Amarin Corporation plc (AMRN) - Up and Coming Stocks 2012

Amarin Corporation plc (AMRN) just released some drug data and is an up and coming drug stock to watch in 2012. However, AMRN could be doing a round trip on the charts which is bearish in the short term. A round trip is when, let's say, a stock trades around $7, breaks out on positive news, and then eventually trades back down to $7 or lower.

Amarin's Phase 3 MARINE Study Results Presented at American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2011

BEDMINSTER, N.J. and DUBLIN, Ireland, Nov. 15, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amarin Corporation plc (Nasdaq:AMRN), a late-stage biopharmaceutical company with a focus on cardiovascular disease, today announced the presentation of data from Amarin's Phase 3 clinical trial, the MARINE study, in which patients with very high trigylcerides (>=500 mg/dl) treated with 4 grams per day of AMR101 experienced a significant reduction in median placebo-adjusted lipoprotein particle concentrations of total low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and small LDL. The data were presented by Harold Bays, M.D., Medical Director of Louisville Metabolic and Atherosclerosis Research and principal investigator of the MARINE trial, at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Fla.

When looking at lipoprotein particle concentrations and sizes as measured with nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, AMR101 4 grams per day, compared with placebo, significantly reduced median total LDL particle count by 16.3% (P=0.0006), which is an important factor in atherogenesis. This is consistent with, and directly linked to, Amarin's previously reported statistically significant reduction in apolipoprotein B (apo-B) of 8.5% compared to placebo at the 4 grams dose. LDL particle count and apo-B are important risk markers for the prediction of cardiovascular events. Small LDL particle count was reduced by 25.6% (P<0.0001) compared with placebo, which is a common risk factor for cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes. AMR101 2 grams per day, compared with placebo, significantly reduced median small LDL particle count by 12.8% (P <0.05) and reduced median total LDL particle count by 1.1% (NS). Amarin previously reported a non statistically significant reduction in apolipoprotein B (apo-B) of 2.6% compared to placebo at the 2 grams dose. LDL particle size did not change significantly for the 2 or 4 grams doses.

"Increased apo-B and LDL particle concentration may increase cardiovascular disease risk," said Dr. Bays. "In the previously reported results of the MARINE trial, we observed that AMR101 significantly reduced triglycerides and apo-B, without increasing LDL cholesterol, as compared to placebo, in a most challenging patient population having triglyceride levels >=500 mg/dL. In this follow-up analysis of the MARINE trial, AMR101 reduced both total and small LDL particle concentration, which is not only consistent with its known effects in decreasing apo-B and lack of LDL-cholesterol raising in patients with very high triglyceride levels, but also is suggestive of another potentially favorable lipid effect."

The MARINE trial, the largest study ever conducted with omega-3 fatty acids in treating patients with very high triglycerides (>500 mg/dL), was a Phase 3, multicenter, placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind, 12-week study. The study enrolled 229 hypertriglyceridemia patients for treatment with AMR101 4 gram/day, 2 gram/day or placebo. As reported in November 2010, the primary endpoint of the MARINE study was achieved with statistically significant reductions in triglycerides compared to placebo of 33% (P<0.0001) for the 4 gram and 20% (P=0.0051) for the 2 gram doses, respectively. The median baseline triglyceride levels were 703 mg/dl, 680 mg/dl, and 657 mg/dl for the patient group treated with placebo, 4 grams of AMR101, and 2 grams of AMR101,