NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (“Acadia” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: ACAD) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court, Southern District of California, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons or entities that purchased ACADIA securities between April 29, 2016, and July 9, 2018, inclusive (the “Class Period”). The claims asserted herein are alleged against Acadia and certain of the Company’s officers (collectively, “Defendants”), and arise under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) and Rule 10b-5, promulgated thereunder.
If you are a shareholder who purchased Acadia securities between April 29, 2016, and July 9, 2018, both dates inclusive, you have until September 17, 2018, to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com . To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 9980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.
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Acadia is a biopharmaceutical company that purports to focus on the development and commercialization of medicines to address central nervous system disorders. The Company claims its lead drug is NUPLAZID (pimavanserin), which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) on April 29, 2016, for the treatment of hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s disease psychosis (or “PD Psychosis”). The Company launched NUPLAZID in the United States in May 2016.
On April 29, 2016, Acadia issued a press release announcing that the FDA approved NUPLAZID for the treatment of hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s disease psychosis. Acadia further stated that “[t]he FDA approval of NUPLAZID was based on data from the pivotal Phase III Study -020 and other supportive studies, representing the largest research and development program in Parkinson’s disease psychosis to date.”
The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company’s business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants failed to disclose that: (i) adverse events and safety concerns related to NUPLAZID threatened the drug’s initial and continuing FDA approval; (ii) Acadia engaged in business practices likely to attract regulatory scrutiny; and (iii) as a result of the foregoing, Defendants’ statements about Acadia’s business, operations, and prospects, were materially false and/or misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. On February 27, 2018, Acadia announced fourth quarter 2017 NUPLAZID sales of $43.6 million, which was approximately $720,000 below consensus estimates.
On this news, Acadia’s stock price fell $6.24 per share, or 20%, to close at $24.92 per share on February 28, 2018, on unusually heavy trading volume.
On April 9, 2018, CNN reported that “[p]hysicians, medical researchers, and other experts told CNN that they worried that [NUPLAZID] had been approved too quickly, based on too little evidence that it was safe or effective. And given these mounting reports of deaths, they say that more needs to be done to assess Nuplazid’s true risks.”
On this news, Acadia’s stock price fell $5.03 per share, or 23.4%, to close at $16.50 per share on April 9, 2018, on unusually heavy trading volume.
On April 25, 2018, CNN reported that the FDA was re-examining the safety of NUPLAZID.
On this news, Acadia’s stock price fell $4.27 per share, or 21.9%, to close at $15.20 per share on April 25, 2018, on unusually heavy trading volume.
On July 9, 2018, the Southern Investigative Reporting Foundation (“SIRF”) published a report entitled “Acadia Pharmaceuticals: This Is Not a Pharmaceuticals Company.” Therein, SIRF stated that “evidence is mounting that something is horribly wrong with Acadia’s sole drug, Nuplazid, an antipsychotic for Parkinson’s disease patients who experience episodic hallucinations and delusions” and that “Acadia has accomplished its growth in ways that have attracted intense regulatory scrutiny for other drug companies” including “dispensing wads of cash to doctors to incentivize prescription writing and downplaying mounting reports of patient deaths.” On this news, Acadia’s stock price fell $1.21 per share, or 6.8%, to close at $16.63 per share on July 9, 2018, on unusually heavy trading volume.
The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com
CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP rswilloughby@pomlaw.com 888-476-6529 ext. 9980
