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: 

• Satsuma Pharmaceuticals (STSA), 129% surge in interest
• Hookipa Pharma (HOOK), 128% surge in interest
• X4 Pharmaceuticals (XFOR), 126% surge in interest
• Galera Therapeutics (GRTX), 125% surge in interest
• Ocular Therapeutix (OCUL), 116% surge in interest

Pipeline and key clinical candidates for these companies:

Satsuma Pharmaceuticals is developing a novel therapeutic product, STS101, for the acute treatment of migraine. STS101 is a unique and proprietary nasal powder formulation of the well-established anti-migraine drug, dihydroergotamine mesylate, or DHE, administered via Satsuma’s proprietary nasal delivery device.

Hookipa Pharma is focused on developing novel immunotherapies, based on its proprietary arenavirus platform, which are designed to mobilize and amplify targeted T cells and thereby fight or prevent serious disease. Hookipa’s replicating and non-replicating technologies are engineered to induce robust and durable antigen-specific CD8+ T cell responses and pathogen-neutralizing antibodies. Hookipa’s pipeline includes its wholly owned investigational arenaviral immunotherapies targeting Human Papillomavirus 16-positive cancers, prostate cancers, and other undisclosed programs.

X4 Pharmaceuticals is focused on the discovery and development of novel therapies for people with diseases of the immune system. The company’s lead clinical candidate is mavorixafor, a small molecule antagonist of chemokine receptor CXCR4 that is being developed as an oral, once-daily therapy.

Galera Therapeutics is focused on developing and commercializing a pipeline of therapeutic candidates that have the potential to transform radiotherapy in cancer. Galera’s selective dismutase mimetic product candidate avasopasem manganese, avasopasem, or GC4419, is being evaluated for radiotherapy-induced toxicities. The company’s second product candidate, rucosopasem manganese, rucosopasem, or GC4711, is in clinical-stage development to augment the anti-cancer efficacy of stereotactic body radiation therapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer and locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

Ocular Therapeutix is focused on the formulation, development, and commercialization of therapies for diseases and conditions of the eye using its proprietary bioresorbable hydrogel-based formulation technology. Ocular Therapeutix’s first commercial drug product, Dextenza, is an FDA-approved corticosteroid for the treatment of ocular inflammation and pain following ophthalmic surgery and ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis. Ocular Therapeutix’s earlier stage development assets include: OTX-TKI, currently in Phase 1 clinical trials for the treatment of wet AMD and diabetic retinopathy; OTX-TIC, currently in a Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension; and OTX-CSI for the chronic treatment of dry eye disease and OTX-DED for the short-term treatment of the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease, both of which have completed Phase 2 clinical trials.

Recent news on these stocks:

June 15

Satsuma Pharmaceuticals and its corporate parent, Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories, announced that three abstracts describing efficacy and safety results from the STS101 Phase 3 efficacy trial were selected for presentation at the American Headache Society’s, ASH, 65th Annual Scientific Meeting.

June 13

X4 Pharmaceuticals expects to be added to the broad-market Russell 3000 Index at the conclusion of the 2023 Russell indexes annual reconstitution, effective after the U.S. market opens on June 26.

June 11

Ocular Therapeutix announced 12-month data from its Phase 1 U.S. clinical trial evaluating OTX-TKI, the company’s axitinib intravitreal hydrogel implant, for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration, or wet AMD. OTX-TKI is also being developed for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy and other retinal diseases. The 12-month data demonstrated maintenance of controlled wet AMD subjects comparable to aflibercept injections every eight weeks with a single administration of OTX-TKI. Four subjects received rescue therapy for the first time at Month 12, indicating the waning of OTX-TKI’s therapeutic effect and potential disease reactivation, which helps establish a re-dosing timeline for patients. No serious drug-related ocular or systemic adverse events have been observed in the trial. The clinical trial enrolled a total of 21 subjects at six clinical sites in the United States, who were randomized 3:1 to an arm receiving a single OTX-TKI implant, with a 2 mg aflibercept injection four weeks after implant injection, and an arm receiving aflibercept injections every 8 weeks. One subject in the OTX-TKI arm was not treated per protocol and has been removed from the efficacy analysis, as the subject incorrectly received aflibercept instead of a sham injection at Month 3 and 5 visits. As of the data cutoff of April 14, 2023, there were no drug-related ocular or systemic serious adverse events observed in the OTX-TKI arm. As the company previously announced at the 10-month data readout, one SAE of endophthalmitis was observed in the OTK-TKI arm, which occurred following the mandated aflibercept injection at Month 1 and was assessed by the investigator as related to the injection procedure. There were no retinal detachment, retinal vasculitis, or implant migration into the anterior chamber adverse events observed in the OTX-TKI arm, and no subjects had dropped out of either arm as of the data cutoff. The results showed subjects treated with a single OTX-TKI implant continued to demonstrate sustained BCVA in the OTX-TKI arm at 12 months, which was comparable with the aflibercept arm. 60% of OTX-TKI subjects were rescue-free up to Month 12. At the Month 12 visit, an additional four of the subjects were rescued. Overall, an 89% reduction in treatment burden was observed in OTX-TKI treated subjects at 12 months. The company is prepared to initiate a pivotal trial in wet AMD as early as the third quarter of 2023, subject to obtaining the necessary financing, which could be provided through a strategic alliance. OTX-TKI is also being evaluated in other retinal diseases. The company recently completed enrollment of the Phase 1 HELIOS clinical trial to evaluate OTX-TKI for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy and 6-month interim results are expected in Q1 of 2024.

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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