MoonLake Immunotherapeutics, the Healthcare sector company, was revisited by a Wall Street analyst yesterday. Analyst Samantha Semenkow from Citi downgraded the rating on the stock to a Hold and gave it a $5.00 price target.
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Samantha Semenkow’s rating is based on several concerns surrounding MoonLake Immunotherapeutics’ recent clinical trial results and their implications for the company’s future. The Phase 3 VELA trial for sonelokimab in hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) did not meet the primary statistical significance, which raises regulatory risks despite some positive results in other parts of the trial. This situation is compounded by the fact that while management draws parallels to Cosentyx’s approval, the comparison is weakened by the differences in trial outcomes.
Additionally, from a commercial perspective, sonelokimab appears to be less competitive when compared to existing treatments like Bimzelx, posing significant challenges if it receives approval. Financially, MoonLake faces hurdles as its stock has dropped significantly, limiting access to capital markets and affecting future funding. These factors, combined with the unexpected negative results from the VELA trial, have led to a reduction in the probability of success for future trials, ultimately influencing the Hold rating and the revised target price of $5 per share.