Biotech Alert: Searches spiking for these stocks today

These names in the biotech sector are seeing a substantial increase in search activity today, as determined by InvestingChannel. They include: 

• Aptorum Group (APM), 4,975% surge in interest
• Ardelyx (ARDX), 93% surge in interest
• Precigen (PGEN), 15% surge in interest

Pipeline and key clinical candidates for these companies: 

Aptorum Group Limited is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of therapeutic assets to treat diseases with unmet medical needs, particularly in oncology, autoimmune and infectious diseases. Aptorum has completed two phase I clinical trials for its ALS-4 and orphan drug designated SACT-1 small molecule drugs and commercializing its NLS-2 NativusWell nutraceutical for menopause.

Ardelyx says it was founded with “a mission to discover, develop and commercialize innovative, first-in-class medicines that meet significant unmet medical needs.” Ardelyx’s first approved product, Ibsrela is available in the United States and Canada. Ardelyx is developing Xphozah, a novel product candidate to control serum phosphorus in adult patients with chronic kidney disease on dialysis, which has completed three successful Phase 3 trials. Ardelyx has a Phase 2 potassium lowering compound, RDX013, for the potential treatment of elevated serum potassium, or hyperkalemia, a problem among certain patients with kidney and/or heart disease and an early-stage program in metabolic acidosis, a serious electrolyte disorder in patients with CKD. 

Precigen’s AdenoVerse immunotherapy platform utilizes a library of proprietary adenovectors for the efficient gene delivery of therapeutic effectors, immunomodulators, and vaccine antigens designed to modulate the immune system. Precigen’s gorilla adenovectors, part of the AdenoVerse library, “have potentially superior performance characteristics as compared to current competition. AdenoVerse immunotherapies have been shown to generate high-level and durable antigen-specific T-cell immune responses as well as an ability to boost these responses via repeat administration,” the company says.

Recent news on these stocks:

August 25

Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Louise Chen upgraded Ardelyx to Overweight from Neutral with a price target of $10, up from $5. The analyst increased sales estimates for the company’s flagship drug, Xphozah, and thinks the Street is underappreciating its peak sales potential. Cantor increased its assumed probability of success for the U.S. approval and launch of Xphozah to treat hyperphosphatemia from 10% to 80% in its financial model. In addition, there may be a path towards resolution/ and adoption of the PATIENT act as early as end of year, delaying the inclusion of phosphate-lowering drugs into the Medicare dialysis bundle from 2025 to 2033, the analyst tells investors in a research note.

August 10

Aptorum Group announced that it has received an approval letter from Nasdaq notifying the company it is approved to transfer the listing of its Class A ordinary shares, from the Nasdaq Global Market to the Nasdaq Capital Market. On this basis, the previous two listing deficiencies regarding minimum stockholder’s equity and minimum market value of publicly held shares will be closed. The trading of its Class A ordinary shares will continue on Nasdaq and will not be affected.

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About “Biotech Alert”

The Fly will report on a selection of biotech stocks seeing a surge in interest from retail and financial professional investors, based on data from InvestingChannel.

This Fly exclusive recap reveals the biotech stocks that are seeing a spike in searches among the 20-plus million retail and financial professional investors through InvestingChannel’s online financial news media ecosystem.

This increased attention from the investors may be in response to, or advance of, outsized moves for stocks in the biotech sector, which tend to be volatile and prone to sharp swings in share price around binary events such as clinical study results and FDA approvals.