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:

• Impact BioMedical (IBO), 1,430% surge in interest
• MAIA Biotechnology (MAIA), 935% surge in interest
• Adaptive Biotechnologies (ADPT), 681% surge in interest
• BioVie (BIVI), 474% surge in interest
• Adial Pharmaceuticals (ADIL), 293% surge interest
• PMGC Holdings (ELAB), 228% surge in interest
• Cytokinetics (CYTK), 225% surge in interest
• Ardelyx (ARDX), 105% surge in interest

Pipeline and key clinical candidates for these companies:

Impact Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of targeted anti-cancer therapeutics based on synthetic lethality. Impact Therapeutics has assembled one of the most comprehensive DNA damage responses global pipeline of novel drug candidates generated by in-house discovery efforts and is expanding to other novel synthetic lethality targets to broaden its pipeline. Impact’s pipeline products include PARP inhibitor Senaparib, WEE1 inhibitor, ATR inhibitor, and PARP1 selective inhibitor, as well as other novel DDR pathway inhibitors.

MAIA is a targeted therapy, immuno-oncology company that says it is “focused on the development and commercialization of potential first-in-class drugs with novel mechanisms of action that are intended to meaningfully improve and extend the lives of people with cancer.” Its lead program is THIO, a potential first-in-class cancer telomere targeting agent in clinical development for the treatment of NSCLC patients with telomerase-positive cancer cells.

Adaptive Biotechnologies is a commercial-stage biotechnology company focused on harnessing the inherent biology of the adaptive immune system to transform the diagnosis and treatment of disease.

BioVie is a clinical-stage company developing innovative drug therapies for the treatment of neurological and neurodegenerative disorders and advanced liver disease. In neurodegenerative disease, the company’s drug candidate bezisterim inhibits inflammatory activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase and the transcription factor nuclear factor-κB, and the associated neuroinflammation and insulin resistance but not ERK and NFκB homeostatic functions.

Adial Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of treatments for addictions and related disorders. The company’s lead investigational new drug product, AD04, is a genetically targeted, serotonin-3 receptor antagonist, therapeutic agent for the treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder in heavy drinking patients and was recently investigated in the company’s ONWARD pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial for the potential treatment of AUD in subjects with certain target genotypes identified using the company’s companion diagnostic genetic test. ONWARD showed promising results in reducing drinking in heavy drinking patients, and no overt safety or tolerability concerns. AD04 is also believed to have the potential to treat other addictive disorders such as Opioid Use Disorder, gambling, and obesity.

PMGC Holdings is a diversified holding company that manages and grows its portfolio through strategic acquisitions, investments, and development across various industries. Currently, its portfolio consists of three wholly owned subsidiaries: Northstrive Biosciences Inc., PMGC Research Inc., and PMGC Capital LLC.

Cytokinetics is a specialty biopharmaceutical company building on its over 25-years of pioneering scientific innovation with intention to create a muscle biology franchise business focused on medicines designed to optimize muscle performance for patients with cardiac and other diseases of muscle dysfunction. Cytokinetics is readying for potential regulatory approvals and commercialization of aficamten, a cardiac myosin inhibitor following positive results from SEQUOIA-HCM, the pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Aficamten is also being evaluated in additional clinical trials enrolling patients with obstructive and non-obstructive HCM. Cytokinetics is also developing omecamtiv mecarbil, a cardiac myosin activator, in patients with heart failure with severely reduced ejection fraction, CK-586, a cardiac myosin inhibitor with a mechanism of action distinct from aficamten, for the potential treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and CK-089, a fast skeletal muscle troponin activator with potential therapeutic application to a specific type of muscular dystrophy and other conditions of impaired skeletal muscle function.

Ardelyx was founded with a mission to discover, develop and commercialize innovative, first-in-class medicines that meet significant unmet medical needs. Ardelyx has two commercial products approved in the United States, IBSRELA and XPHOZAH. Ardelyx has agreements for the development and commercialization of tenapanor outside of the U.S. Kyowa Kirin commercializes PHOZEVEL for hyperphosphatemia in Japan. A New Drug Application for tenapanor for hyperphosphatemia has been submitted in China with Fosun Pharma. Knight Therapeutics commercializes IBSRELA in Canada.

Recent news on these stocks:

May 5

Morgan Stanley raised the firm’s price target on Adaptive Biotechnologies to $9 from $7 and keeps an Equal Weight rating on the shares following what the firm calls a “solid beat/raise” report. While the firm says it sees room for second half estimate upside, it adds that valuation has now gapped up to comps, “suggesting a period of digestion may be on the cards.”

BioVie announced the formation of its Corporate Advisory Board – a coalition of seven powerhouse leaders in science, technology, medicine and capital markets who bring unparalleled expertise and decades of personal business success across biotechnology, neuroscience, venture capital, M&A, business and communications. The overarching mission of BioVie’s Corporate Advisory Board is to support ongoing clinical development efforts, inform business strategy and enhance stakeholder engagement. Importantly, each advisor shares a deep-rooted personal connection to the neuroinflammatory conditions that the Company is hoping to address with its investigational drug candidate, bezisterim. Their collective expertise will help the Company in a myriad of ways, including securing the capital needed for robust clinical development and educating key stakeholders about the critical roles that neuroinflammation and the associated insulin resistance play in the onset and progression of neuroinflammatory diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and long COVID. Ugochi Owo, Chair- Serial Entrepreneur & Operator; Zaldy Tan, MD, MPH – Director, Cedars-Sinai Memory & Aging Program; Kush Saxena – Global Fintech Veteran Former CEO, GetNet, Former SVP MasterCard; Tim Gardner, PhD – Associate Professor of Neuroengineering, University of Oregon Co-Founder, Neuralink; Justina Omokhua – Senior Vice President, Parkwood Entertainment Former Global Head of Content Strategy, Apple; Gregory Nguyen – Technologist Private Markets Strategist; Casey Woo – CEO, Operators Guild Seven-Time High-Growth CFO/COO.

May 2

Raymond James downgraded Ardelyx to Outperform from Strong Buy with a price target of $11, down from $13, following the Q1 report. The firm sees added uncertainty regarding the long-term growth of the Ibsrela and Xphozah franchises associated with recent net sales weakness. Ibsrela and Xphozah net sales both missed consensus estimates this quarter, and Xphozah is still trying to regain its footing after losing Medicare coverage the analyst tells investors in a research note. Despite the downgrade, Raymond James remains bullish on Ardelyx citing its strong execution track record.

May 1

Adial Pharmaceuticals announced patent number 12,274,692 was issued on April 15, 2025 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, USPTO, covering a novel method of treating alcohol-related diseases and opioid-related disorders using AD04 in genetically identified patients. This newly issued patent strengthens Adial’s intellectual property portfolio by covering the administration of AD04, the Company’s investigational drug, as a precision medicine approach for patients with specific genetic markers. The patent claims a method of treating addiction by administering a therapeutically effective amount of AD04 to patients with serotonin-related gene variations, including specific genotypes of HTR3A, HTR3B, and SLC6A4, such as the LL genotype of 5-HTTLPR in combination with variations in rs1150226, rs17614942, and rs1176713. The granted claims include specific genetic profiles associated with treatment efficacy and the corresponding dosing regimens. Specifically for AUD, the patent claims cover a method of treatment for a broad definition of alcohol related disorders including, but not limited to, disorders associated with alcohol use such as alcohol induced or associated anxiety, bi-polar, sexual dysfunction, sleep disorder, or gambling disorder as well as alcohol withdrawal.

Cytokinetics announced that the FDA has extended the Prescription Drug User Fee Act action date for the new drug application for aficamten for the treatment of patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy to December 26. The FDA recently notified Cytokinetics that additional time is required to conduct a full review of the company’s proposed risk evaluation and mitigation strategy. Following pre-NDA discussions with FDA in which safety and risk mitigation were discussed, Cytokinetics submitted the NDA for aficamten in oHCM without an accompanying REMS, and the FDA accepted the NDA for filing. Recently, during the NDA review, the FDA requested that Cytokinetics submit a REMS, based on the inherent characteristics of aficamten, which the company provided. The submission of a REMS has now been determined by FDA to be a major amendment to the NDA resulting in a standard three-month extension to the original PDUFA action date. No additional clinical data or studies have been requested of Cytokinetics by FDA.

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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.