designed to address the global health challenge of antibiotic-resistant superbugs.

Its patented lead drug candidate is a synthetic anti-infective, which has been developed to treat blood infections and sepsis derived from E. coli and S. aureus bacteria, including their superbug forms.

Recce's quarterly performance and cash flow

The Recce share price is down today despite a reasonably strong reported performance from the medical company. Recce announced a cash position of $22.92 million and has just listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the code R9Q.

The company dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, seeing trade of the company's securities on German trading exchanges at Frankfurt, Tradegate, Munich, Stuttgart and Gettex.

No associated capital raise or related issuance of securities was necessary because of the company's financial position. Investor awareness activities are underway in the region, with Recce hoping to further broaden its institutional and retail investor base across Europe.

Recce pharmaceutical trials

Recce reported progress has also been made in its pharmaceuticals trials.

The company has formalised a topical Phase I/II burns study with the West Australian Health Department and Fiona Stanley Hospital. The study aims to assess a Recce drug as a spray-on, broad-spectrum antibiotic to treat topical burn wound infections.

A Phase I clinical study is progressing at Adelaide's CMAX facility. The study seeks to evaluate the same drug's safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamic profile following intravenous administration. 

Meanwhile, the company reports encouraging results from an anti-viral screening program, evaluating one of Recce's patents, R327, against SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus).

Further testing (underway overseas) must be completed before R327 may be confirmed as active or safe in use against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Recce share price snapshot

The Recce share price is down 2.7% year-to-date but has lifted 186% over the past 12 months.

The post Why is the Recce (ASX:RCE) share price falling today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

At the time of writing, the Recce share price is swapping hands for $1.255, up 6.36%.

Checkpoint passed

The Recce share price is responding positively after the biotech company advised that its lead compound, Recce 327, has been registered in the ANZCTR for its phase I/II topical burns study in humans. The Recce 327 topical antibiotic therapy will seek to treat infected burn wounds in adults.

Established in 2005, ANZCTR is an online public registry of clinical trials being undertaken domestically and abroad. The purpose of the organisation is to improve research transparency, making all details of the trial publicly available. In addition, public awareness can facilitate increased trial participation, avoid duplication of similar studies, identify research areas, and promote collaboration.

ANZCTR consists of a variety of trials such as pharmaceuticals, surgical procedures, preventive measures, treatment and rehabilitation strategies, and more. Notably, registration with ANZCTR is one of the final administrative checkpoints for clinical trials to commence.

The upcoming phase I/II topical burns study will assess the safety and efficacy of Recce 327 from 30 recruits. Over 2 weeks, 10 patients will receive Recce 327 on a daily basis. The other remaining participants will receive the Recce 327 three times per week.

The company stated that it will update shareholders as the trial progresses.

Recce share price review

Recce is involved in the advancement of synthetic antibodies designed to address the global health challenge of antibiotic-resistant superbugs. The medical company's flagship drug, Recce 327 is being developed to treat blood infections and sepsis.

The group operates solely in research and development and is located in both Australia and the United States.

In the past 12 months, the Recce share price has stormed more than 280% higher and is around 15% up year to date. The company's shares hit a record high of $1.875 in August 2020 on the back of positive investor sentiment.

Based on the current share price, Recce has a market capitalisation of roughly $221.5 million, with 173.7 million shares outstanding.

The post Recce (ASX:RCE) share price surges 6% on clinical trial registration appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

At the time of writing, the Recce share price is trading for $1.04, up 6%.

Let's look closer at the announcement driving the Recce share price today.

Positive results in human treatment

Recce has announced today that its product has been used to treat a drug-resistant sinus infection in a human.

Consequently, a 59-year-old man was successfully treated with nasality administered R327. His treatment was allowed under strict medical oversight after it was determined that death was likely to occur unless a new treatment was found. Just 90 minutes after first the treatment of R327, he reported his sinuses felt clearer and also less inflamed.

After 3 days of treatment, many of the man's symptoms had stopped. It was also reported that he experienced no side effects. In addition, samples taken from the man after the treatment showed no sign of the infection or abnormalities caused by R327. Prior to treating with R327, he had received surgeries and multiple antibiotic treatments, including some meant as a last resort.

Today's news comes nearly a week after the company announced it received positive results from the use of R327 in an animal study. The drug was used to treat sinus infections in mice. Recce has also submitted R327 to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). R327 is part of a family of synthetic anti-infectives currently being created by Recce.

Commentary from management

Recce's chief medical officer James Graham, commented on the successful treatment of a human with R327:

We are thrilled by this positive indication for this patient with a terribly debilitating condition that has been driven over many years by this recalcitrant pathogen.

Recce Pharmaceuticals share price snapshot

The Recce Pharmaceuticals share price isn't having a good year on the ASX, with today's news bringing a much-needed boost.

Currently, it's down 3% year to date. Although, it is up by 191% over the last 12 months.

Recce Pharmaceuticals has a market capitalisation of around $170 million, with approximately 173 million shares outstanding.

The post The Recce (ASX:RCE) share price is up 7% after its drug saved a human appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Four ASX shares that are climbing more than most today are listed below. Here's why they are racing higher:

EML Payments Ltd (ASX: EML)

The EML share price is up almost 10% to $5.64 after announcing the acquisition of Sentenial Limited for up to 110 million euros (~A$170.7 million). Sentenial is a leading European Open Banking and Account-to-Account (A2A) payments provider, utilising a cloud-native, API-first, full stack enterprise grade payment platform. Its customers include 4 of the top 7 banks in the United Kingdom and some of the largest merchant acquirers in Europe.

NextDC Ltd (ASX: NXT)

The NextDC share price has risen 2.5% to $11.30. This appears to have been driven by a broker note out of Goldman Sachs this morning. According to the note, the broker has added the data centre operator's shares to its conviction buy list and lifted the price target on them to $15.00. The broker has been holding meetings with industry participants. These meetings have collectively reinforced its positive view on NextDC.

Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN)

The Qantas share price is up almost 4% to $5.46. As with NextDC, this gain appears to have been driven partly by a broker note out of Goldman Sachs. In response to the ANZ travel bubble news, Goldman reiterated its buy rating and $6.38 price target on the airline operator's shares. The broker points out that New Zealand accounted for ~13% of Qantas' international passengers prior to COVID-19.

Recce Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: RCE)

The Recce share price has jumped 6% to $1.04. This follows the release of an update on its sinusitis infection treatment. According to the release, Special Access Scheme notification has been made to the Therapeutic Goods Administration by a medical practitioner following the successful treatment of a patient with RECCE 327 (R327), via nasal passage, against multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) sinusitis infection.

The post Why EML, NextDC, Qantas, & Recce shares are racing higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

It seems shareholders weren't excited by the results, with the Recce share price dropping from its opening price of 98 cents to close at 97 cents.

Recce is a drug discovery and development business that produces synthetic antibiotics to address the global health challenge of antibiotic-resistant superbugs. 

Recce report shows positive sinusitis fight

Recce's data is from a large trial involving a total of 12 groups of 10 mice each. The study was performed to reveal the efficacy of a new anti-infective formulation, called RECCE 111 (R111), against Streptococcus pneumoniae bacterial sinusitis.

Streptococcus pneumoniae, a gram-positive bacterium (a type of bacterium cell wall), is a leading cause of bacterial pneumonia and meningitis in the United States and a common cause of bloodstream infections, also known as sepsis, ear and sinus infections.

Recce 111 is the title for a wholly-owned experimental compound produced by Recce Pharmaceuticals in-house. The testing showed significant antibacterial capability with no abnormalities detected in any of the 12 groups of mice, with most of the groups administered the drug twice daily.

This news on its own wasn't enough to send the Recce share price flying today.

Three groups were treated with varying intranasal doses twice daily. These groups showed a significant dose-dependent antibacterial effect when compared to early infection. However, the average efficacy of these doses may be why shareholders appeared uninterested in the company today.

Three groups of mice were treated with varying intravenous doses of up to 1,000 milligrams per kilogram of weight. In contrast, the remaining group of three were treated with intravenous doses up to 250 milligrams per kilogram of weight. Both of these studies revealed relatively similar results.

Azithromycin was the positive control in the study given twice daily at 200 mg/kg and showed a bactericidal effect.

What Recce management said

Recce CEO James Graham said the results were strong for a range of Recce research targets.

We're continually excited by the potential of Recce's anti-infective compounds and are encouraged by these positive indications. Moreover, this further enhances the breadth of Recce's synthetic polymer platform.

Recce share price snapshot

The Recce share price has offered a one-year return of 276% but is down 3.5% this week, 8.5% this month and 9% this year to date. At its current price, Recce has a market capitalisation of $167.7 million.

The post Why is the Recce (ASX:RCE) share price in the red today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

In afternoon trade, the biotechnology company's shares are down 2.5% to 94 cents.

What did Recce announce?

This afternoon Recce Pharmaceuticals announced that the European Patent Office has granted patents relating to Recce 327 (R327) and Recce 529 (R529).

R327 has been developed for the treatment of blood infections and sepsis derived from E. coli and S. aureus bacteria. This includes their superbug forms.

Whereas R529 is a new synthetic polymer formulation with indication against viruses. Recce is currently undertaking initial studies of R529 to indicate any potential therapeutic effect against COVID-19.

What were the patents?

According to the release, the European Patent Office granted claims relating to the composition/method of manufacture of RECCE anti-infectives, the administration of R327 or R529 by oral, injection, inhalation, and transdermal dose applications, and the use of R327 or R529 for the treatment of viruses having a lipid envelope or coat. These includes coronaviruses, influenza viruses, HIV, hepatitis, Ross River and herpes viruses.

Management believes this is a big positive given the size of the European market. It notes that Europe represents one of the largest anti-viral therapies markets in the world, valued at US$11.40 billion (A$14.93 billion) in 2019. It is expected to reach US$21.12 billion (A$27.66 billion) by 2027.

Recce's Chief Executive Officer, James Graham, said: "Recce's intellectual property portfolio continues to grow in-line with our business strategy and the unprecedented global infectious disease crisis before us. Our market-monopolies reinforce our unique opportunity among a significant-range of both bacterial and viral pathogens."

Today's decline means the Recce share price is now down by 14% since the start of the year. Though, it is worth noting that it is up 275% over the last 12 months.

The post Recce Pharmaceuticals (ASX:RCE) share price tumbles despite positive update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

At the time of writing, the synthetic anti-infectives focused biotechnology company's shares are up 3% to $1.01.

Why is the Recce share price pushing higher?

Investors have been buying Recce shares this morning after it announced the successful dual listing of its shares on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in Germany. This will see the company's shares hit the Frankfurt bourse at the opening of trade at 8am central European time today.

According to the release, the dual listing was possible without many of the normal primary listing procedures. This means the company will benefit from a widening of its investor reach with minimal cost.

In addition, there was no associated capital raising for this listing or issuance of new securities. This was due to the company's strong existing financial position and the fact that it is listed and market-makable via the ASX.

Management commentary

Recce's Chairman, Dr. John Prendergast, appeared delighted with its dual listing.

He commented: "Dual-listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange is a wonderful new chapter in our global strategy. As the third largest stock exchange in the world, it sees the connection of EU biotech and overseas capital with the Company's New Classes of Synthetic Anti-Infectives development program."

The company's investor and corporate relations advisor in Europe, Deutsche Gesellschaft Für Wertpapieranalyse (DGWA), spoke very positively about the listing. It appears to believe Recce will be an attractive investment option for European investors.

DGWA's CEO, Stefan Müller, said: "DGWA are thrilled to be working with Recce in Europe. Investor interest in quality biotechnology companies is significant and increasing with the global anti-infective market expected to grow at a compound rate of over 30% to 2030 and anticipate this German listing will provide EU investors an opportunity to participate in that growth. We are confident Recce will be warmly welcomed among the European investment community and look forward to supporting their activity in the region over the time ahead."

The post Here's why the Recce (ASX:RCE) share price is racing higher today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.