5 Top Weekly NASDAQ Biotech Stocks: Index Slips

Last week, the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (INDEXNASDAQ:NBI) took a slight dive last week, dipping 2.65 percent from 3,465.86 points on Monday’s (February 4) open to 3,373.97 points as of 1:42 p.m. EST on Friday (February 8).

On Thursday (February 7), Harpoon Therapeutics (NASDAQ:HARP) announced the pricing of its public offering of 5.4 million common stock at US$14 per share. According to its press release, gross proceeds from the offering are estimated to be roughly US$75.6 million.

Shares of the clinical-stage immunotherapy company officially began trading on the NASDAQ on Friday and were priced at US$13.62 as of 1:46 p.m. EST that afternoon.

Throughout the five-day trading period, a number of NASDAQ biotech stocks made significant share price gains, including:

• Melinta Therapeutics (NASDAQ:MLNT)
• BioXcel Therapeutics (NASDAQ:BTAI)
• Eyenovia (NASDAQ:EYEN)
• Forward Pharma (NASDAQ:FWP)
• Trevena (NASDAQ:TRVN)

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

Melinta Therapeutics

First on last week’s five top weekly NASDAQ biotech stocks list is Melinta Therapeutics, which is developing and commercializing novel antibiotics to treat bacterial infections.

The company has four market products, including Baxdela, Vabomere, Orbactive and Minocin. Baxdela treats acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSI), Vabomere is geared towards complicated urinary tract infections, while Orbactive also aims to treat ABSSI and Minocin is aimed at serious infections due to select organisms, such as Acinetobacter.

However, the company didn’t have any news last week that could relate to its share price increase over the week, which was 100.49 percent to 1.71 as of 2:21 p.m. EST on Friday.

BioXcel Therapeutics

Second is BioXcel Therapeutics, a clinical stage company working on medicines related to neuroscience and immuno-oncology. The company has three product candidates in its pipeline, including: BXCL501, which is in the acute agitation program, BXCL701 in the immuno-oncology program and BXCL502 and BXCL702, which are in the emerging programs.

The company’s biggest news last week came on Monday when it announced it had expanded its lead neuroscience product, BXCL501, to treat symptoms related to opioid drug withdrawal.

Shares of BioXcel Therapeutics jumped 78.25 percent last week to reach US$9.58 as of 2:36 p.m. EST on Friday.

Eyenovia

Eyenovia is middle of the pack on our five top weekly NASDAQ biotech stocks list. Eyenovia is a late-stage opthalmic biopharmaceutical company that is developing treatments for front-and-back of the eye diseases. Its pipeline currently has four programs, including myopia (nearsightedness) progression, glaucoma and other diseases related to the eyes.

On Wednesday (February 6), Eyenovia announced the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted its Investigational New Drug application to initiate its ChAPERONE study, which is a Phase III registration trial to reduce myopia progression in children.

As such, it’s no surprise shares of Eyenovia were on the rise last week: as of 2:42 p.m. EST on Friday, the company’s stock was valued at US$5.65, representing a 59.09 percent increase throughout the week.

Forward Pharma

Foward Pharma is a biopharmaceutical company working to treat inflammatory and neurological indications with its FP187, which is a proprietary formulation of DMF.

That being said, Forward Pharma has not had any news since October, although last week’s share price increase is still worth noting. Shares of the company increased 40.75 percent over the five-day trading period to settle at US$1.45 as of 2:48 p.m. EST on Friday.

Trevena

Closing out last week’s five top weekly NASDAQ biotech stocks list is Trevena, a biotechnology company whose lead product candidate is oliceridine injection which has FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation to treat moderate-to-severe acute pain.

Last week Trevena didn’t have any significant news, although it did reveal it will be presenting at the 21st BIO CEO & Investor Conference on Tuesday (February 12).

Shares of Trevena were up 38.61 percent to US$1.40 as of 2:55 p.m. EST on Friday.

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

Data for 5 Top Weekly NASDAQ Biotech Stocks articles is retrieved each Friday at 1:00 p.m. EST using TradingView’s Stock Screener. Only companies with a market capitalization greater than $50 million and lower than $500 million prior to the week’s gains are included. Companies within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors are considered.

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: Index Bounces Back

By Jocelyn Aspa, February 3, 2019

Last week, the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (INDEXNASDAQ:NBI) was on a mild increase throughout the five-day trading period, rising 1.64 percent to reach 3,459.25 points as of 1:15 p.m. EST on Friday (February 1).

Fortress Biotech (NASDAQ:FBIO) made headlines on Thursday (January 31), when the company revealed that its founded Caelum Biosciences had formed a strategic partnership with Alexion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ALXN).

Also noted on Thursday was Prana Biotechnology (NASDAQ:PRAN,ASX:PBT) receiving orphan drug designation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), which is the first time a designation has been granted for the illness.

On that note, a number of NASDAQ biotech stocks were on the rise last week, including:

• Fortress Biotech
• Trevena (NASDAQ:TRVN)
• China SXT Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:SXTC)
• Celldex Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CLDX)
• Zynerba Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ZYNE)

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

Fortress Biotech

First on our five top weekly NASDAQ biotech stocks list is Fortress Biotech. The company is primarily focused on identifying, in-licensing and developing clinical stage assets. As it currently stands, Fortress Biotech has over 25 programs in clinical development, with candidates in areas like oncology, rare diseases and gene therapy.

Additional details of its announcement on Thursday state that Caelum Biosciences and Alexion Pharmaceuticals will work to advance CAEL-101 for light chain (AL) amyloidosis. AL amyloidosis is an uncommon systemic disorder that affects heart, kidneys, skin, nerves and liver. In other words, the disease happens when a person’s bone marrow produces abnormal antibodies that can’t be broken down.

As a result of the news, shares of Fortress Biotech increased 101.89 percent over the week to reach US$2.26 as of 1:00 p.m. EST on Friday.

Trevena

Next is Trevena, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with its lead product being an oliceridine injection that has finished Phase 3 efficacy studies on patients who have moderate-to-severe acute pain.

Other products in Trevena’s pipeline includes TRV250 to treat migraines, which is in Phase 1 development and TRV734, which has completed its Phase 1 for oral treatment of acute and chronic pain.

On Wednesday (January 30), Trevena announced a US$10 million registered direct offering of its common stock at a price of US$1.00 per share. According to the release, the offer was projected to close on Friday.

Shares of Trevena were up 89.46 percent last week to settle at US$1.02 as of 1:59 p.m. EST on Friday.

China SXT Pharmaceuticals

Middle of the pack on our five top weekly NASDAQ biotech stocks list is China SXT Pharmaceuticals.

The company, which is based in Taizhou city of Jiangsu province in China, focuses on research, development manufacturing, marketing and sales of traditional Chinese medicine pieces (TCMP).

China SXT Pharmaceuticals’ product lines include Directly-oral TCMP, which is an oral product; After-soaking-oral TCMP, which can be taken after soaking with hot water; Fine TCMP, which the company states it has over 30 products in this segment; and Regular TCMP, which China SXT Pharmaceuticals says it manufactures over 600 products under this category.

While the company didn’t have any news last week, shares of China SXT Pharmaceuticals increased 76.08 percent to US$6.54 as of 2:21 p.m. EST on Friday.

Celldex Therapeutics

Celldex Therapeutics lands fourth on our list, with a share price bump of 67.11 percent to reach US$0.57 percent as of 1:28 p.m. EST on Friday.

Celldex Therapeutics is working on developing targeted therapeutics for diseases where it claims treatments are inadequate.

The company currently has five drugs in its pipeline, three of which are immune modulators that have all reached phase 3, and two that are RTK targeted, one of which has been initiated in a phase 2 study and the other which is in in preclinical.

On that note, Celldex Therapeutics did not have any news last week that could describe its share price increase.

Zynerba Pharmaceuticals

Closing out our five top weekly NASDAQ biotech stocks list is Zynerba Pharmaceuticals.

Zynerba Pharmaceuticals is focusing its efforts on research and development of rare and almost-rare neuropsychiatric conditions. The company’s lead product, called ZYN002, is a CBD gel that is being evaluated for Fragile X syndrome, Autisim Spectrum Disoder (ASD) and a group of rare and ultra-rare epilepsies known as development and epileptic encephalopathies (DEE).

Shares of Zynerba Pharmaceuticals rose 59.95 percent last week to reach US$5.75 as of 2:38 p.m. EST on Friday.

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

Data for 5 Top Weekly NASDAQ Biotech Stocks articles is retrieved each Friday at 1:00 p.m. EST using TradingView’s Stock Screener. Only companies with a market capitalization greater than $50 million and lower than $500 million prior to the week’s gains are included. Companies within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors are considered.

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