5 Top Weekly NASDAQ Biotech Stocks: Evofem Climbs 71 Percent

The NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (INDEXNASDAQ:NBI) had a tumultuous week, dipping from 3,333.89 points on Monday’s (May 6) open to 3,299.23 points as of 2:02 p.m. EDT on Friday (May 10). 

Even so, a variety of biotech and pharma stocks on the NASDAQ were in the green, including Evofem Biosciences (NASDAQ:EVFM), which received a bump to its stock after the release of its Q1 results.

The top NASDAQ biotech gainers last week are as follows:

• Evofem Biosciences
• OptimizeRx (NASDAQ:OPRX)
• Dyadic International (NASDAQ:DYAI)
• Mersana Therapeutics (NASDAQ:MRSN)
• Nabriva Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NBRV)

Here’s a closer look at those companies and what may have moved their share prices over the week.

Evofem Biosciences

Evofem Biosciences emerged as last week’s top gainer. The company is a biopharmaceutical company in clinical stages working to develop products for women’s sexual and reproductive health.

The company is working to advance its proprietary Multipurpose Vaginal pH Regulator platform for Amphora, which is a form of contraception that can be taken an hour before sex. It is also being tested as a way to prevent certain sexually transmitted infections.

Evofem Biosciences announced its Q1 financial results on Tuesday (May 7), highlighting its Type B meeting with the US Food and Drug Administration for a new drug application for Amphora.

Shares of the company soared 71.71 percent last week to US$6.93 as of 2:58 p.m. EDT on Friday.

OptimizeRx

OptimizeRx assists life science companies with digital communication to the point of care. It offers cloud-based solutions to pharmaceutical firms in order to connect with patients and providers.

The company reported its Q1 financial results on Wednesday (May 8), reporting that its total revenue for the quarter increased by 27 percent to US$5.2 million.

Over the five day trading period, shares of OptimizeRx were up 28.88 percent, settling at US$13.52 as of 3:03 p.m. EDT on Friday.

Dyadic International

Dyadic International is developing its gene expression platform, which is based off the fungus Myceliophthora thermophila, called C1. The company is using C1 to do research and development, and to create and develop vaccines and drugs for humans and animals.

Like others on the list, Dyadic International released its Q1 results on Thursday (May 9), noting that the company made advancements towards adopting C1.

Shares of Dyadic International climbed 26.69 percent last week to US$4.30 as of 3:02 p.m. EDT on Friday.

Mersana Therapeutics

Mersana Therapeutics is also in clinical stages and is focused on its lead product candidate, XMT-1536. XMT-1536 is in a Phase 1 clinical trial being tested on patients with cancers, including ovarian cancer and non-small-cell lung carcinoma.

The company also revealed its Q1 financial results last week, highlighting an update on its Phase 1 study of XMT-1536. Its shares rose 22.03 percent last week to US$6.46 as of 3:25 p.m. EDT on Friday.

Nabriva Therapeutics

Closing out the list is Nabriva Therapeutics, which is involved in research and development for anti-infective drugs for treating serious infections.

Nabriva Therapeutics released its Q1 results last week, noting a net loss of US$20.2 million for the quarter, compared to a net loss of US$13.3 million for the same period in 2018. Shares of Nabriva Therapeutics were up 19.44 percent last week to US$2.64 as of 3:28 p.m. EDT on Friday.

Data for the 5 Top NASDAQ Biotech Stocks articles is retrieved each Friday at 1:00 p.m. EDT using TradingView’s stock screener. Only companies with a market capitalization greater than $10 million and lower than $500 million prior to the week’s gains are included. Companies within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors are considered.

Don’t forget to follow us at @INN_LifeScience for real-time updates!

Securities Disclosure: I, Jocelyn Aspa, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

**This article is updated each week. Please scroll to the top for the most recent information**

5 Top Weekly NASDAQ Biotech Stocks: Idera Pharmaceuticals Rises on Q1 Results

By Jocelyn Aspa, May 5, 2019

The NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (INDEXNASDAQ:NBI) had a mild rise last week, going from 3,373.61 points on Monday (April 29) to 3,383.72 points as of 1:48 p.m. EDT on Friday (May 3).

Idera Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IDRA) emerged as the top gainer following its Q1 2019 financial results.

A number of other companies were on the rise last week, notably:

• Idera Pharmaceuticals
• Enlivex Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ENLV)
• Aptorum Group (NASDAQ:APM)
• Durect (NASDAQ:DRRX)
• IMV (NASDAQ:IMV)

Here’s a closer look at those companies and what may have moved the needle on their share prices.

Idera Pharmaceuticals

Idera Pharmaceuticals’ area of focus is advancing specific therapies in select cancers. It is currently advancing its product tilsotolimod, which aims to treat tumors like melanoma.

On Thursday (May 2), Idera Pharmaceuticals released its Q1 2019 results, highlighting that the company finished enrolling patients in its Illuminate-204 Phase 1/2 trial, which aims to test IMO-2125 in patients with PD-1 refractory metastatic melanoma.

Shares of the company spiked 32.58 percent last week to US$3.58 as of 2:55 p.m. EDT on Friday.

Enlivex Therapeutics

Enlivex Therapeutics is focused on specialized cell immunotherapy, and it has Allocetra as its lead product for immune rebalancing. Allocetra, the most advanced product in its pipeline, is used for preventing post bone marrow transplant complications.

The company is also looking to potentially collaborate with CAR-T companies in clinical studies to evaluate the efficacy of Allocetra in combination with CAR-T treatments for solid tumors.

Shares of Enlivex Therapeutics were up 29.87 percent last week to US$11.10 as of 3:28 p.m. EDT on Friday. Despite the share price increase, the company did not have any news last week.

Aptorum Group

Based in Hong Kong, Aptorum Group is currently in the preclinical stages with a wide range of projects in development for unmet clinical needs.

The company also builds relationships and collaborations and currently has 11 exclusively licensed technologies in areas such as neurology, infectious diseases, gastroenterology, oncology, surgical robotics and natural health.

Like Enlivex Therapeutics, Aptorum Group did not have any news last week. Still, its share price rose 25.82 percent to US$17.32 as of 3:19 p.m. EDT on Friday.

Durect

Durect is a biopharmaceutical company working on therapeutics based on its Epigenetic Regulator Program (ERP). The company’s DUR-928 is in a Phase 2 program and is the lead candidate in the ERP program.

DUR-928 has shown in preclinical studies to help with lip homeostasis, inflammation and cell survival.

On Friday, Durect announced that it will present preliminary data on its ongoing DUR-928 alcoholic hepatitis Phase 2a trial next Wednesday (May 8). This may have sparked investor interest over the week, as shares of Durect increased 23.01 percent to US$0.82 as of 3:44 p.m. EDT on Friday.

IMV

Closing out the list is IMV, which is an immuno-oncology company in clinical stages. IMV has three candidates in clinical trials, with its lead product being DPX-Survivac, which targets the protein survivin that is present in 15 types of solid tumor and hematologic cancers.

On Friday, IMV announced an update to its Phase 2 study, which is evaluating DPX-Survivac with Merck’s (NYSE:MRK) Keytruda in patients with diffused large B-cell lymphoma. Shares of IMV spiked 20.42 percent last week to US$4.33 as of 3:55 p.m. EDT on Friday.

Data for the 5 Top NASDAQ Biotech Stocks articles is retrieved each Friday at 1:00 p.m. EDT using TradingView’s stock screener. Only companies with a market capitalization greater than $10 million and lower than $500 million prior to the week’s gains are included. Companies within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors are considered.

Don’t forget to follow us at @INN_LifeScience for real-time updates!

Securities Disclosure: I, Jocelyn Aspa, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.