5 Top Weekly NASDAQ Biotech and Pharma Stocks: Sesen Bio Up 40 Percent

The NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (INDEXNASDAQ:NBI) stayed in the green again last week, rising from 3,234.74 points on Monday (May 20) to 3,280.05 points as of 1:02 p.m. EDT on Friday (May 24). 

In terms of biotech and pharma stocks, last week shares of Sesen Bio (NASDAQ:SESN) jumped following an announcement that the company has reached an agreement with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pertaining to its Analytical Comparability Plan. Its candidate, Vicinium, will have manufacturing quality as it moves towards commercialization.

Other top gainers in those sectors last week are as follows:

• Sesen Bio
• Novan (NASDAQ:NOVN)
• Karyopharm Therapeutics (NASDAQ:KPTI)
• Pieris Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:PIRS)
• NewLink Genetics (NASDAQ:NLNK)

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

Sesen Bio

First on our list is Sesen Bio, which is a company focused on developing therapeutics to treat cancer. Its lead product, VB4-845, is in a Phase 2 registration trial to treat a certain type of bladder cancer.

Following the above-noted decision from the FDA, shares of Sesen Bio rose 40.28 percent last week to reach US$2 as of 3:42 p.m. EDT on Friday.

Novan

Novan is in the clinical development stage and is focused on treating a variety of diseases that have unmet medical needs. The company is also focused on improving outcomes in areas like dermatology, women’s health and gastrointestinal diseases.

Novan didn’t have any news last week that relates to its share price increase. Over the five day trading period, Novan’s share price moved up by 33.33 percent to US$2.19 as of 3:55 p.m. EDT on Friday.

Karyopharm Therapeutics

Karyopharm Therapeutics is a company focused on developing drugs against nuclear transport and similar targets for cancer and other serious diseases. Its approach towards treatment includes targeting specific proteins in a cancer cell’s nucleus with selective inhibition of nuclear export technology.

Karyopharm also did not have any news last week that would explain its share price spike. From Monday, shares of Karopharm rose 29.96 percent to US$6.08 as of 3:46 p.m. EDT on Friday.

Pieris Pharmaceuticals

Pieris Pharmaceuticals develops Anticalin-based drugs with a focus on validated disease pathways. Some of its target areas include respiratory diseases, anemia and the tumor micro-environment.

On Wednesday (May 22), the company announced a presentation of its placebo-controlled single ascending dose Phase 1a data trial for AZD1402/PRS-060, which aims to treat asthma, at the American Thoracic Society 2019 International Conference.

As a result, shares of Pieris Pharmaceuticals rose 23.68 percent last week to settle at US$4.41 as of market close on Friday.

NewLink Genetics

Closing out the list is NewLink Genetics, another company that has honed in on cancer treatment. Its lead drug candidate, NLG207, is currently being reviewed for refractory malignancies.

On Thursday (May 23), the company announced data from its NLG802 Phase 1 clinical trial. The data was presented at the Immuno-Oncology 2019 2nd World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

Shares of NewLink Genetics were up 17.52 percent last week to US$1.89 as of market close on Friday.

Data for the 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 $10 million and lower than $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.