5 Top Weekly NASDAQ Biotech and Pharma Stocks: Acasta in Lead

The NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (INDEXNASDAQ:NBI) was in the red again last week, falling from 3,324.66 points on Monday’s (July 15) open to 3,314.13 points as of 1:54 p.m. EDT on Friday (July 19).

On Sunday (July 14), Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) announced plans to pay US$5.1 billion in order to bump its stake in Galapogos, a Belgium-based biotech company, up to 22 percent from 13 percent.

By Friday, the biopharmaceutical mammoth had licensed several preclinical programs from Novartis (NYSE:NVS), including programs that can treat human rhinovirus, influenza and herpes-related diseases.

In terms of small- and mid-cap companies, the five top gainers last week were as follows:

• Acasti Pharma (NASDAQ:ACST)
• Enlivex Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ENLV)
• Oramed Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ORMP)
• MediWound (NASDAQ:MDWD)
• Outlook Therapeutics (NASDAQ:OTLK)

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

Acasti Pharma

Acasti Pharma is developing its cardiovascular drug CaPre to treat hypertriglyceridemia.

CaPre is currently in a Phase 3 clinical program to treat patients with this condition. The company may need to do one more clinical trial to support the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of a supplemental new drug application if CaPre — which is an omega-3 therapy — shows that it has benefits in third party studies.

Last week, shares of Acasti Pharma were up 23.94 percent to US$1.74 as of 2:26 p.m. EDT on Friday, although the company did not have any news that could relate to its share price increase.

Enlivex Therapeutics

Enlivex Therapeutics is developing products for cell immunotherapy. In particular, its Allocetra product can treat a range of conditions by using the body’s mechanisms to rebuild immune balance.

On Tuesday (July 16), the company announced it will begin trading on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol ENLV beginning on July 22.

Enlivex Therapeutics shares rose 21.13 percent last week to US$27.86 as of 1:31 p.m. EDT on Friday.

Oramed Pharmaceuticals

Oramed Pharmaceuticals’ technology platform focuses on making certain drugs that were previously only administered through an injection able to be delivered orally. With a focus on the diabetes market, the company has two primary products: ORMD-0801, which is an ingestible insulin capsule, and ORMB-0901, which is an oral GLP-1 analog capsule.

While the company didn’t have any news last week, its share price had risen 19.7 percent to US$3.92 as of 2:28 p.m. EDT on Friday.

MediWound

MediWound’s area of focus is unmet medical needs, particularly severe burns and chronic wounds. Its burn wound product NexoBrid is available in Europe and is indicated for adult patients with deep partial and full thickness thermal wounds.

The company’s second product, EscharEx, is a topical drug for wounds that have difficulties healing.

On Tuesday, MediWound announced it will host an analyst day for its EscharEx product. Shares of MediWound were up 18.44 percent last week to US$3.76 as of 2:46 p.m. EDT on Friday.

Outlook Therapeutics

Outlook Therapeutics’ products aim to treat wet AMD in addition to other eye diseases. The company’s ONS-5010 product is currently in a range of Phase 3 clinical trials to treat these conditions.

On Tuesday, the company announced that it had dosed the first patient in its second Phase 3 trial for ONS-5010 in patients with wet AMD.

Shares of Outlook Therapeutics were up 15.8 percent during last week’s trading period to reach US$2.42 as of 2:38 p.m. EDT on Friday.

Data for 5 Top NASDAQ Biotech and Pharma 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 US$15 million and lower than US$500 million prior to the week’s gains are included. Companies within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors are considered.

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