Athira Pharma Rebrands as LeonaBio, Refocusing on Oncology

Athira Pharma ( (ATHA) ) just unveiled an update.

On January 9, 2026, Athira Pharma changed its corporate name to LeonaBio, Inc., aligning its branding and Nasdaq ticker (to “LONA,” effective January 12, 2026) with its strategic pivot around lasofoxifene, a Phase 3 asset for metastatic breast cancer licensed in December 2025 and supported by a $90 million upfront private placement that could provide up to an additional $146 million if related warrants are fully exercised, funding operations into 2028; the rebrand, which leaves the company’s legal structure, current operations and stockholder rights unchanged, underscores its ambition to build a late‑stage oncology and neurodegeneration pipeline and signals a sharpened market identity to investors. In parallel with the name and symbol changes, the company strengthened executive protections and incentives by entering, on January 8, 2026, into an amended change‑in‑control and severance agreement with Chief Financial Officer Robert Renninger—providing tiered cash severance, COBRA coverage and accelerated equity vesting depending on timing of a qualifying termination—and, on January 7, 2026, increasing his base salary to $460,000 retroactive to December 16, 2025, measures that aim to stabilize leadership as LeonaBio advances its late‑stage programs and navigates potential strategic transactions.

The most recent analyst rating on (ATHA) stock is a Hold with a $7.50 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Athira Pharma stock, see the ATHA Stock Forecast page.

Spark’s Take on ATHA Stock

According to Spark, TipRanks’ AI Analyst, ATHA is a Neutral.

The score is held back primarily by weak financial performance (no revenue, sustained losses, and ongoing cash burn despite improvement). Technicals are supportive with strong momentum and trend strength, but overbought signals temper that. The recent licensing/financing event improves runway and adds a catalyst, while valuation remains constrained by negative earnings and no dividend.

To see Spark’s full report on ATHA stock, click here.

More about Athira Pharma

LeonaBio, formerly Athira Pharma, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in the Seattle area and focused on developing novel small-molecule therapeutics for diseases with high unmet medical needs, particularly treatment-resistant metastatic breast cancer and neurodegenerative disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Its lead candidates include lasofoxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator in a Phase 3 trial for ER-positive, HER2-negative, ESR1‑mutated metastatic breast cancer, and ATH‑1105, an orally available, brain‑penetrant modulator of the HGF system in clinical development for ALS.

Average Trading Volume: 1,052,300

Technical Sentiment Signal: Hold

Current Market Cap: $28.91M

For an in-depth examination of ATHA stock, go to TipRanks’ Overview page.