Biotech Alert: Searches spiking for these stocks today

Stay ahead of biotech stocks seeing a surge in interest from retail and financial professional investors with this exclusive recap from The Fly

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

• Immuron (IMRN), 13,475% surge in interest
• Trevena (TRVN), 5,258% surge in interest
• Acorda Therapeutics (ACOR), 2,554% surge in interest
• Bellicum Pharma (BLCM), 2,395% surge in interest
• Morphic Holding (MORF), 283% surge in interest

Pipeline and key clinical candidates for these companies:

Immuron is an Australian biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing orally delivered targeted polyclonal antibodies for the treatment of infectious diseases.

Trevena is focused on the development and commercialization of innovative medicines for patients with CNS disorders. The company has one approved product in the United States, OLINVYK injection, indicated in adults for the management of acute pain severe enough to require an intravenous opioid analgesic and for whom alternative treatments are inadequate. The company’s pipeline includes three investigational drug candidates: TRV045 for diabetic neuropathic pain and epilepsy, TRV250 for the acute treatment of migraine and TRV734 for maintenance treatment of opioid use disorder.

Acorda Therapeutics develops therapies to restore function and improve the lives of people with neurological disorders. Inbrija is approved for intermittent treatment of OFF episodes in adults with Parkinson’s disease treated with carbidopa/levodopa and utilizes Acorda’s innovative ARCUS pulmonary delivery system, a technology platform designed to deliver medication through inhalation. Acorda also markets the branded Ampyra Extended Release Tablets, 10 mg.

Bellicum is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company whose "next-generation product candidates are differentiated by powerful cell signaling technologies designed to produce more effective CAR-T cell therapies," the company has stated. Bellicum’s GoCAR-T product candidates, BPX-601 and BPX-603, are "designed to be more efficacious CAR-T cell products capable of overriding key immune inhibitory mechanisms."

Morphic Holding is a biopharmaceutical company developing a portfolio of oral integrin therapies for the treatment of serious chronic diseases, including autoimmune, cardiovascular, and metabolic diseases, fibrosis, and cancer. Morphic is also advancing its pipeline and discovery activities in collaboration with Schrodinger using its proprietary MInT technology platform which leverages the company’s unique understanding of integrin structure and biology.

Recent news on these stocks:

May 8

Immuron announced that the U.S. Naval Medical Research Center has received approval from the FDA to proceed with the clinical evaluation of a new oral therapeutic targeting Campylobacter and Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli developed in collaboration with Immuron. The FDA has removed a clinical hold on the Investigational New Drug application allowing the NMRC to proceed with its plans to evaluate the efficacy of the hyperimmune product to prevent infectious diarrhoea caused by Campylobacter and ETEC which is now active.

Trevena announced that its partner in China, Jiangsu Nhwa, received formal approval from the National Medical Products Administration for OLINVYK. It has been approved for use in adults for the management of acute pain severe enough to require an intravenous opioid analgesic and for whom alternative treatments are inadequate. "We are very pleased to see our partners, Jiangsu Nhwa, achieve this important milestone which will allow Chinese patients to benefit from OLINVYK," said Carrie Bourdow, President and CEO of Trevena. "We have worked closely with our partners during their submission process, and look to our continued collaboration as they move forward with launch and full commercialization of OLINVYK in China."

Acorda Therapeutics and Hangzhou Chance Pharmaceuticals announced that they have entered into distribution and supply agreements to provide INBRIJA in China. INBRIJA is indicated in the United States for the intermittent treatment of episodic motor fluctuations in adult patients with Parkinson’s disease PD treated with a levodopa/dopa-decarboxylase inhibitor. Under the terms of the agreements, Acorda will receive an up-front payment of $2.5M, a near term milestone payment of up to $6M, $3M upon regulatory approval, up to $132.5M in sales milestones, and a fixed fee for each carton of INBRIJA supplied to Chance. By 2030, it is estimated that China will have approximately 5 million people with Parkinson’s disease due to its aging population. Chance plans to seek regulatory authorization as quickly as possible…"Our agreement with Chance is an important milestone toward providing INBRIJA to the world’s largest population of people with Parkinson’s. The Chance team are experts in inhalation technologies, and we look forward to working with them to achieve regulatory approval and to provide this important medication in China," said Ron Cohen, M.D., President and CEO of Acorda Therapeutics.

May 2

Morphic Holding announced a proposed underwritten public offering of its common stock. Morphic intends to use the net proceeds from the proposed offering, together with its existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, to fund research, clinical trials and process development and manufacturing of Morphic’s product candidates, including MORF-057 and other programs generated from Morphic’s MInT Platform, working capital, capital expenditures and other general corporate purposes. Jefferies, TD Cowen, BMO Capital Markets, RBC Capital Markets and Wells Fargo Securities are acting as joint bookrunners for the offering.

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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.

Keywords: biotech, biotech sector, biotech alert, investingchannel, XBI, SPDR S&P Biotech ETF