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: 

• Neurocrine Biosciences (NBIX), 149% surge in interest
• Corvus Pharma (CRVS), 142% surge in interest
• Genprex (GNPX), 115% surge in interest
• Galectin Therapeutics (GALT), 97% surge in interest
• Verona Pharma (VRNA), 87% surge in interest
• Anavex (AVXL), 76% surge in interest

Pipeline and key clinical candidates for these companies:

Neurocrine Biosciences is a neuroscience-focused, biopharmaceutical company with a simple purpose: to relieve suffering for people with great needs, but few options. The company is dedicated to discovering and developing life-changing treatments for patients with under-addressed neurological, neuroendocrine, and neuropsychiatric disorders. The company’s diverse portfolio includes FDA-approved treatments for tardive dyskinesia, chorea associated with Huntington’s disease, endometriosis and uterine fibroids, as well as a robust pipeline including multiple compounds in mid- to late-phase clinical development across core therapeutic areas.

Corvus Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that says it is “pioneering the development of ITK inhibition as a new approach to immunotherapy for a broad range of cancer and immune diseases.” The company’s lead product candidate is CPI-818, an investigational, oral, small molecule drug that selectively inhibits ITK and is in a mid-stage clinical trial for patients with T cell lymphoma. Its other clinical-stage candidates are being developed for a variety of cancer indications.

Genprex is a clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on developing life-changing therapies for patients with cancer and diabetes. Genprex’s technologies are designed to administer disease-fighting genes to provide new therapies for large patient populations with cancer and diabetes who currently have limited treatment options, the company says.

Galectin Therapeutics is dedicated to developing novel therapies to improve the lives of patients with chronic liver disease and cancer. Galectin’s lead drug belapectin is a carbohydrate-based drug that inhibits the galectin-3 protein, which is directly involved in multiple inflammatory, fibrotic, and malignant diseases, for which it has Fast Track designation by the FDA. The lead development program is in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis with cirrhosis, the most advanced form of NASH-related fibrosis. This is the most common liver disease and one of the largest drug development opportunities available today. Additional development programs are in treatment of combination immunotherapy for advanced melanoma and other malignancies. Advancement of these additional clinical programs is largely dependent on finding a suitable partner. Galectin seeks to leverage extensive scientific and development expertise as well as established relationships with external sources to achieve cost-effective and efficient development.

Verona Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for the treatment of chronic respiratory diseases with significant unmet medical needs. If successfully developed and approved, Verona’s product candidate, ensifentrine, has the potential to become the first non-steroidal therapy for the treatment of respiratory diseases that combines bronchodilator and anti-inflammatory activities in one molecule, the company said.

Anavex Life Sciences Corp. is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental, and neuropsychiatric disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, Rett syndrome, and other central nervous system diseases, pain, and various types of cancer. Anavex’s lead drug candidate, ANAVEX 2-73, has successfully completed a Phase 2a and a Phase 2b/3 clinical trial for Alzheimer’s disease, a Phase 2 proof-of-concept study in Parkinson’s disease dementia, and both a Phase 2 and a Phase 3 study in adult patients and one Phase 2/3 study in pediatric patients with Rett syndrome.

Recent news on these stocks:

December 13

Neurocrine Biosciences announced the U.S. FDA has approved crenessity capsules and oral solution as an adjunctive treatment to glucocorticoid replacement to control androgens in adult and pediatric patients four years of age and older with classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia, a rare, serious and lifelong genetic condition involving the adrenal glands. Crenessity a potent and selective oral corticotropin-releasing factor type 1 receptor antagonist, is the first and only classic CAH treatment that directly reduces excess adrenocorticotropic hormone and downstream adrenal androgen production, allowing for glucocorticoid dose reduction. It is a breakthrough in the treatment landscape for classic CAH.

December 16

Genprex announced that it has completed the Phase 1 dose escalation portion of the Acclaim-3 clinical trial of Reqorsa Gene Therapy in combination with Tecentriq as maintenance therapy to treat patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer, ES-SCLC. In addition, the Safety Review Committee, SRC, has approved the opening of the Phase 2 expansion portion of the trial.

December 18

Corvus Pharmaceuticals announced interim data from the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating soquelitinib in patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis. The data demonstrated a favorable safety profile and efficacy profile, supporting the ongoing development of soquelitinib for atopic dermatitis and the potential of ITK inhibition as a novel mechanism of action for other immune diseases. Data from lowest dose level cohorts demonstrate a favorable safety and efficacy profile. “We are pleased with the early results of our soquelitinib Phase 1 atopic dermatitis clinical trial, which show an attractive potential product profile at the lowest dose we are studying,” said Richard Miller, M.D., co-founder, president and chief executive officer of Corvus. “The data show consistent signs of efficacy, combined with a novel mechanism of action, a convenient oral route of administration and a favorable safety profile.”

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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.