NPS soars after preliminary review from FDA

NEW YORK (Reuters) - NPS Pharmaceuticals Inc rose sharply in premarket trading on Wednesday, after a preliminary review by the Food and Drug Administration said the company's hormone replacement therapy Natpara reduced the need for calcium and vitamin D supplements in clinical trials.

The stock gained 17 percent to $30.15 before the opening bell, putting it on track for its biggest one-day surge since August 2013. Volume of about 730,000 shares was almost half the stock's 50-day average of more than 1.6 million.

The FDA's comments come two days ahead of a meeting of outside advisers to the agency who will discuss the drug and recommend whether it should be approved.

Futures snapshot at 9:05 a.m. (1305 GMT):

* S&P 500 e-minis are down 1.5 points, or 0.08 percent, with 219,163 contracts changing hands.

* Nasdaq 100 e-minis are down 1.25 points, or 0.03 percent, in volume of 32,733 contracts.

* Dow e-minis <1YMc1> are down 12 points, or 0.07 percent, with 29,824 contracts changing hands.

(Editing by Bernadette Baum)

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