What happened
Shares of biopharma Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) dropped over 11% today after the company released an abstract to be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting next month that contained a disappointing update for an ongoing clinical trial.
The latest interim data analysis for a phase 1/2 trial evaluating a combination therapy of the company’s drug candidate, NKTR-214, with Opdivo from Bristol-Myers Squibb showed significant drops in response rates compared to those released at the last interim data analysis in November 2017.
As of 12:41 p.m. EDT, the stock had settled to a 10.1% loss. But shares still boast year-to-date gains of 29% following a strong March.
Image source: Getty Images.
So what
The phase 1/2 trial is evaluating the drug candidate combo against a range of different cancers, including melanoma, kidney cancer, and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). As reported by FierceBiotech, the overall response rate (ORR) for the NKTR-214 and Opdivo combination has slipped as more patients have been evaluated.
Top 5 Biotech Stocks To Buy For 2018: Biogen Idec Inc(BIIB)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Cory Renauer]
Biotech traders get heaps of attention, but buying promising young drugmakers and holding them for the long term is a far easier way to get rich. Case in point: Spreading $10,000 evenly among shares of Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB),Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ:CELG), andGilead Sciences Inc.(NASDAQ:GILD) around this time in 1998 would have made you a millionaire already.
- [By Chris Lange]
The S&P 500 stock posting the largest daily percentage loss ahead of the close Wednesday was Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ: BIIB) which traded down about 6% at 297.99. The stocks 52-week range is $244.28 to $370.67. Volume was about 5 million compared to the daily average volume of roughly 1 million.
- [By Logan Wallace]
Biogen (NASDAQ:BIIB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 24th. The biotechnology company reported $6.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.93 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $3.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.15 billion. Biogen had a net margin of 23.54% and a return on equity of 37.64%. Biogen’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $5.20 earnings per share. research analysts anticipate that Biogen will post 23.94 earnings per share for the current year.
Top 5 Biotech Stocks To Buy For 2018: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.(ALNY)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Brian Orelli]
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ALNY) released first-quarter results last week, but all eyes were looking forward as the company waits for a potential approval of its hereditary TTR amyloidosis (ATTR) drug, patisiran.
- [By Keith Speights]
I wrote three months ago that I viewed Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ALNY) stock as a pretty good pick — but with a couple of qualifications. First, I didn’t think that the biotech would generate returns in 2018 nearly as great as it did last year. Second, I thought that there were even better stocks to buy than Alnylam.
- [By Brian Orelli]
The delay in an FDA decision for Tegsedi puts it behind competitor Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ALNY), which expects to hear from the FDA by Aug. 11 for its hATTR drug patisiran. But Sarah Boyce, the president at Akcea Therapeutics, doesn’t think a few months will really matter: “We don’t really feel that’s going to have any impact and the drugs will be close enough together from a launch perspective. So not really [going] to make any adjustments, and we’re very well prepared to be ready to launch following approval.”
Top 5 Biotech Stocks To Buy For 2018: Amgen Inc.(AMGN)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By ]
Celgene (CELG) : “I’d rather buy Amgen (AMGN) or Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) . I think Celgene overpaid for that acquisition a few years ago.”
- [By Joseph Griffin]
Field & Main Bank grew its stake in shares of Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) by 9.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,153 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 345 shares during the quarter. Field & Main Bank’s holdings in Amgen were worth $708,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
- [By ]
In the Lightning Round, Cramer was bullish on The Blackstone Group (BX) , Nvidia (NVDA) , Amgen (AMGN) , Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) , Hasbro (HAS) and Waste Management (WM) .
- [By Cory Renauer]
There’s a lot for investors to like aboutAmgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) andBiogen Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB). Both of these biotech stocks have produced tremendous returns over the past couple of decades, and the businesses they represent still generate enormous profits.
- [By Chris Lange]
Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) is waiting for the FDA to review its Biologics License Application (BLA) for Aimovig (erenumab) for the prevention of migraine in patients experiencing four or more migraine days per month. The FDA has set a PDUFA date for May 17.
- [By ]
Booker’s report took on other companies as well. Pfizer (PFE) , Gilead Sciences (GILD) , AbbVie (ABBV) , Amgen (AMGN) , Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY) , and Mylan NV (MYL) are cited for everything from raising drug prices, to stock buybacks and putting shareholder interest before that of the public.
Top 5 Biotech Stocks To Buy For 2018: ArQule Inc.(ARQL)
Advisors’ Opinion:
- [By Stephan Byrd]
ArQule, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARQL) Director Ronald M. Lindsay acquired 23,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $2.67 per share, for a total transaction of $63,813.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 43,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $117,213. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.
- [By Joseph Griffin]
ArQule (NASDAQ:ARQL)‘s stock had its “buy” rating restated by equities researchers at Needham & Company LLC in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have a $6.00 price target on the biotechnology company’s stock, up from their prior price target of $5.00. Needham & Company LLC’s price target suggests a potential upside of 134.38% from the company’s previous close.
- [By Ethan Ryder]
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