Below is a look at some of the headlines for companies that made news in the healthcare sector on December 12, 2014.
ChemoCentryx Inc (NASDAQ: CCXI) gained more than 70 percent Friday on news that its lead drug candidate met with success in a Phase II study. Shares of the company changed hands recently at $7.57, up 68 percent.
Chief Executive Thomas J. Schall said results will enable the launch of a Phase III trial, and that the company is ""well-positioned to advance partnering discussions" concerning the drug.

The company's CCX140 treatment for diabetic nephropathy, a form of kidney disease, met its primary end point and was found to improve certain chemical measures associated with a risk of decreased kidney function.

The year-long trial, involving 332 patients in Europe, didn't raise safety issues that would prevent further trials.
 
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Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS) announced results of the BOLERO-1 or Breast cancer trials of OraLEveROlimus-1 trial of Afinitor tablets in combination with trastuzumab and paclitaxel as a first-line treatment in women with human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 positive or HER2+ advanced breast cancer at the 2014 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium or SABCS.

The study was conducted in HER2+ advanced breast cancer patients, a population representing nearly 20% of advanced breast cancers and differs from the hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 negative or HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer patients for whom Afinitor in combination with exemestane following a non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor is approved globally. The trial did not meet the threshold of statistical significance for the primary goals of progression-free survival or PFS among women with HER2+ advanced breast cancer or the pre-defined hormone-receptor negative, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 positive or HR-/HER2+ subgroup.

BOLERO-1 results, a Phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial of 719 patients with HER2+ locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer, showed that the median PFS with everolimus plus trastuzumab and paclitaxel was 15.0 months versus 14.5 months with placebo plus trastuzumab and paclitaxel, a difference of 0.5 months.


Also Friday:
 
Advaxis, Inc. (Nasdaq:ADXS), a biotechnology company developing cancer immunotherapies, announced that its Lm-LLO immunotherapy technology is featured on FOX News Channel in a broadcast segment and article, entitled, "Teaching the immune system to fight back against cancer."

American Green, Inc. (OTC PINK: ERBB) is pleased to announce that it has reached a formal agreement with Greensticks, a San Diego-based company with a patent-pending technology for efficient extraction that combines well with electronic vaporizers. 

ChemoCentryx, Inc., (Nasdaq:CCXI), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on autoimmune diseases, inflammatory disorders and cancer, today announced positive top-line 52-week data from its Phase II clinical trial in diabetic nephropathy with CCX140, an inhibitor of the chemokine receptor known as CCR2.

Easton Pharmaceuticals (OTC: EAPH) announces it has executed a letter of intent with Canadian Medical Marijuana Club Inc and initiated negotiations to enter the Legal Medical Marijuana prescription access business.

Flexion Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:FLXN) today announced the pricing of its underwritten public offering of 5,040,000 shares of common stock at a price to the public of $17.00 per share. 

Immunomedics, Inc., (Nasdaq:IMMU) today announced that sacituzumab govitecan, the Company's novel investigational antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), continues to produce a partial response (PR) rate of 30% and a 70% clinical benefit rate (CBR), defined as PR and stable disease, in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) who had been heavily pretreated. 

Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:MACK) today announced data from multiple presentations at the 2014 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in San Antonio, TX. 

Oncothyreon Inc. (Nasdaq:ONTY) today announced that Array BioPharma Inc. (Nasdaq:ARRY) has granted Oncothyreon an exclusive license to develop, manufacture and commercialize ONT-380 (ARRY-380), an orally active, reversible and selective small molecule HER2 inhibitor. 

Oncothyreon Inc. (Nasdaq:ONTY) today announced that positive preliminary data from two ongoing Phase 1b trials of ONT-380 (ARRY-380), an orally active, reversible and selective small molecule HER2 inhibitor, will be presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

Plandaí Biotechnology, Inc. (OTCQB: PLPL), a developer of highly bio available plant extracts for industries including health, wellness, nutriceutical, and pharmaceutical, today announced that Green Gold Biotechnologies Inc., a South African subsidiary of Plandaí which runs the Senteeko production facility, has received Halaal Certification in South Africa. 

Response Biomedical Corp. (TSX:RBM) (OTCBB:RPBIF) is pleased to announce the closing of the previously announced non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") with two entities related to Hangzhou Joinstar Biomedical Technology Co. Ltd. ("Joinstar") for 1,800,000 common shares of Response at a price of $1.21 per share for total gross proceeds of $2,178,000.

Supreme Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OTCBB:SPRWF) (CSE:SL) is pleased to report that the Company has completed the security and infrastructure upgrades at the hybrid industrial greenhouse facility in Kincardine, Ontario (the "Facility") and is ready for the Health Canada pre-license inspection of the Facility.

Zacks Equity Research highlights MiMedx Group, Inc.(Nasdaq:MDXG) as the Bull of the Day and Conn's (Nasdaq:CONN) as the Bear of the Day.

ZS Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: ZSPH), a biopharmaceutical company developing novel treatments for kidney, cardiovascular, liver and metabolic disorders, will visit the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square.