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:

• Aprea Therapeutics (APRE), 449% surge in interest
• Citius Pharmaceuticals (CTXR), 445% surge in interest
• TNF Pharmaceuticals (TNFA), 410% surge in interest
• Dominari Holdings (DOMH), 351% surge in interest
• Reviva Pharmaceuticals (RVPH), 330% surge in interest
• Conduit Pharmaceuticals (CDT), 308% surge in interest
• BioCardia (BCDA), 271% surge in interest
• Compass Therapeutics (CMPX), 246% surge in interest
• Benitec Biopharma (BNTC), 203% surge in interest
• Amicus Therapeutics (FOLD), 192% surge in interest
• Biohaven (BHVN), 191% surge in interest
• Moderna (MRNA), 174% surge in interest
• Rocket Pharmaceuticals (RCKT), 149% surge in interest
• Qualigen Therapeutics (QLGN), 142% surge in interest
• Hepion Pharmaceutitcals (HEPA), 139% surge in interest
• Taysha Gene Therapies (TSHA), 135% surge in interest

Pipeline and key clinical candidates for these companies:

Aprea Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on precision oncology through synthetic lethality. The company’s lead program is ATRN-119, a clinical-stage small molecule ATR inhibitor in development for solid tumor indications. Aprea has completed all IND enabling studies for its oral, small molecule WEE1 inhibitor, APR-1051, and recently received FDA clearance of its IND.

Citius Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development and commercialization of first-in-class critical care products. In August 2024, the FDA approved LYMPHIR, a targeted immunotherapy for an initial indication in the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Citius Pharma’s late-stage pipeline also includes Mino-Lok, an antibiotic lock solution to salvage catheters in patients with catheter-related bloodstream infections, and CITI-002, a topical formulation for the relief of hemorrhoids. A Pivotal Phase 3 Trial for Mino-Lok and a Phase 2b trial for Halo-Lido were completed in 2023. Mino-Lok met primary and secondary endpoints of its Phase 3 Trial. Citius is actively engaged with the FDA to outline next steps for both programs. Citius Pharma owns 92% of Citius Oncology.

TNF Pharmaceuticals, a clinical stage pharmaceutical company committed to extending healthy lifespan, is focused on developing two novel therapeutic platforms that treat the causes of disease rather than only addressing the symptoms. Isomyosamine is a drug platform based on a clinical stage small molecule that regulates the immune system to control TNF-α, which drives chronic inflammation, and other pro-inflammatory cell signaling cytokines. Isomyosamine is being developed to treat diseases and disorders marked by acute or chronic inflammation. The Company’s second drug platform, Supera-CBD, is being developed to treat chronic pain, addiction and epilepsy. Supera-CBD is a novel synthetic derivative of cannabidiol and is being developed to address and improve upon the rapidly growing CBD market, which includes both FDA approved drugs and CBD products not currently regulated as drugs.

Dominari Holdings, formerly known as Aikido Pharma, is a holding company that, through its various subsidiaries, is currently engaged in biotech, wealth management, investment banking, sales and trading and asset management. In addition to capital investment, Dominari provides management support to the executive teams of its subsidiaries, helping them to operate efficiently and reduce cost under a streamlined infrastructure. In addition to organic growth, the company seeks opportunities outside of its current business to enhance stockholder value, including in the AI and Data Center sector.

Reviva is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, and seeks to commercialize next-generation therapeutics for diseases representing unmet medical needs and burdens to society, patients, and their families. Reviva’s current pipeline focuses on the central nervous system, inflammatory and cardiometabolic diseases. Reviva’s pipeline currently includes two drug candidates, brilaroxazine and RP1208. Both are new chemical entities discovered in-house. Reviva has been granted composition of matter patents for both brilaroxazine and RP1208 in the United States, Europe, and several other countries.

Conduit is a multi-asset clinical stage, life science company that both acquires and funds the development of Phase 2-ready assets, building an integrated and advanced platform-driven approach powered by artificial intelligence and cybernetics, and seeking an exit through third-party license deals following successful clinical trials.

BioCardia is a global leader in cellular and cell-derived therapeutics for the treatment of cardiovascular and pulmonary disease. CardiAMP autologous and CardiALLO allogeneic cell therapies are the Company’s biotherapeutic platforms with three cardiac clinical stage product candidates in development. These therapies are enabled by its Helix biotherapeutic delivery and Morph vascular navigation product platforms.

Compass Therapeutics is a clinical-stage oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company developing proprietary antibody-based therapeutics to treat multiple human diseases. Compass’s scientific focus is on the relationship between angiogenesis, the immune system, and tumor growth. The company pipeline of novel product candidates is designed to target multiple critical biological pathways required for an effective anti-tumor response. These include modulation of the microvasculature via angiogenesis-targeted agents, induction of a potent immune response via activators on effector cells in the tumor microenvironment, and alleviation of immunosuppressive mechanisms used by tumors to evade immune surveillance. Compass plans to advance its product candidates through clinical development as both standalone therapies and in combination with proprietary pipeline antibodies based on supportive clinical and nonclinical data.

Benitec Biopharma is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the advancement of novel genetic medicines with headquarters in Hayward, California. The proprietary “Silence and Replace” DNA-directed RNA interference platform combines RNA interference, or RNAi, with gene therapy to create medicines that simultaneously facilitate sustained silencing of disease-causing genes and concomitant delivery of wildtype replacement genes following a single administration of the therapeutic construct. The company is developing Silence and Replace-based therapeutics for chronic and life-threatening human conditions including Oculopharyngeal Muscular Dystrophy.

Amicus Therapeutics is a global, patient-dedicated biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing and delivering novel high-quality medicines for people living with rare diseases. With extraordinary patient focus, Amicus Therapeutics is committed to advancing and expanding a pipeline of cutting-edge, first- or best-in-class medicines for rare diseases.

Biohaven is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of life-changing treatments in key therapeutic areas, including immunology, neuroscience, and oncology. Biohaven’s clinical and preclinical programs include Kv7 ion channel modulation for epilepsy and mood disorders; extracellular protein degradation for immunological diseases; TRPM3 antagonism for migraine and neuropathic pain; TYK2/JAK1 inhibition for neuroinflammatory disorders; glutamate modulation for OCD and SCA; myostatin inhibition for neuromuscular and metabolic diseases, including SMA and obesity; and antibody recruiting, bispecific molecules and antibody drug conjugates for cancer.

Moderna is a leader in the creation of the field of mRNA medicine. Through the advancement of mRNA technology, Moderna is reimagining how medicines are made and transforming how we treat and prevent disease for everyone. By working at the intersection of science, technology and health for more than a decade, the company has developed medicines at unprecedented speed and efficiency, including one of the earliest and most effective COVID-19 vaccines.

Rocket Pharmaceuticals is a fully integrated, late-stage biotechnology company focused on advancing a sustainable pipeline of investigational genetic therapies designed to correct the root cause of complex and rare disorders. Rocket’s multi-platform approach allows the company to design the optimal gene therapy for each indication, creating potentially transformative options that enable people living with devastating rare diseases to experience long and full lives.

Qualigen Therapeutics is a clinical-stage therapeutics company focused on developing treatments for adult and pediatric cancer. The company has three investigational oncology programs in development for areas of high unmet medical need: QN-302, Pan-RAS, and QN-247.

Hepion Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company that has been developing a treatment for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and other chronic liver diseases. Hepion’s lead drug candidate, rencofilstat, is a potent inhibitor of cyclophilins, which are involved in many disease processes. Rencofilstat has been shown to reduce liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma tumor burden in experimental disease models and is currently in Phase 2 clinical development for the treatment of NASH.

Taysha Gene Therapies is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on advancing adeno-associated virus-based gene therapies for severe monogenic diseases of the central nervous system. Its lead clinical program TSHA-102 is in development for Rett syndrome, a rare neurodevelopmental disorder with no approved disease-modifying therapies that address the genetic root cause of the disease. With a singular focus on developing transformative medicines, Taysha aims to address severe unmet medical needs and dramatically improve the lives of patients and their caregivers. The Company’s management team has proven experience in gene therapy development and commercialization. Taysha leverages this experience, its manufacturing process and a clinically and commercially proven AAV9 capsid in an effort to rapidly translate treatments from bench to bedside.

Recent news on these stocks:

April 2

Dominari discussed some recent accomplishments and optimism about the future. The company said, “According to the U.S. State Department, in 2020 alone, the FBI estimated more than $4B was lost to cybercrime in the United States. One American company is working hard to prevent this rise in cybercrime and Dominari is proud to support their mission. authID (AUID), based here in the U.S., is a leading provider of biometric identity verification and authentication solutions. authID quickly and accurately verifies a user’s identity, to protect accounts and other digital assets. Dominari supports their mission and believes authID provides much needed services to their clients, which is why Dominari is proud to act as Co-Placement Agents for their recent offering. The recent offering raised just over $8M before expenses. Dominari’s management personally participated in the offering. The launch of American Bitcoin on March 31, has garnered notable attention and Dominari is proud of its involvement. As previously released by Dominari, and covered by the Wall Street Journal, American Bitcoin is a majority-owned subsidiary of Hut 8 focused exclusively on industrial-scale Bitcoin mining and strategic Bitcoin reserve development. Dominari originally formed American Data Centers, which became American Bitcoin after the transaction with Hut 8. Dominari maintains a minority interest in American Bitcoin and is proud to support another American company. Eric Trump is the Co-Founder and CSO of American Bitcoin, as well as an Advisory Board member of Dominari. Unusual Machines (UMAC) is an American company that primarily serves the American drone industry by building and selling drone components. The use of drones is expanding and Dominari is honored to have assisted this great company by completing a private placement for them in October of 2024. Since October, Unusual Machines has achieved some notable advancements. Unusual Machines revenue for the fourth quarter was over $2M which represents a sequentially quarter over quarter increase of approximately 31%. This was one of UMAC’s best revenue quarters of all time and was done while improving gross margins slightly to 28%. UMAC’s total revenue of $5.65M for FY24 exceeded their target of $5M for 2024 by 13%.”

April 1

Citius Pharmaceuticals announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement for the purchase of 1,739,131 shares of its common stock at a purchase price of $1.15 per share. The closing of the offering is expected to occur on or about April 2, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. H.C. Wainwright & Co. is acting as the exclusive placement agent for the offering. The aggregate gross proceeds to the company from the offering are expected to be approximately $2M, before deducting the placement agent fees and other offering expenses payable by the company. The company currently intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to support the commercial launch of LYMPHIR as well as general corporate purposes.

D. Boral Capital analyst Jason Kolbert lowered the firm’s price target on Reviva Pharmaceuticals to $8 from $15 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares following the Q4 report. The firm cites the “depressed valuation” of the stock and the company’s need for capital for the target cut. However, it still believes in the therapeutic potential of brilaroxazine.

Compass Therapeutics announced statistically significant top-line data on the primary efficacy endpoint for COMPANION-002, the Company’s ongoing Phase 2/3 randomized trial of tovecimig in combination with paclitaxel in patients with advanced BTC.Biliary tract cancer is estimated to affect approximately 23,000 patients annually in the United States. For the approximately 85% of patients with BTC whose tumors do not harbor an actionable mutation with an approved targeted therapy, there is currently no FDA-approved treatment in the second line setting. The combinations of therapeutics used in this setting, which are not labeled for this indication, generally have an ORR of ~5% or less and patients face a median overall survival of approximately six months. COMPANION-002: Top-Line Results: The trial is a Phase 2/3 randomized, controlled study of tovecimig in patients with unresectable advanced, metastatic or recurrent biliary tract cancers who have received one prior systemic chemotherapy regimen. The study enrolled 168 adult patients, randomized in a 2:1 ratio to receive tovecimig plus paclitaxel or paclitaxel alone. All patients were dosed with 80 mg/m2 of paclitaxel on days 1, 8 and 15 of every 28-day cycle. Patients in the tovecimig arm were also dosed with 10 mg/kg of tovecimig on days 1 and 15 of each 28-day cycle. The primary endpoint of the trial is ORR as confirmed by independent central radiology review and secondary endpoints include PFS, OS and DoR, among others. Patients in the paclitaxel-only arm who progressed could cross over to the tovecimig plus paclitaxel arm after centrally confirmed progression if they also still met the enrollment criteria for the study. Top-line results of the study are summarized below, and the Company expects to announce additional data, including key secondary endpoints, in Q4 2025: Primary Endpoint. 17.1% ORR for tovecimig in combination with paclitaxel including one complete response, compared to 5.3% for paclitaxel alone , in patients with BTC in the second line setting. This 11.8% relative improvement in ORR for those receiving the combination was statistically significant. Secondary Endpoints. The COMPANION-002 study is ongoing and the data are not yet mature for the analyses of the secondary outcome measures. The trial requires a threshold of events in 80% of patients to trigger the secondary endpoint analyses. Based on current projections, the Company anticipates this pre-specified number of events to be reached in Q3 2025, and expects to report data from the secondary endpoints in Q4 2025. Safety & Tolerability. The safety profile of tovecimig in this study to date is consistent with prior studies of tovecimig. An independent Data Monitoring Committee has reviewed safety data at four separate DMC meetings and, after each meeting, recommended continuation of the study without modification. The Company expects to report detailed safety data with the analyses of secondary endpoints in Q4 2025.

Qualigen Therapeutics announced they have entered a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, to acquire Marizyme. Qualigen and Marizyme have entered an MOU dated March 28, 2025. This is the logical next step in acquiring Marizyme, following on our co-marketing agreement established in 2024. Upon completion of full due diligence, we will proceed with the final structure and deal terms which will be subject to shareholder approval following the filing of an S4. There can be no assurance that any transaction will be completed or that definitive agreements will be executed.

March 31

Aprea Therapeutics announced that a patient with HPV+ head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, HNSCC, has been dosed in the ongoing ACESOT-1051 clinical trial evaluating APR-1051. This is the first patient to be dosed in Cohort 5 of the study. Open label data from the study are expected in the second half of 2025. “Enrollment of the first patient with HPV+ head and neck cancer in the Phase 1 ACESOT-1051 trial is an important step and is in line with our goal of identifying patient populations most likely to benefit from WEE1 inhibition,” said Philippe Pultar MD., Senior Medical Advisor and Lead WEE1 Clinical Development of Aprea. “We are pleased with the progress of the trial and encouraged by the safety profile of APR-1051 to date. We look forward to continuing the study as we work toward identifying the optimal dose for future studies. We continue to believe that APR-1051 has best in class potential.”

Conduit Pharmaceuticals announces that the United States Patent and Trademark Office, USPTO, has granted the composition of matter patent for its lead asset, AZD1656, a Glucokinase Activator targeting autoimmune diseases, including Lupus and ANCA Vasculitis. With this critical composition of matter patent protection now secured, the Company is strategically positioned to advance AZD1656 into clinical development, with clinical trial plans now in final stages of preparation. “Securing USPTO approval for AZD1656’s composition of matter patent is a major milestone, further solidifying our intellectual property portfolio and strategic value,” said Dr. David Tapolczay, Chief Executive Officer of Conduit Pharmaceuticals. “With the composition of matter patent now in place in this critical market, this also indicates an increased likelihood of patent success in the outstanding additional geographies worldwide.”

BioCardia announced two-year outcomes from the double-blind randomized placebo-controlled Phase 3 CardiAMP-HF study of its CardiAMP autologous minimally invasive cell therapy for the treatment of ischemic heart failure in patients with reduced ejection fraction, HFrEF. The study showed increased survival and reduced major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events observed study-wide, despite primary composite efficacy endpoint not reaching statistical significance. Two-year results from the trial demonstrated: In patients with elevated NTproBNP biomarkers compared to patients on optimized heart failure medication regimens alone: 13% fewer heart death equivalents; 47% relative risk reduction in heart death equivalents; 2% fewer non-fatal major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events MACCE; 16% relative risk reduction in MACCE; Clinically meaningful 10.5-point improvement in quality-of-life score, as measured by Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire; 13.9-meter improvement in Six Minute Walk Distance. In all treated patients compared to patients on optimized heart failure medication regimen alone: 3.6% fewer heart death equivalents; 20.9% relative risk reduction in heart death equivalents; 8.7% fewer non-fatal MACCE; 44.6% relative risk reduction in non-fatal MACCE; Clinically meaningful 5.5-point improvement in quality of life score, as measured by MLHFQ; 14% fewer non-sustained ventricular tachyarrythmias and 5.5% fewer sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmias; Although both treated and controlled patients saw modest improvements in left ventricular ejection fraction, treated patients also showed evidence of reduced left ventricular end diastolic and end systolic volumes

American Century Companies has boosted its stake in Biohaven by 9.5% during Q4, ETF Daily News reports, citing a recent SEC filing. The firm owned 558,761 shares of Biohaven after purchasing an additional 48,286 shares during the period, the report notes.

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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.