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:

• Agenus (AGEN), 344% surge in interest
• Taysha Gene Therapies (TSHA), 332% surge in interest
• Scorpius Holdings (SCPX), 291% surge in interest
• Summit Therapeutics (SMMT), 229% surge in interest
• Plus Therapeutics (PSTV), 228% surge in interest
• Prime Medicine (PRME), 174% surge in interest
• Amylyx Pharmaceuticals (AMLX), 172% surge in interest
• Protalix BioTherapeutics (PLX), 172% surge in interest
• Seres Therapeutics (MCRB), 146% surge in interest
• Editas Medicine (EDIT), 144% surge in interest

Pipeline and key clinical candidates for these companies:

Agenus is an immuno-oncology company targeting cancer and infectious diseases with a comprehensive pipeline of immunological agents. The company’s mission is to expand patient populations benefiting from cancer immunotherapy through combination approaches, using a broad repertoire of antibody therapeutics, adoptive cell therapies and adjuvants.

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.

Scorpius Holdings is an integrated contract development and manufacturing organization focused on rapidly advancing biologic and cell therapy programs to the clinic and beyond. Scorpius offers a broad array of analytical testing, process development, and manufacturing services to pharmaceutical and biotech companies at its state-of-the-art facilities in San Antonio, TX.

Summit Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical oncology company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of patient-, physician-, caregiver- and societal-friendly medicinal therapies intended to improve quality of life, increase potential duration of life, and resolve serious unmet medical needs.

Plus Therapeutics is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing targeted radiotherapeutics for difficult-to-treat cancers of the central nervous system with the potential to enhance clinical outcomes for patients. Combining image-guided local beta radiation and targeted drug delivery approaches, the Company is advancing a pipeline of product candidates with lead programs in recurrent glioblastoma and leptomeningeal metastases.

Prime Medicine is a biotechnology company dedicated to creating and delivering the next generation of gene editing therapies to patients. The company is deploying its proprietary Prime Editing platform, a versatile, precise and efficient gene editing technology, to develop a new class of differentiated one-time curative genetic therapies. Designed to make only the right edit at the right position within a gene while minimizing unwanted DNA modifications, Prime Editors have the potential to repair almost all types of genetic mutations and work in many different tissues, organs and cell types. Taken together, Prime Editing’s versatile gene editing capabilities could unlock opportunities across thousands of potential indications.

Amylyx is focused on its three investigational therapies across several diseases: avexitide in post-bariatric hypoglycemia and congenital hyperinsulinism, AMX0035 in Wolfram syndrome and progressive supranuclear palsy, and AMX0114 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Protalix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of recombinant therapeutic proteins expressed through its proprietary plant cell-based expression system, ProCellEx. It is the first company to gain FDA approval of a protein produced through plant cell-based in suspension expression system. This unique expression system represents a new method for developing recombinant proteins in an industrial-scale manner. Protalix has licensed to Pfizer Inc. the worldwide development and commercialization rights to taliglucerase alfa for the treatment of Gaucher disease, Protalix’s first product manufactured through ProCellEx, excluding in Brazil, where Protalix retains full rights. Protalix’s second product, Elfabrio, was approved by both the FDA and the European Medicines Agency in May 2023.

Seres Therapeutics is a microbiome therapeutics company developing a novel class of multifunctional bacterial consortia that are designed to functionally interact with host cells and tissues to treat disease. Seres’ SER-109 program achieved “the first-ever positive pivotal clinical results for a targeted microbiome drug candidate,” according to the company, and has obtained Breakthrough Therapy and Orphan Drug designations from the FDA.

Editas Medicine is focused on translating the power and potential of the CRISPR/Cas12a and CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing systems into a robust pipeline of treatments for people living with serious diseases around the world. Editas Medicine aims to discover, develop, manufacture, and commercialize transformative, durable, precision genomic medicines for a broad class of diseases. Editas Medicine is the exclusive licensee of Broad Institute’s Cas12a patent estate and Broad Institute and Harvard University’s Cas9 patent estates for human medicines.

Recent news on these stocks:

April 23

Summit Therapeutics noted that Akeso announced that the Phase III clinical trial, HARMONi-6 or AK112-306, met its primary endpoint of progression-free survival, or PFS. HARMONi-6 is evaluating ivonescimab in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy compared with tislelizumab, a PD-1 inhibitor, in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced or metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, irrespective of PD-L1 expression. HARMONi-6 is a single region, multi-center, Phase III study conducted in China sponsored by Akeso with all relevant data exclusively generated, managed, and analyzed by Akeso. At a prespecified interim analysis conducted by an Independent Data Monitoring Committee, ivonescimab plus chemotherapy demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in PFS by blinded independent central radiology review committee, or BICR compared to tislelizumab plus chemotherapy. The PFS benefit was demonstrated in patients with either PD-L1-positive or PD-L1-negative tumors. Akeso noted that no new safety signals were identified in this Phase III study. The full data set for HARMONi-6 is planned to be presented at an upcoming major medical conference later this year. Summit is currently enrolling patients in the HARMONi-3 study. HARMONi-3 is a multiregional Phase III clinical trial sponsored by Summit which is intended to evaluate ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy compared to pembrolizumab, an anti-PD-1 antibody, combined with chemotherapy in patients with first-line metastatic, squamous and non-squamous NSCLC.

Plus Therapeutics announces the appointment of Kyle Guse, to the Company’s Board of Directors where he will serve as chair of the Audit Committee and on the Compensation Committee. Currently, he serves as Chief Legal Officer of DDC Enterprise (DDC).

April 21

NYSE American announced that the staff of NYSE Regulation has determined to commence proceedings to delist the common stock of Scorpius Holdings – ticker symbol SCPX- from NYSE American. Trading in the company’s common stock will be suspended immediately. NYSE Regulation has determined that the company is no longer suitable for listing pursuant to Section 1003(f)(v) of the NYSE American Company Guide due to the low selling price of the company’s common stock. The company has a right to a review of the staff’s determination to delist the company’s common stock by the Listings Qualifications Panel of the Committee for Review of the Board of Directors of the Exchange. The NYSE American will apply to the Securities and Exchange Commission to delist the company’s common stock upon completion of all applicable procedures, including any appeal by the company of the NYSE Regulation staff’s decision, the exchange stated.

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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.