STOCKS TELEGRAPH

Tag: Coronavirus

  • Immunome, Inc. (IMNM) Stock Skyrockets Following Promising Results of IMM-BCP-01 in Neutralizing Delta Variant of Covid-19

    Immunome, Inc. (IMNM) Stock Skyrockets Following Promising Results of IMM-BCP-01 in Neutralizing Delta Variant of Covid-19

    Immunome, Inc. (IMNM) stock prices soared by 20.85% shortly after market trading commenced on July 20th, 2021, bringing the price per share up to USD$20.11 early on in the trading day.

    IMM-BCP-01

    July 20th, 2021 saw the company announced the potent neutralizing activity demonstrated by its three-antibody cocktail (IMM-BCP-01) against the Delta variant of the coronavirus pandemic. The treatment also showed in-vitro activity via non-neutralizing mechanics, such as complement fixation, which the company anticipates enabling viral clearance for the treatment.

    Addressing Delta Variant Concerns

    With the highly concerning evolution of the Covid-19 virus taking the world by storm, the company is hopeful that its drug candidate is adequately positioned to become a leader in the global fight against the deadly coronavirus. The treatment’s ability to maintain neutralizing activity against the newer Covid-19 variants is highly promising, with its mechanisms of action targeting at least three non-overlapping epitopes. The mechanisms are informed by an authentic human immune response and provide a robust defense against future mutational drift.

    Expediting Development

    With the majority of the current cases in the United States reporting infection with the Delta variant of the coronavirus, the company was awarded USD$17.6 million as a technology award to aid the development of the treatment. Granted by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense in collaboration with the Defense Health Agency, the award serves to accelerate the availability of the treatment as the world hurtles towards universal immunizations.

    Ahead of the Curve

    With cases finally dwindling down, the United States is on high alert for the near-term potential for a resurgence of coronavirus infections, as a result of the emerging variants. The company is exploring all options to expedite the development of IMM-BCP-01, with plans to submit an IND application with the U.S Food and Drug Administration as early as this quarter. The biopharmaceutical company leverages its proprietary human memory B cell platform in a bit to aid the discovery and development of first-in-class antibody therapeutics.

    Future Outlook for IMNM

    Armed with a promising drug candidate that could address the massive gap that arose in the marketspace as a result of the proliferation of the Delta variant, IMNM is poised to capitalize on the expanded scope of the opportunities afforded to it. Investors are hopeful that management will be able to spearhead the commercialization and proliferation of IMM-BCP-01, thus resulting in increases in shareholder value over the long term.

  • Trinity Biotech PLC (TRIB) Stock Surges Higher Following Announcement of Proliferation of Covid-19 Testing Space

    Trinity Biotech PLC (TRIB) Stock Surges Higher Following Announcement of Proliferation of Covid-19 Testing Space

    Trinity Biotech PLC (TRIB) stock prices were up 11.70% shortly after market trading commenced on July 16th, 2021, bringing the price per share up to USD$2.229 early on in the trading day.

    Rapid Antigen Test

    The company reported being at an advanced stage in the development of an antigen test for the coronavirus that has been devastating the globe. The company leverages its core lateral flow technology to develop the test, which can be utilized without any specialized equipment, providing a result in 12 minutes. Accessibility is further enhanced with its easy-to-use anterior nasal swab sample.

    Scope of Antigen Test

    With the onset of the global coronavirus having signaled an unfathomable long-term toll on economies across the world, the world’s ongoing efforts to mitigate and eventually nullify its effects persist. As public health efforts continue with full force, antigen tests have played a critical role in the overall diagnostic response. As the world hurtles towards universal immunization, the company expects antigen tests to be a part of the core response to the pandemic, in combination with Covid-19 vaccinations.

    Rapid Antibody Test

    June 2021 saw the company submit a EUA application to the FDA for the UniGold Covid-19 rapid antibody test, which detects IgG antibodies against the coronavirus. The antibody test demonstrated a 100% sensitivity and a specificity of 95% over the course of the validation studies. The test was measured against a comparator PCR method which facilitated the confirmation of prior infection.

    EUA Application

    July 2021 saw the FDA inform TRIB that its application for the Emergency Use Authorization of the serological test would not currently be prioritized, on account of the sheer volume of EUA requests currently being processed by the government agency. In order to facilitate the timely commercialization and proliferation of its treatment, the company is exploring additional prospective pathways that would see it gain regulatory approval, thus allowing sales of the test in the U.S. Hitherto, any such potential options have required too significant and additional investment for them to be viable.

    Future Outlook for TRIB

    With the world’s continued efforts towards the aim of making the coronavirus a thing of the past, TRIB is poised to capitalize on the access it has gained to a burgeoning market. The company is keen to leverage its resources in order to drive increased market penetration. Current and potential investors are hopeful for the stock price to recover and increase over the long term.

  • Qualigen Therapeutics, Inc. (QLGN) Stock on the Rise Following IND Submission for Novel Covid-19 Treatment, QN-165

    Qualigen Therapeutics, Inc. (QLGN) stock prices were up 1.6854% as of the market opening on July 14th, 2021, with premarket trading having seen the stock rise sharply. As of writing, the price per share of QLGN stock was USD$1.81.

    IND Submission

    July 14th, 2021 saw the biotechnology company announce the submission of an Investigational New Drug Application to the U.S Food and Drug Administration with an initial target indication for the treatment of hospitalized Covid-19 patients with the company’s QN-165. The DNA aptamer is a broad-based antiviral drug candidate that has shown antiviral activity in various in vitro assays against a plethora of viruses.

    Milestone for QLGN

    The significant milestone is the first IND application submitted by the company for its most advanced therapeutics program. The IND application submission for Phase 1b/2a clinical trials for QN-165 represents another step in the company’s evolution from a globally patented and commercially successful diagnostics company to a clinical-stage therapeutics company with multiple programs.

    QN-165

    QN-165 is a unique drug candidate that presents an entirely novel approach to combating viruses, which the company thinks it will be able to work against all virus strains and variants. The treatment is a piece of synthetic DNA that does not target the coronavirus directly, as existing treatments do. Rather, it targets and binds to the nucleolin protein and has the capacity to enter cells that overexpress nucleolin. Nucleolin is exploited by viruses such as Covid-19 to gain access to a cell, manipulating it for its own viral replication purposes.

    Scope of QN-165

    By tying up nucleolin, QN-165 is anticipated to block the mechanism entirely, thus preventing the virus replication process. Because of this, even the mutation of the virus is not expected to result in a loss of efficacy of the treatment, on account of nucleolin being targeted instead of the virus itself. This is what the company believes will make the treatment effective against a plethora of viral mutations, including all strains and variants of the novel coronavirus.

    Future Outlook for QLGN

    With the world hurtling towards global immunizations, the onslaught of variants and strains that pop up across the globe are becoming an increasingly significant concern. Treatments such as QN-165 are set to address those concerns, thereby signaling the massive potential for commercialization and proliferation of the expansive market. Investors are hopeful that management will leverage its resources to deliver the treatment as quickly as possible, thus ensuring maximum increases in shareholder value.

  • Cocrystal Pharma, Inc. (COCP) Stock Trends Higher Following Announcement of Covid-19 Treatment Potential

    Cocrystal Pharma, Inc. (COCP) stock prices stayed stable over the course of the market day on June 17th, 2021. Subsequent pre-market fluctuations have seen the stock climb by 3.85%, bringing it up to USD$1.35.

    CDI-45205

    The company announced on June 14th, 2021 that it had successfully demonstrated that its lead preclinical Covid-19 3CL protease inhibitor CDI-45205 is active against SARS-CoV-2, as well as two of its primary variant strains. The company contracted a third party lab to conduct in vitro studies designed to evaluate the antiviral activity of CDI-45205 and its analogs in VeryE6-eGFP cells that were infected. Infected cells were affected by the Wuhan strain, the United Kingdom strain, and the South African variant.

    Scope of CDI-45205

    CDI-45205 and its analogs exhibited exceptional antiviral activity against each of the variant strains, going so far as to surpass the activity observed with the Wuhan strain. The FDA-approved Covid-19 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibitor, remdesivir, and PF-00835231, a second protease inhibitor, were both reference inhibitors that the study was compared against. Results demonstrated CDI-45205’s excellent activity against the UK variant, with an EC50 of 1.9 uM, while activity against the South African variant exhibited an EC50 of 2.5 uM. As absence of a P-glycoprotein efflux, inhibitor is assumed in both cases.

    Cumulative Growth

    The company intends to continue conducting research into antiviral activity against other emerging variants, such as the up-and-coming Indian strain. The latest disclosed results add to the growing body of preclinical data findings of CDI-45205. Evidence suggests the new data implies the use of the protease inhibitor as an effective treatment of the coronavirus and its variants that have taken the world by storm for over a year now. Furthermore, company scientists continue to use COCP’s proprietary structure-based drug discovery platform technology to facilitate the investigation of broad-spectrum oral protease inhibitors and replication inhibitors for the treatment of Covid-19.

    Agreement with KSURF

    CDI-45205 was announced to have been selected by COCP on December 2020 as its lead Covid-19 development candidate. It was picked from a group of protease inhibitors that came into COCP’s possession through an exclusive license agreement with Kansas State University Research Foundation, which was announce earlier in 2020.

    Future Outlook for COCP

    With the world hurtling towards universal immunizations in the interest of a return to economic and social normalcy, COCP is primed to capitalize on the urgent demand for coronavirus treatments around the world. Current and potential investors are hopeful that management will continue to leverage the resources at their disposal to facilitate significant and sustained increases in shareholder value.

  • Novavax, Inc. (NVAX) Stock on the Rise Following Massive Success of PREVENT-19 Study

    Novavax, Inc. (NVAX) Stock on the Rise Following Massive Success of PREVENT-19 Study

    Novavax, Inc. (NVAX) stock prices were up by a marginal 2.31% as of the market closing on June 11th, 2021, bringing the price per share up to USD$209.68 at the end of the trading day. Subsequent pre-market fluctuations have seen the stock surge by 6.57%, bringing it up to USD$223.45.

    Success of PREVENT-19

    The company announced a massively positive outcome for NVX-CoV2373, demonstrating 100% protection against moderate and severe forms of the disease. The treatment also reported an overall efficacy of 90.4% and met its primary endpoint in the PREVENT-19 pivotal Phase 3 trial. The study consisted of a total of 29,960 participants, spanning 119 sites across Mexico and the U.S. The study was designed to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of the treatment, with an emphasis on representation in the recruitment of communities and demographic groups most impacted by the disease.

    Treatment Poised to Proliferate

    With the world hurtling towards global immunizations as the global coronavirus pandemic continues to take its toll on economies, Novavax is closer to addressing the critical and persistent global public health need. The company continues to work at full capacity to facilitate the completion of regulatory submissions and deliver the vaccine. NVAX has secured a well understood platform with an established track record, through which they will facilitate the provision of the much needed vaccines.

    Next Steps for NVAX

    NVAX anticipates filing for regulatory authorizations in the third quarter of 2021, following the completion of the final phases of process qualification and assay validation needed to meet chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) requirements. Following the approval, the company will see growth to a manufacturing capacity of 100 million doses per month by the end of the third quarter of 2021. The end of the fourth quarter is expected to mark the ramping up of manufacturing capacity to 150 million doses a month.

    Government Support

    PREVENT-19 has consolidated the tolerability and safety profile of NVX-CoV2373, with data having shown consistent, high levels of efficacy and reaffirm the treatment’s capability to prevent Covid-19 as increasing variants of the virus proliferate international communities. To this end, the treatment has received support from the U.S government, including the DoD, BARDA, parts of the HHS, the NIAID, and more. As per a DoD agreement, BARDA will provide NVAX with USD$1.75 billion.

    Future Outlook for NVAX

    Armed with the fortuitous surge in the value of their equity, NVAX is poise to push for the commercialization and proliferation of its proprietary treatment. The company is keen to continue its trajectory of success and usher in more organic growth over the long-term. Current and potential investors are hopeful that the management will leverage the resources at their disposal to facilitate significant and sustained increases in shareholder value.

  • Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) set to roll out 50 million coronavirus vaccines by the end of 2020

    Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) set to roll out 50 million coronavirus vaccines by the end of 2020

    Drug-maker giant Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) shares jumped 14% after it said that preliminary analysis showed 90% efficacy of its coronavirus vaccine.

    It was called a “great day for science & humanity,” by development companies Pfizer and BioNTech.

     

    Their vaccine was tested in six countries on 43,500 individuals and no safety issues were posed.

    In response to a clear end to the US election, stocks, already bolstered, poured on profits and the FTSE 100 soared 5 percent.

     

    But businesses benefiting from it dived as airlines, hotels, and others hit hardest by the pandemic jumped by up to 53 percent.

     

    Similar gains to those seen in London were made by other markets in Europe. And the Dow Jones and S&P 500 opened 5.6% and 3.6% higher, respectively, in the US.

     

    It is very unusual for stocks to leap by such wide margins, and in the case of the UK, on the market’s best day since March, the FTSE 100 added £82bn to the value of its shares.

     

    Companies expect to apply by the end of the month for emergency permission to use the vaccine.

     

    There is still a lot of work to be done, but the news was warmly embraced by scientists who are anticipating that by spring life could be back to normal.

     

    A vaccination is seen as the only way to break out of the constraints that have been placed in the daily lives, alongside improved therapies.

     

    In the final stages of study-known as a phase 3 trial-there are around a hundred, but this is the first to produce any results.

     

    In order to train the immune system, it uses an entirely experimental technique-which includes injecting part of the genetic code of the virus.

    Previous studies have shown that the body is being prepared to generate both antibodies and another element of the immune response against coronavirus called T-cells.

     

    This drug is injected in two doses, three weeks apart. Studies in the United States, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, and Turkey have shown that 90% of safety is obtained 7 days after the second dose.

     

    Pfizer in the meantime plans to produce 50 million doses by the end of this year and about 1.3 billion by the end of next year.

     

  • Airbnb Inc is going public next week despite intense 2nd wave of Coronavirus

    Airbnb Inc is going public next week despite intense 2nd wave of Coronavirus

    Airbnb Inc said that it’s going for IPO public registration next week, making December debut on New York Stock market despite the COVID-19, 2nd wave is getting worst.

    The planned Debut on Nasdaq will be one of the largest stock market listing in 2020 during increased high demand for house rentals as vacationers to practice social distancing

    Airbnb’s initial public offering filing will explain its business model to the outsiders as the company moved its focus from city apartments to holidays home due to pandemic. The time for a public offering is critical as the U.S. set a one-day record for new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, with at least 102,591 new infections reported.

    Airbnb plans to kick off an investor roadshow in December, providing a price range for its IPO but timing is subjected to the pandemic conditions as well. It was reported by different sources that the company wants to raise $3 billion through the listing and looking for a valuation of more than $30 billion in the IPO.

    Due to a hung Congress, Government would not be able to raise taxes which has brought down the volatility index hit a two-week low and making IPO listings easy.

    2020 is a huge year for the IPOs where many companies went public such as Warner Music Group, data analytics firm Palantir Technologies and data warehouse company Snowflake Inc this year.

    Airbnb did a dramatic recovery after securing emergency funding from investors including Silver Lake and Sixth Street Partners after the pandemic started in March. The company said that customers had booked more than one million nights in a single day for the first time since March 3

    Booking Holdings which is used as a conservative public market proxy for its stock by some Airbnb investors have gained more than 50% in the past eight months.