Genentech Shares Fall on Heart Drug News

Genentech Inc. said a drug it is developing to treat heart attacks didn’t appear to help patients in an early trial. The study found that adding the drug, dubbed anti-CD18, to its clot-buster drug Activase didn’t improve blood flow in the heart more than Activase alone in patients who had had a heart attack. The drug failed in the second of three phases of testing needed for Food and Drug Administration approval. The recently approved clot-buster TNK and an asthma treatment being considered by the FDA were already poised to contribute to the company’s growth much sooner, analysts said. Shares in the South San Francisco-based biotechnology company fell $5.25 to close at $132.25 on the NYSE.