StemCell Therapy

Spero Therapeutics Inc (SPRO) is near the top in its industry group according to InvestorsObserver. SPRO gets an overall rating of 73. That means it scores higher than 73 percent of stocks. Spero Therapeutics Inc gets a 88 rank in the Biotechnology industry. Biotechnology is number 29 out of 148 industries.

Trying to find the best stocks can be a daunting task. There are a wide variety of ways to analyze stocks in order to determine which ones are performing the strongest. Investors Observer makes the entire process easier by using percentile rankings that allows you to easily find the stocks who have the strongest evaluations by analysts.

Our proprietary scoring system captures technical factors, fundamental analysis and the opinions of analysts on Wall Street. This makes InvestorsObservers overall rating a great way to get started, regardless of your investing style. Percentile-ranked scores are also easy to understand. A score of 100 is the top and a 0 is the bottom. Theres no need to try to remember what is good for a bunch of complicated ratios, just pay attention to which numbers are the highest.

Spero Therapeutics Inc (SPRO) stock has gained 17.83% while the S&P 500 is down -0.12% as of 10:24 AM on Tuesday, Dec 22. SPRO is up $3.39 from the previous closing price of $19.00 on volume of 235,658 shares. Over the past year the S&P 500 has risen 14.47% while SPRO is up 114.46%. SPRO lost -$4.21 per share the over the last 12 months.

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Is Spero Therapeutics Inc (SPRO) a Winner in the Biotechnology Industry? - InvestorsObserver

The 66 rating InvestorsObserver gives to Allakos Inc (ALLK) stock puts it near the top of the Biotechnology industry. In addition to scoring higher than 82 percent of stocks in the Biotechnology industry, ALLKs 66 overall rating means the stock scores better than 66 percent of all stocks.

Analyzing stocks can be hard. There are tons of numbers and ratios, and it can be hard to remember what they all mean and what counts as good for a given value. InvestorsObserver ranks stocks on eight different metrics. We percentile rank most of our scores to make it easy for investors to understand. A score of 66 means the stock is more attractive than 66 percent of stocks.

These scores are not only easy to understand, but it is easy to compare stocks to each other. You can find the best stock in an industry, or look for the sector that has the highest average score. The overall score is a combination of technical and fundamental factors that serves as a good starting point when analyzing a stock. Traders and investors with different goals may have different goals and will want to consider other factors than just the headline number before making any investment decisions.

Allakos Inc (ALLK) stock has risen 0.58% while the S&P 500 has fallen -0.22% as of 3:25 PM on Tuesday, Dec 22. ALLK is higher by $0.84 from the previous closing price of $144.00 on volume of 295,894 shares. Over the past year the S&P 500 is up 14.35% while ALLK is higher by 41.36%. ALLK lost -$2.74 per share the over the last 12 months.

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Is Allakos Inc (ALLK) a Winner in the Biotechnology Industry? - InvestorsObserver

A rating of 78 puts Aclaris Therapeutics Inc (ACRS) near the top of the Biotechnology industry according to InvestorsObserver. Aclaris Therapeutics Inc's score of 78 means it scores higher than 78% of stocks in the industry. Aclaris Therapeutics Inc also received an overall rating of 63, putting it above 63% of all stocks. Biotechnology is ranked 29 out of the 148 industries.

Searching for the best stocks to invest in can be difficult. There are thousands of options and it can be confusing on what actually constitutes a great value. Investors Observer allows you to choose from eight unique metrics to view the top industries and the best performing stocks in that industry. A score of 63 would rank higher than 63 percent of all stocks.

These rankings allows you to easily compare stocks and view what the strengths and weaknesses are of a given company. This lets you find the stocks with the best short and long term growth prospects in a matter of seconds. The combined score incorporates technical and fundamental analysis in order to give a comprehensive overview of a stocks performance. Investors who then want to focus on analysts rankings or valuations are able to see the separate scores for each section.

Aclaris Therapeutics Inc (ACRS) stock has gained 9.93% while the S&P 500 has fallen -0.12% as of 10:24 AM on Tuesday, Dec 22. ACRS has risen $0.60 from the previous closing price of $6.04 on volume of 654,019 shares. Over the past year the S&P 500 is up 14.47% while ACRS has risen 264.84%. ACRS lost -$1.35 per share the over the last 12 months.

Click Here to get the full Stock Score Report on Aclaris Therapeutics Inc (ACRS) Stock.

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Is Aclaris Therapeutics Inc (ACRS) the Top Pick in the Biotechnology Industry? - InvestorsObserver

Frequency Therapeutics Inc (FREQ) is near the top in its industry group according to InvestorsObserver. FREQ gets an overall rating of 74. That means it scores higher than 74 percent of stocks. Frequency Therapeutics Inc gets a 90 rank in the Biotechnology industry. Biotechnology is number 29 out of 148 industries.

Analyzing stocks can be hard. There are tons of numbers and ratios, and it can be hard to remember what they all mean and what counts as good for a given value. InvestorsObserver ranks stocks on eight different metrics. We percentile rank most of our scores to make it easy for investors to understand. A score of 74 means the stock is more attractive than 74 percent of stocks.

These scores are not only easy to understand, but it is easy to compare stocks to each other. You can find the best stock in an industry, or look for the sector that has the highest average score. The overall score is a combination of technical and fundamental factors that serves as a good starting point when analyzing a stock. Traders and investors with different goals may have different goals and will want to consider other factors than just the headline number before making any investment decisions.

Frequency Therapeutics Inc (FREQ) stock is higher by 6.57% while the S&P 500 is lower by -0.11% as of 10:57 AM on Tuesday, Dec 22. FREQ has risen $2.08 from the previous closing price of $31.66 on volume of 140,241 shares. Over the past year the S&P 500 is higher by 14.48% while FREQ has risen 87.13%. FREQ lost -$0.69 per share the over the last 12 months.

Click Here to get the full Stock Score Report on Frequency Therapeutics Inc (FREQ) Stock.

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Is Frequency Therapeutics Inc (FREQ) Stock Near the Top of the Biotechnology Industry? - InvestorsObserver

Crispr Therapeutics AG (CRSP) is around the top of the Biotechnology industry according to InvestorsObserver. CRSP received an overall rating of 65, which means that it scores higher than 65 percent of all stocks. Crispr Therapeutics AG also achieved a score of 80 in the Biotechnology industry, putting it above 80 percent of Biotechnology stocks. Biotechnology is ranked 33 out of the 148 industries.

Trying to find the best stocks can be a daunting task. There are a wide variety of ways to analyze stocks in order to determine which ones are performing the strongest. Investors Observer makes the entire process easier by using percentile rankings that allows you to easily find the stocks who have the strongest evaluations by analysts.

This ranking system incorporates numerous factors used by analysts to compare stocks in greater detail. This allows you to find the best stocks available in any industry with relative ease. These percentile-ranked scores using both fundamental and technical analysis give investors an easy way to view the attractiveness of specific stocks. Stocks with the highest scores have the best evaluations by analysts working on Wall Street.

Crispr Therapeutics AG (CRSP) stock has risen 17.22% while the S&P 500 is down -0.3% as of 2:36 PM on Monday, Dec 21. CRSP has gained $25.59 from the previous closing price of $148.61 on volume of 4,067,713 shares. Over the past year the S&P 500 has risen 14.71% while CRSP has gained 156.63%. CRSP lost -$3.25 per share the over the last 12 months.

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Is Crispr Therapeutics AG (CRSP) the Top Pick in the Biotechnology Industry? - InvestorsObserver

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Dec. 21, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARQT), a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing treatments for unmet needs in immune-mediated dermatological diseases and conditions, or immuno-dermatology, today announced that it has been selected for inclusion in the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (Nasdaq: NBI), based on the results of the annual reconstitution of the index announced by Nasdaq on December 11, 2020. The inclusion will become effective prior to the U.S. market open on Monday, December 21, 2020.

The NASDAQ Biotechnology Index is designed to track the performance of a set of securities listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market that are classified as either biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, and is a modified market capitalization weighted index. According to NASDAQ, the NBI is reconstituted annually in December in accordance with a set of eligibility criteria including minimum market capitalization and average daily trading volume. The index currently has 198 securities as its components. For more information about the NBI, please visit https://indexes.nasdaqomx.com/index/overview/nbi.

About Arcutis - Bioscience, applied to the skin.Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARQT) is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing treatments for unmet needs in immune-mediated dermatological diseases and conditions, or immuno-dermatology. The company is leveraging recent advances in immunology and inflammation to develop differentiated therapies against biologically validated targets to solve persistent treatment challenges in serious diseases of the skin. Arcutis robust pipeline includes four novel drug candidates currently in development for a range of inflammatory dermatological conditions. The companys lead product candidate, topical roflumilast, has the potential to revitalize the standard of care for plaque psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, scalp psoriasis, and seborrheic dermatitis. For more information, visit http://www.arcutis.com or follow the company on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Investors and Media:Heather Rowe ArmstrongVice President, Investor Relations & Corporate Communicationsharmstrong@arcutis.com805-418-5006, Ext. 740

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Arcutis Biotherapeutics Added to Nasdaq Biotechnology Index - GlobeNewswire

The 45 rating InvestorsObserver gives to Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SPPI) stock puts it near the middle of the Biotechnology industry. In addition to scoring higher than 49 percent of stocks in the Biotechnology industry, SPPIs 45 overall rating means the stock scores better than 45 percent of all stocks.

Searching for the best stocks to invest in can be difficult. There are thousands of options and it can be confusing on what actually constitutes a great value. Investors Observer allows you to choose from eight unique metrics to view the top industries and the best performing stocks in that industry. A score of 45 would rank higher than 45 percent of all stocks.

Our proprietary scoring system captures technical factors, fundamental analysis and the opinions of analysts on Wall Street. This makes InvestorsObservers overall rating a great way to get started, regardless of your investing style. Percentile-ranked scores are also easy to understand. A score of 100 is the top and a 0 is the bottom. Theres no need to try to remember what is good for a bunch of complicated ratios, just pay attention to which numbers are the highest.

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SPPI) stock is trading at $4.27 as of 11:42 AM on Monday, Dec 21, a drop of -$0.10, or -2.29% from the previous closing price of $4.37. The stock has traded between $4.22 and $4.50 so far today. Volume today is light. So far 821,900 shares have traded compared to average volume of 1,733,705 shares.

Click Here to get the full Stock Score Report on Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SPPI) Stock.

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Is Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SPPI) the Top Pick in the Biotechnology Industry? - InvestorsObserver

The 62 rating InvestorsObserver gives to Akero Therapeutics Inc (AKRO) stock puts it near the top of the Biotechnology industry. In addition to scoring higher than 76 percent of stocks in the Biotechnology industry, AKROs 62 overall rating means the stock scores better than 62 percent of all stocks.

Finding the best stocks can be tricky. It isnt easy to compare companies across industries. Even companies that have relatively similar businesses can be tricky to compare sometimes. InvestorsObservers tools allow a top-down approach that lets you pick a metric, find the top sector and industry and then find the top stocks in that sector.

Our proprietary scoring system captures technical factors, fundamental analysis and the opinions of analysts on Wall Street. This makes InvestorsObservers overall rating a great way to get started, regardless of your investing style. Percentile-ranked scores are also easy to understand. A score of 100 is the top and a 0 is the bottom. Theres no need to try to remember what is good for a bunch of complicated ratios, just pay attention to which numbers are the highest.

Akero Therapeutics Inc (AKRO) stock has gained 3.4% while the S&P 500 is lower by -0.22% as of 3:14 PM on Tuesday, Dec 22. AKRO has gained $0.87 from the previous closing price of $25.62 on volume of 255,146 shares. Over the past year the S&P 500 is higher by 14.35% while AKRO has gained 21.96%. AKRO lost -$2.16 per share the over the last 12 months.

Click Here to get the full Stock Score Report on Akero Therapeutics Inc (AKRO) Stock.

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Where Does Akero Therapeutics Inc (AKRO) Stock Fall in the Biotechnology Field? - InvestorsObserver

Randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter, global Phase 3 trial will investigate the safety and efficacy of VIR-7831 in hospitalized adults with COVID-19

SAN FRANCISCO and LONDON, Dec. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (Nasdaq: VIR) and GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE/NYSE: GSK) today announced that the first patient has been dosed in a new sub-trial of the National Institutes of Healths (NIH) Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) Program Phase 3 clinical trial. This trial is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of VIR-7831 for the treatment of hospitalized adults with COVID-19. VIR-7831 (also known as GSK4182136) is a fully human anti-SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus-2) investigational monoclonal antibody that was selected based on its potential to neutralize the virus, kill infected cells, provide a high barrier to resistance and achieve high concentrations in the lungs (one of the major sites of infection).

ACTIV-3 is one of several ongoing trials in the NIHs ACTIV program, an NIH led public-private partnership designed to accelerate development of the most promising treatments and vaccine candidates for COVID-19. ACTIV-3 has been designed as a master protocol that allows for the simultaneous evaluation of multiple investigational therapeutics as they become available, but within the same clinical trial structure, across multiple trial sites.

George Scangos, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Vir, said: Recent data suggest that the neutralizing activity of antibodies may be insufficient to protect hospitalized adults from the most severe consequences of COVID-19. We are hopeful that the differentiating factors and broad anti-coronavirus activity of VIR-7831 may allow it to help those patients and add to our preparedness for related coronaviruses that could emerge in the future.

Dr. Hal Barron, chief scientific officer and president R&D, GSK, said: With new infection and hospitalization rates reaching record highs, the world needs multiple options to help combat this pandemic. We are developing solutions to fight this virus, from prevention through treatment, to provide relief from COVID-related illness. Our treatment option, VIR-7831, which has a high barrier to resistance and has the potential to neutralize the virus and kill infected cells, could allow this treatment to be effective for patients in hospital settings, where other antibodies have so far not shown an impact.

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In addition to the Phase 3 ACTIV-3 trial, VIR-7831 is also being evaluated in the global Phase 2/3 COMET-ICE (COVID-19 Monoclonal antibody Efficacy Trial - Intent to Care Early) trial for the early treatment of COVID-19 in adults at high risk of hospitalization. The Phase 3 part of the COMET-ICE trial is assessing the safety and efficacy of a single intravenous (IV) infusion of VIR-7831 or placebo in approximately 1,300 non-hospitalized participants globally. The primary efficacy endpoint is the proportion of adults who have progression of COVID-19 as defined by the need for hospitalization or death within 29 days of randomization. The COMET clinical development program for VIR-7831 also includes a planned Phase 3 trial for the prevention of symptomatic infection.

ACTIV-3 Clinical Trial DesignThe ACTIV-3 trial arm evaluating VIR-7831 will initially compare 300 participants who have been hospitalized with mild to moderate COVID-19 with fewer than 13 days of symptoms, who will receive either VIR-7831 or placebo. Participants also will receive standard care for COVID-19, including the FDA-approved antiviral remdesivir. Five days after dosing, participants clinical status will be assessed, based on need for supplemental oxygen, mechanical ventilation, or other supportive care. If the VIR-7831 treatment arm appears to have a positive benefit:risk profile, the trial will enroll an additional 700 participants, including those who are more severely ill (i.e., adults with organ failure requiring mechanical support, or COVID-19-associated dysfunction of organs other than the lungs). Trial participants will be followed for 90 days following enrollment to analyze their response to treatment. The primary efficacy endpoint is the participants sustained recovery for 14 days after release from the hospital.

About VIR-7831 / GSK4182136VIR-7831 (GSK4182136) is a monoclonal antibody for which preclinical data suggest its ability to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 live virus in vitro and in vivo. The antibody binds to an epitope on SARS-CoV-2 that is shared with SARS-CoV-1 (also known as SARS), indicating that the epitope is highly conserved, which may make it more difficult for resistance to develop. VIR-7831/GSK4182136 has been engineered with the potential to enhance lung bioavailability and have an extended half-life.

About the Vir and GSK CollaborationIn April 2020, Vir and GSK entered into a collaboration to research and develop solutions for coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The collaboration uses Virs proprietary monoclonal antibody platform technology to accelerate existing and identify new anti-viral antibodies that could be used as therapeutic or preventive options to help address the current COVID-19 pandemic and future outbreaks. The companies will leverage GSKs expertise in functional genomics and combine their capabilities in CRISPR screening and artificial intelligence to identify anti-coronavirus compounds that target cellular host genes. They will also apply their combined expertise to research SARS-CoV-2 and other coronavirus vaccines.

About Vir BiotechnologyVir Biotechnology is a clinical-stage immunology company focused on combining immunologic insights with cutting-edge technologies to treat and prevent serious infectious diseases. Vir has assembled four technology platforms that are designed to stimulate and enhance the immune system by exploiting critical observations of natural immune processes. Its current development pipeline consists of product candidates targeting SARS-CoV-2, hepatitis B virus, influenza A, human immunodeficiency virus and tuberculosis. For more information, please visit http://www.vir.bio.

About GSK GSK is a science-led global healthcare company with a special purpose: to help people do more, feel better, live longer. For further information please visit http://www.gsk.com/about-us.

Vir Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as may, will, plan, potential, aim, promising and similar expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events, conditions or circumstances) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on Virs expectations and assumptions as of the date of this press release. Each of these forward-looking statements involves risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include statements regarding the potential benefits of VIR-7831 in treating hospitalized patients with COVID-19, the potential benefits of participating in the ACTIV-3 trial, the ability of using a combination of a potent effector function and neutralization capabilities in enhancing the efficacy of monoclonal antibodies to treat hospitalized patients, the efficacy and safety of a single intravenous (IV) infusion of VIR-7831, Virs plans around the evaluation of interim analyses and the expected timing of clinical study results for VIR-7831, the ability of VIR-7831 to prevent symptomatic infection, the clinical trial design around ACTIV-3 as well as statements around the potential benefits of Vir and GSKs collaboration in addressing the current COVID-19 pandemic and future outbreaks of the disease. Many factors may cause differences between current expectations and actual results, including delays or failures in planned patient enrollment or retention, clinical site activation rates or clinical trial enrollment rates that are lower than expected, unexpected safety or efficacy data observed during preclinical or clinical studies, challenges in the treatment of hospitalized patients, difficulties in collaborating with other companies or government agencies, challenges in accessing manufacturing capacity, successful development and/or commercialization of alternative product candidates by our competitors, changes in expected or existing competition, delays in or disruptions to our business or clinical trials due to the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical changes or other external factors, and unexpected litigation or other disputes.

GSK Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking StatementsGSK cautions investors that any forward-looking statements or projections made by GSK, including those made in this announcement, are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Such factors include, but are not limited to, those described under Item 3.D "Risk Factors" in the company's Annual Report on Form 20-F for 2019 and as set out in GSKs Principal risks and uncertainties section of the Q2 Results and any impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Registered in England & Wales:No. 3888792

Registered Office:980 Great West RoadBrentford, MiddlesexTW8 9GS

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Vir Biotechnology and GSK Announce Start of NIH-Sponsored ACTIV-3 Trial Evaluating VIR-7831 in Hospitalized Adults with COVID-19 - Yahoo Finance

The 51 rating InvestorsObserver gives to Syros Pharmaceuticals Inc (SYRS) stock puts it near the middle of the Biotechnology industry. In addition to scoring higher than 60 percent of stocks in the Biotechnology industry, SYRSs 51 overall rating means the stock scores better than 51 percent of all stocks.

Analyzing stocks can be hard. There are tons of numbers and ratios, and it can be hard to remember what they all mean and what counts as good for a given value. InvestorsObserver ranks stocks on eight different metrics. We percentile rank most of our scores to make it easy for investors to understand. A score of 51 means the stock is more attractive than 51 percent of stocks.

This ranking system incorporates numerous factors used by analysts to compare stocks in greater detail. This allows you to find the best stocks available in any industry with relative ease. These percentile-ranked scores using both fundamental and technical analysis give investors an easy way to view the attractiveness of specific stocks. Stocks with the highest scores have the best evaluations by analysts working on Wall Street.

Syros Pharmaceuticals Inc (SYRS) stock is higher by 9.3% while the S&P 500 has fallen -0.66% as of 1:34 PM on Friday, Dec 18. SYRS has risen $1.03 from the previous closing price of $11.07 on volume of 392,085 shares. Over the past year the S&P 500 has gained 15.37% while SYRS has risen 94.53%. SYRS lost -$1.65 per share the over the last 12 months.

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Is Syros Pharmaceuticals Inc (SYRS) Stock Near the Top of the Biotechnology Industry? - InvestorsObserver

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Dec. 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CytomX Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: CTMX), a clinical-stage oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company pioneering a novel class of investigational antibody therapeutics based on its Probody technology platform, today announced the appointment of Mani Mohindru, PhD to the Companys board of directors. Dr. Mohindru brings to CytomX deep and varied experience across the life sciences industry, with particular experience in finance and corporate strategy.

We are pleased to welcome Mani to CytomXs board of directors, commented Sean McCarthy, D.Phil., president, chief executive officer (CEO) and chairman of CytomX. Mani brings a unique combination of scientific, financial and strategic acumen to the board that will prove invaluable as we advance our clinical pipeline towards multiple significant data updates in 2021 and execute towards our long-term vision.

Dr. Mohindru is an experienced biotech executive with several years of biopharmaceutical industry leadership as well as Wall Street experience. Most recently she was the CEO of CereXis, Inc., a biotech company focused on rare tumor indications. Earlier, she also served as chief financial officer and chief strategy officer at Cara Therapeutics (Nasdaq: CARA) and chief strategy officer at Curis, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRIS). Prior to her leadership roles in the biotechnology industry, Dr. Mohindru spent many years as an equity research analyst covering the biotechnology sector at UBS, Credit Suisse and ThinkEquity. She also co-founded a privately-held biotechnology company and was a healthcare industry consultant. Currently, she is a member of the board of directors of SAB Biotherapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company advancing a new class of immunotherapies. Dr. Mohindru received her Ph.D. in neurosciences from Northwestern University and her Masters in biotechnology and BS in human biology (Hons) from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

I am excited to join CytomXs board as the Company continues to develop and advance its innovative Probody platform, which holds the potential to unlock highly effective cancer therapies by exploiting previously undruggable targets, Dr. Mohindru added. I look forward to leveraging my experiences across drug development and corporate strategy to help advance the Companys leadership in the field of conditional activation of antibody-drug conjugates and other therapeutic modalities.

About CytomX TherapeuticsCytomX is a clinical-stage, oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company with a vision of transforming lives with safer, more effective therapies. We are developing a novel class of investigational antibody therapeutics, based on our Probody technology platform, for the treatment of cancer. CytomX has strategic drug discovery and development collaborations with AbbVie, Amgen, Astellas, and Bristol Myers Squibb.

Probody therapeutics are designed to remain inactive until they are activated by proteases in the tumor microenvironment. As a result, Probody therapeutics are intended to bind selectively to tumors and decrease binding to healthy tissue, to minimize toxicity and potentially create safer, more effective therapies. As leaders in the field, our innovative technology is designed to turn previously undruggable targets into druggable targets and to enable more effective combination therapies. CytomX and its partners, comprised of leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, have developed a robust pipeline of potential first-in-class therapeutic candidates against novel, difficult to drug targets and potential best-in-class immunotherapeutic candidates against clinically validated targets. The CytomX clinical-stage pipeline includes first-in-class product candidates against previously undruggable targets, including a CD166-targeting Probody drug conjugate wholly owned by CytomX (CX-2009) and a CD71-targeting Probody drug conjugate partnered with AbbVie (CX-2029). CD166 and CD71 are among cancer targets that are considered to be inaccessible to conventional antibody-drug conjugates due to their presence on many healthy tissues. The CytomX clinical-stage pipeline also includes cancer immunotherapeutic candidates against validated targets such as the CTLA-4-targeting Probody therapeutics, BMS-986249 and BMS-986288, partnered with Bristol Myers Squibb, and our wholly-owned anti-PD-L1 Probody therapeutic, CX-072. For additional information about CytomX Therapeutics, visit http://www.cytomx.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

CytomX Therapeutics Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that are difficult to predict, may be beyond our control, and may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied in such statements. Accordingly, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements, including those relating to the potential benefits, safety and efficacy or progress of CytomXs or any of its collaborative partners product candidates, including CX-2009, CX-2029, BMS-986249 and BMS-986288, the potential benefits or applications of CytomXs Probody platform technology, CytomXs ability to develop and advance product candidates into and successfully complete clinical trials, including the ongoing and planned clinical trials of CX-2009, CX-2029, BMS-986249 and BMS-986288, and the timing of the commencement of clinical trials and other development milestones. Risks and uncertainties that contribute to the uncertain nature of the forward-looking statements include: the unproven nature of CytomXs novel Probody Platform technology; CytomXs clinical trial product candidates are in the initial stages of clinical development and its other product candidates are currently in preclinical development, and the process by which preclinical and clinical development could potentially lead to an approved product is long and subject to significant risks and uncertainties, including the risk that the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic may continue to negatively impact the business, research and clinical operations of CytomX or its partners, including the development of preclinical drug candidates due to delays in and disruption of research activities and the development of clinical drug candidates due to delays in or disruption of clinical trials, including impacts on the enrollment of patients in clinical trials or other clinical trial disruptions; the possibility that the results of early clinical trials may not be predictive of future results; the possibility that CytomXs clinical trials will not be successful; the possibility that current preclinical research may not result in additional product candidates; CytomXs dependence on the success of CX-2009, CX-2029, BMS-986249, BMS-986288, and CX-072; CytomXs reliance on third parties for the manufacture of the companys product candidates; and possible regulatory developments inthe United Statesand foreign countries. Additional applicable risks and uncertainties include those relating to our preclinical research and development, clinical development, and other risks identified under the heading "Risk Factors" included in CytomXs Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with theSEConNovember 5, 2020. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on information currently available to CytomX and speak only as of the date on which they are made. CytomX does not undertake and specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.

Probody is a U.S. registered trademark of CytomX Therapeutics, Inc.

CytomX Contact:Chau Cheng, PhD MBAVP, Investor Relations & Corp. Communicationsccheng@cytomx.com650-273-4999

Investor and Media Contact:Stern Investor RelationsStephanie Ascherstephanie.ascher@sternir.com212-362-1200

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CytomX Therapeutics Appoints Dr. Mani Mohindru to Board of Directors - GlobeNewswire

The ability to economically recycle poisonous greenhouse gasses like carbon oxides into valuable products via a biological process is an amazing achievement.

San Francisco and Chicago (PRWEB) December 21, 2020

Today, LanzaTech announced the signing of a new multi-year contract with TeselaGen Biotechnology, extending their relationship through 2025. The two companies have been collaborating since 2016 on the informatics behind high-throughput synthetic biology workflows. Over that time, LanzaTech has continued to experience rapid growth, showing the feasibility to synthesize more than 100 different molecules using its carbon-eating bacteria, and demonstrating the need for a significant scaleup of its R&D operations.

"Designing and optimizing biology is not easy, and we are in a race to recycle more carbon before it is too late. This collaboration with TeselaGen will extend our capabilities and help us achieve our goals", said Dr. Sean Simpson Chief Scientific Officer and Co-founder at LanzaTech. TeselaGen has developed one of the most advanced cloud-based solutions for designing, building, and optimizing complex biological workflows and products. We are enthusiastic about extending our collaboration with the TeselaGen team, added Dr. Michael Kpke, Vice President Synthetic Biology at LanzaTech.

LanzaTech has developed unique wet-lab capabilities, as well as some advanced bioinformatic solutions tailored for optimizing their anaerobic microbes. With input from LanzaTech, we have developed an operating system for biotechnology that can interoperate with existing infrastructure and services, facilitating the flow of information across various services, biotech vendors, external databases, algorithms, and automated equipment. This helps LanzaTech keep tight control of their biological design automation process, from start to finish. We want to enable the biotech industry to iterate faster, helping it reduce costs and time-to-market, said Dr. Eduardo Abeliuk, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of TeselaGen.

The ability to economically recycle poisonous greenhouse gas like carbon oxides into valuable products via a biological process is an amazing achievement. We are excited to continue helping this very talented team at LanzaTech push the limits of whats possible through Synthetic Biology, added Michael Fero, Chief Operating Officer and Co-founder of TeselaGen. In particular, we look forward to bringing our recently published iterative machine learning approach to the task of making LanzaTechs microbes even more efficient, he added.

About LanzaTechCarbon recycling company, LanzaTech is a global leader in gas fermentation, making sustainable fuels and chemicals via biological conversion of waste carbon emissions, including industrial off-gases; syngas generated from any biomass resource (e.g., municipal solid waste), organic industrial waste, agricultural waste); and reformed biogas. LanzaTechs expertise in fermentation scale-up, reactor design, machine learning, and synthetic biology has enabled the company to commercialize its recycling process and demonstrate the production of over 100 different chemicals. With global investors and partners, LanzaTech has a pipeline of commercial projects around the world and is working across the supply chain to provide novel circular solutions to mitigate carbon by producing consumer goods that would otherwise come from fresh fossil resources. Founded in New Zealand, LanzaTech is based in Illinois, USA, and employs more than 170 people, with locations in China, India, and Europe. Further information is available at http://www.LanzaTech.com

About TeselaGenTeselaGen is building an artificial intelligence-enabled operating system for biotechnology. TeselaGen's cloud-based solution bridges the gaps between biologists who are designing valuable products - like vaccines, biologic medicines, and sustainably sourced chemicals - lab technicians who are running and optimizing experimental workflows, and bioinformaticians who analyze experimental data and have to recommend new experiments. TeselaGen is privately held and is based in San Francisco, CA. The company has received early recognition in the form of various US National Science Foundation funding awards, a CORFO award, and a Bio-IT World Best Practices Award. TeselaGen uses its proprietary Synthetic Evolution technology to help companies efficiently design and optimize biological products. Follow @teselagen on Twitter and learn more at http://www.teselagen.com

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LanzaTech and TeselaGen Biotechnology Sign New Multi-Year Deal to Advance Carbon Remediation via Biological Processes - PR Web

BALTIMORE Following an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Maryland announced today the seizure of two domain names, mordernatx.com and regeneronmedicals.com, which purported to be the websites of actual biotechnology companies developing treatments for the COVID-19 virus. These spoofed websites were used to collect the personal information of individuals visiting the sites, in order to use the information for nefarious purposes, including fraud, phishing attacks, and/or deployment of malware. Individuals visiting those sites now will receive a message that the site has been seized by the federal government and be redirected to another site for additional information.

Our cadre of highly skilled special agents, paired with invaluable private sector partnerships garnered through the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center provide an effective strategy to help identify, disrupt and dismantle illegitimate domains used to defraud potential consumers. said ICEs Homeland Security Investigations Executive Associate Director Derek N. Benner. Under Operation Stolen Promise, ICE HSI utilized its broad investigative authority to protect consumers from the increasing and evolving threat posed by COVID-19-related fraud and criminal activity. Now, under Operation Stolen Promise 2.0, HSIs focus has expanded to combat the next wave of anticipated fraud related to the COVID-19 vaccine and other treatments. This operation illustrates the ongoing efforts of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, private industry and international law enforcement agencies in keeping our communities safe and free from corruption. Often, this battle is fought behind the scenes and unknown to the general public. Though, the global population can be assured that our mission remains firmly committed to protecting their health and safety, no matter what.

The U.S. Attorneys Office and our law enforcement partners are committed to bringing to justice the criminals that try to take advantage of this global pandemic to line their pockets at the expense of the most vulnerable, said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. I urge citizens to remain vigilant. Dont provide personal information or click on websites or links contained in unsolicited e-mails. Dont become a victim.

These individuals took advantage of fear during the global pandemic and attempted to steal personal information for nefarious purposes, said HSI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge John Eisert. From the cyber realm to counterfeit medication to financial crime, we are committed to detecting, investigating, and disrupting all types of fraud related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the affidavits filed in support of these seizures, these investigations began in early December 2020, after corporate security for one of the companies located the spoof website and contacted ICE HSIs Intellectual Property Rights Center (IPRC) and the HSI Cyber Crimes Center (C3), and the other website was located during an ongoing operation targeting suspicious publicly reachable websites by ICE HSI C3. The cases were referred to HSI Baltimore for investigation.

Specifically, on December 10, 2020, the Global Head of Corporate Security for a biotechnology company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which has developed a COVID-19 vaccine that is awaiting approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), contacted HSI IPRC and C3 by e-mail to report that the companys Cybersecurity Team had detected the domain name mordernatx.com, a fraudulent replication of the companys website. A review of that websites online content displayed the name and trademarked logos for the biotechnology company. As detailed in the affidavit, the logos, markings, colors, and text of the mordernatx.com webpage show no substantive differences from the genuine company websites landing page, other than the fraudulent website has a slight misspelling of the companys name. However, individuals who click on the Contact Us tab, are redirected to an entry form requesting information such as name, company/institution, title, phone, e-mail, and comments/questions. Additional investigation revealed that the mordernatx.com domain name was registered on about December 8, 2020, through a company headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with no personal information for the registrar listed.

The second domain name seized, regeneronmedicals.com, was located on December 9, 2020, during an ongoing investigation targeting suspicious publicly reachable websites. Investigators found that the subject domain name contained the name and trademarked logos, and was visually similar to, the webpage of a biotechnology company headquartered in Westchester County, New York, which was granted an emergency use authorization by the FDA for an antibody cocktail used to treat COVID-19 in high-risk patients with mild to moderate COVID-19. Further investigation revealed that the subject domain name contained two e-mail addresses and a telephone number not found on the official company website. The phone number appears to be a Voice over IP (VOIP) number. In addition, the Contact Us page on the regeneraonmedicals.com site directs Healthcare professionals, patients or caregivers requesting specific product information, reporting an adverse event or reporting a product complaint to contact the Medical Department at the VOIP number. The same Contact Us tab also provides a link to submit medical inquiries which directs users to a page that is different from the same page on the official website. Investigators also found that the subject domain name was registered on December 6, 2020, and lists the registrant as an individual residing in Onitsha Anambra, Nigeria.

By seizing these sites, the government has prevented third parties from acquiring the names and using them to commit additional crimes, as well as prevented third parties from continuing to access the sites in their present form.

ICE HSI launched Operation Stolen Promise in April 2020 to protect the Homeland from the increasing and evolving threat posed by COVID-19-related fraud and criminal activity. As of November 25, 2020, the agency has seized more than $26 million in illicit proceeds; made 170 arrests; executed 148 search warrants and analyzed more than 69,000 COVID-19 domain names. Working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, more than 1,600 shipments of mislabeled, fraudulent, unauthorized or prohibited COVID-19 test kits and other related items have been seized. For its role in the operation, C3 applies technological, operational, and criminal investigative expertise, products, and services to target the criminals and organizations attempting to commit cybercrimes and exploitation related to COVID-19.

Federal law enforcement is united in its efforts to fight against COVID-19 fraud. ICE HSI has identified tips to recognize and report COVID-19 fraud. If you think you are a victim of a fraud or attempted fraud involving COVID-19, you may also call the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or for more information e-mail justice.gov/coronavirus.

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ICE investigation led to seizure of two websites of biotechnology companies developing treatments for COVID-19 vaccine - The Newport Daily Express

TipRanks

The coronavirus pandemic crisis shows no signs of abating, even with a vaccine coming on to the markets. Were still facing severe social lockdown policies, with a number of states (such as California, Minnesota, and Michigan) forcing even harsher restrictions on this round than previously.Its a heavy blow for the leisure industry that is still reeling from one of the most difficult years in memory. The difficulties faced by restaurants are getting more press, but for the cruise industry, corona has been a perfect storm.Prior to the pandemic, the cruise industry which had been doing $150 billion worth of business annually was expected to carry 32 million passengers in 2020. Thats all gone now. During the summer, the industry reeled when over 3,000 COVID cases were linked to 123 separate cruise ships, and resulted in 34 deaths. After such a difficult year, its useful to step back and take a snapshot of the industrys condition. JPMorgan analyst Brandt Montour has done just that, in a comprehensive review of the cruise industry generally and three cruise line giants in particular."We believe cruise shares can continue to grind higher in the near term, driven overwhelmingly by the broader vaccine backdrop/progress. Looking out further, operators will face plenty of headwinds when restarting/ramping operations in 2Q3Q21, but significant sequential improvement of revenues/cash flows over that period will likely dominate the narrative, and we believe investors will continue to look through short-term setbacks to a 2022 characterized by fully ramped capacity, near-full occupancies, and so far manageable pricing pressure," Montour opined.Against this backdrop, Montour has picked out two stocks that are worth the risk, and one that investors should avoid for now. Using TipRanks Stock Comparison tool, we lined up the three alongside each other to get the lowdown on what the near-term holds for these cruise line players.Royal Caribbean (RCL)The second-largest cruise line, Royal Caribbean, remains a top pick for Montour and his firm. The company has put its resources into facing and meeting the pandemics challenges, shoring up liquidity and both streamlining and modernizing the fleet.Maintaining liquidity has been the most pressing issue. While the company has resumed some cruising, and has even taken delivery of a new ship, the Silver Moon, most operations remain suspended. For Q3, the company reported adjusted earnings of -$5.62, below consensus of -$5.17. Management estimates the cash burn to be between $250 million and $290 million monthly. To combat that, RCL reported having $3.7 billion in liquidity at the end of September. That included $3 billion in cash on hand along with $700 million available through a credit facility. Total liquidity at the end of Q3 was down more than 9% from the end of Q2. Since the third quarter ended, RCL has added over $1 billion to its cash position, through an issue of $500 million senior notes and a sale of stock, putting an additional 8.33 million shares on the market at $60 each.In his note on Royal Caribbean, Montour writes, [We] are most constructive on OW-rated RCL, which we believe has the most compelling set of demand drivers... its extensive investments in premium priced new hardware, as well as consumer data, all set RCL up well to outgrow the industry in revenue metrics, margins, and ROIC over the longer term.Montour backs his Overweight (i.e. Buy) rating with a $91 price target. This figure represents a 30% upside potential for 2021. (To watch Montours track record, click here)Is the rest of the Street in agreement? As it turns out, the analyst consensus is more of a mixed bag. 4 Buy ratings and 6 Holds give RCL a Moderate Buy status. Meanwhile, the stock is selling for $69.58 per share, slightly above the $68.22 average price target. (See RCL stock analysis on TipRanks)Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH)With a market cap of $7.45 billion and a fleet of 28 ships, Norwegian Cruise Line found its relatively smaller size as an advantage in this pandemic time. With a smaller and newer fleet, overhead costs, especially ship maintenance, were lower. These advantages dont mean that the company has avoided the storm. Earlier this month, Norwegian announced a prolongation of its suspension of voyages policy, covering all scheduled voyages from January 1, 2021 through February 28, 2021, plus selected voyages in March 2021. These cancellations come as Norwegians revenues are down in the third quarter, the top line was just $6.5 million, compared to $1.9 billion in the year-ago quarter. The company also reported a cash burn of $150 million per month.To combat the cash burn and minimal revenues, Norwegian, in November and December, took steps to improve liquidity. The company closed on $850 million in senior notes, at 5.875% and due in 2026, during November, and earlier this month closed an offering of common stock. The stock offering totaled 40 million shares at $20.80 per share. Together, the two offerings raised over $1.6 billion in new capital.On a more positive note, Norwegian is preparing for an eventual resumption of full services. The company announced, on Dec 7, a partnership with AtmosAir Solutions for the installation of air purification systems on all 28 vessels of its current fleet, using filtration technology known to defeat the coronavirus.JPMs Montour points out these advantages in his review of Norwegian, and sums up the bottom line: This coupled with a relatively newer, higher-end, brand/ship footprint would generally lead us to believe it was in a good position to outperform on pricing growth, though its demographics skewing to older age customers probably will remain a drag through 2021. Ultimately, NCLH is a high-quality asset within the broader cruise industry, with a higher beta to a cruise recovery, and it should see outperformance as the industry returns and investors look further out the risk spectrum.Montour gives the stock a $30 price target and an Overweight (i.e. Buy) rating. His target implies an upside of 27% on the one-year time frame.Norwegian is another cruise line with a Moderate Buy from the analyst consensus. This rating is based on 4 Buys, 4 Holds, and 1 Sell set in recent months. Like RCL above, the stock price here, $23.55, is currently higher than the average price target, $23.22. (See NCLH stock analysis on TipRanks)Carnival Corporation (CCL)Last up, Carnival, is the worlds largest cruise line, with a market cap of $23.25 billion, more than 100 ships across its brands, and over 700 destination ports. In normal times, this giant footprint gave the company an advantage; now, however, it has become an expensive liability. This is clear from the companys fiscal Q3 cash burn, which approached $770 million.Like the other big cruise companies, Carnival has extended its voyage cancellations, or, in the companys terms, the pause in operations. The Cunard line, one of Carnivals brands, has cancelled voyages on the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Elizabeth through early June of next year. Carnival has also cancelled operations in February from the ports of Miami, Galveston, and Port Canaveral, and pushed back the inaugural voyage of the new ship Mardi Gras to the end of April 2021. These measures were taken in compliance with coronavirus restrictions.Carnivals shares and revenues are suffering deep losses this year. The stock is down 60% year-to-date, despite some recent price rallies since the end of October. Revenues fell to just $31 million in the fiscal third quarter, reported in September. Carnival reported a loss of nearly $3 billion in that quarter. The company did end the third quarter with over $8 billion in available cash, an impressive resource to face the difficult situation.This combination of strength and weakness led Montour to put a Neutral (i.e. Hold) rating on CCL shares. However, his $25 price target suggests a possible upside of 23%.In comments on Carnival, Montour wrote, [We] believe that some of the same relative net yield drags it saw in 2018-2019 due to its sheer size will likely become top of mind on the other side of this crisis However, given CCLs relative share discount, less pricing growth ahead of the crisis, and geographical diversification, we see it as the company with the least downside over the next few months and are not surprised by its recent outperformance. We believe this will reverse in the 2H21. Overall, Carnival has a Hold rating from the analyst consensus. This rating is based on 10 reviews, breaking down to 1 Buy, 8 Holds, and 1 Sell. The stock is selling for $20.28 and its $18.86 average price target implies a downside potential of ~7%. (See CCL stock analysis on TipRanks)To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

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Are Options Traders Betting on a Big Move in in Vir Biotechnology (VIR) Stock? - Yahoo Finance

TipRanks

The coronavirus pandemic crisis shows no signs of abating, even with a vaccine coming on to the markets. Were still facing severe social lockdown policies, with a number of states (such as California, Minnesota, and Michigan) forcing even harsher restrictions on this round than previously.Its a heavy blow for the leisure industry that is still reeling from one of the most difficult years in memory. The difficulties faced by restaurants are getting more press, but for the cruise industry, corona has been a perfect storm.Prior to the pandemic, the cruise industry which had been doing $150 billion worth of business annually was expected to carry 32 million passengers in 2020. Thats all gone now. During the summer, the industry reeled when over 3,000 COVID cases were linked to 123 separate cruise ships, and resulted in 34 deaths. After such a difficult year, its useful to step back and take a snapshot of the industrys condition. JPMorgan analyst Brandt Montour has done just that, in a comprehensive review of the cruise industry generally and three cruise line giants in particular."We believe cruise shares can continue to grind higher in the near term, driven overwhelmingly by the broader vaccine backdrop/progress. Looking out further, operators will face plenty of headwinds when restarting/ramping operations in 2Q3Q21, but significant sequential improvement of revenues/cash flows over that period will likely dominate the narrative, and we believe investors will continue to look through short-term setbacks to a 2022 characterized by fully ramped capacity, near-full occupancies, and so far manageable pricing pressure," Montour opined.Against this backdrop, Montour has picked out two stocks that are worth the risk, and one that investors should avoid for now. Using TipRanks Stock Comparison tool, we lined up the three alongside each other to get the lowdown on what the near-term holds for these cruise line players.Royal Caribbean (RCL)The second-largest cruise line, Royal Caribbean, remains a top pick for Montour and his firm. The company has put its resources into facing and meeting the pandemics challenges, shoring up liquidity and both streamlining and modernizing the fleet.Maintaining liquidity has been the most pressing issue. While the company has resumed some cruising, and has even taken delivery of a new ship, the Silver Moon, most operations remain suspended. For Q3, the company reported adjusted earnings of -$5.62, below consensus of -$5.17. Management estimates the cash burn to be between $250 million and $290 million monthly. To combat that, RCL reported having $3.7 billion in liquidity at the end of September. That included $3 billion in cash on hand along with $700 million available through a credit facility. Total liquidity at the end of Q3 was down more than 9% from the end of Q2. Since the third quarter ended, RCL has added over $1 billion to its cash position, through an issue of $500 million senior notes and a sale of stock, putting an additional 8.33 million shares on the market at $60 each.In his note on Royal Caribbean, Montour writes, [We] are most constructive on OW-rated RCL, which we believe has the most compelling set of demand drivers... its extensive investments in premium priced new hardware, as well as consumer data, all set RCL up well to outgrow the industry in revenue metrics, margins, and ROIC over the longer term.Montour backs his Overweight (i.e. Buy) rating with a $91 price target. This figure represents a 30% upside potential for 2021. (To watch Montours track record, click here)Is the rest of the Street in agreement? As it turns out, the analyst consensus is more of a mixed bag. 4 Buy ratings and 6 Holds give RCL a Moderate Buy status. Meanwhile, the stock is selling for $69.58 per share, slightly above the $68.22 average price target. (See RCL stock analysis on TipRanks)Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH)With a market cap of $7.45 billion and a fleet of 28 ships, Norwegian Cruise Line found its relatively smaller size as an advantage in this pandemic time. With a smaller and newer fleet, overhead costs, especially ship maintenance, were lower. These advantages dont mean that the company has avoided the storm. Earlier this month, Norwegian announced a prolongation of its suspension of voyages policy, covering all scheduled voyages from January 1, 2021 through February 28, 2021, plus selected voyages in March 2021. These cancellations come as Norwegians revenues are down in the third quarter, the top line was just $6.5 million, compared to $1.9 billion in the year-ago quarter. The company also reported a cash burn of $150 million per month.To combat the cash burn and minimal revenues, Norwegian, in November and December, took steps to improve liquidity. The company closed on $850 million in senior notes, at 5.875% and due in 2026, during November, and earlier this month closed an offering of common stock. The stock offering totaled 40 million shares at $20.80 per share. Together, the two offerings raised over $1.6 billion in new capital.On a more positive note, Norwegian is preparing for an eventual resumption of full services. The company announced, on Dec 7, a partnership with AtmosAir Solutions for the installation of air purification systems on all 28 vessels of its current fleet, using filtration technology known to defeat the coronavirus.JPMs Montour points out these advantages in his review of Norwegian, and sums up the bottom line: This coupled with a relatively newer, higher-end, brand/ship footprint would generally lead us to believe it was in a good position to outperform on pricing growth, though its demographics skewing to older age customers probably will remain a drag through 2021. Ultimately, NCLH is a high-quality asset within the broader cruise industry, with a higher beta to a cruise recovery, and it should see outperformance as the industry returns and investors look further out the risk spectrum.Montour gives the stock a $30 price target and an Overweight (i.e. Buy) rating. His target implies an upside of 27% on the one-year time frame.Norwegian is another cruise line with a Moderate Buy from the analyst consensus. This rating is based on 4 Buys, 4 Holds, and 1 Sell set in recent months. Like RCL above, the stock price here, $23.55, is currently higher than the average price target, $23.22. (See NCLH stock analysis on TipRanks)Carnival Corporation (CCL)Last up, Carnival, is the worlds largest cruise line, with a market cap of $23.25 billion, more than 100 ships across its brands, and over 700 destination ports. In normal times, this giant footprint gave the company an advantage; now, however, it has become an expensive liability. This is clear from the companys fiscal Q3 cash burn, which approached $770 million.Like the other big cruise companies, Carnival has extended its voyage cancellations, or, in the companys terms, the pause in operations. The Cunard line, one of Carnivals brands, has cancelled voyages on the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Elizabeth through early June of next year. Carnival has also cancelled operations in February from the ports of Miami, Galveston, and Port Canaveral, and pushed back the inaugural voyage of the new ship Mardi Gras to the end of April 2021. These measures were taken in compliance with coronavirus restrictions.Carnivals shares and revenues are suffering deep losses this year. The stock is down 60% year-to-date, despite some recent price rallies since the end of October. Revenues fell to just $31 million in the fiscal third quarter, reported in September. Carnival reported a loss of nearly $3 billion in that quarter. The company did end the third quarter with over $8 billion in available cash, an impressive resource to face the difficult situation.This combination of strength and weakness led Montour to put a Neutral (i.e. Hold) rating on CCL shares. However, his $25 price target suggests a possible upside of 23%.In comments on Carnival, Montour wrote, [We] believe that some of the same relative net yield drags it saw in 2018-2019 due to its sheer size will likely become top of mind on the other side of this crisis However, given CCLs relative share discount, less pricing growth ahead of the crisis, and geographical diversification, we see it as the company with the least downside over the next few months and are not surprised by its recent outperformance. We believe this will reverse in the 2H21. Overall, Carnival has a Hold rating from the analyst consensus. This rating is based on 10 reviews, breaking down to 1 Buy, 8 Holds, and 1 Sell. The stock is selling for $20.28 and its $18.86 average price target implies a downside potential of ~7%. (See CCL stock analysis on TipRanks)To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

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Avidity Biosciences Announces Addition to the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index - Yahoo Finance

Even when a business is losing money, it's possible for shareholders to make money if they buy a good business at the right price. Indeed, Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) stock is up 147% in the last year, providing strong gains for shareholders. Nonetheless, only a fool would ignore the risk that a loss making company burns through its cash too quickly.

Given its strong share price performance, we think it's worthwhile for Vir Biotechnology shareholders to consider whether its cash burn is concerning. In this report, we will consider the company's annual negative free cash flow, henceforth referring to it as the 'cash burn'. First, we'll determine its cash runway by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves.

See our latest analysis for Vir Biotechnology

A cash runway is defined as the length of time it would take a company to run out of money if it kept spending at its current rate of cash burn. In September 2020, Vir Biotechnology had US$827m in cash, and was debt-free. Looking at the last year, the company burnt through US$153m. So it had a cash runway of about 5.4 years from September 2020. While this is only one measure of its cash burn situation, it certainly gives us the impression that holders have nothing to worry about. The image below shows how its cash balance has been changing over the last few years.

Some investors might find it troubling that Vir Biotechnology is actually increasing its cash burn, which is up 18% in the last year. Given that it boosted operating revenue by a stand-out 639% in the same period, we think management are simply more focussed on growth than preserving cash. It may well be that it has some excellent opportunities to invest in growth. We think it is growing rather well, upon reflection. While the past is always worth studying, it is the future that matters most of all. For that reason, it makes a lot of sense to take a look at our analyst forecasts for the company.

We are certainly impressed with the progress Vir Biotechnology has made over the last year, but it is also worth considering how costly it would be if it wanted to raise more cash to fund faster growth. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. One of the main advantages held by publicly listed companies is that they can sell shares to investors to raise cash and fund growth. By comparing a company's annual cash burn to its total market capitalisation, we can estimate roughly how many shares it would have to issue in order to run the company for another year (at the same burn rate).

Vir Biotechnology's cash burn of US$153m is about 3.9% of its US$3.9b market capitalisation. Given that is a rather small percentage, it would probably be really easy for the company to fund another year's growth by issuing some new shares to investors, or even by taking out a loan.

It may already be apparent to you that we're relatively comfortable with the way Vir Biotechnology is burning through its cash. For example, we think its revenue growth suggests that the company is on a good path. Although its increasing cash burn does give us reason for pause, the other metrics we discussed in this article form a positive picture overall. After taking into account the various metrics mentioned in this report, we're pretty comfortable with how the company is spending its cash, as it seems on track to meet its needs over the medium term. On another note, we conducted an in-depth investigation of the company, and identified 4 warning signs for Vir Biotechnology (1 is concerning!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies insiders are buying, and this list of stocks growth stocks (according to analyst forecasts)

PromotedIf you decide to trade Vir Biotechnology, use the lowest-cost* platform that is rated #1 Overall by Barrons, Interactive Brokers. Trade stocks, options, futures, forex, bonds and funds on 135 markets, all from a single integrated account.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. *Interactive Brokers Rated Lowest Cost Broker by StockBrokers.com Annual Online Review 2020

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.

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We're Interested To See How Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Uses Its Cash Hoard To Grow - Simply Wall St

NEW YORK, Dec. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ovid Therapeutics Inc.(NASDAQ: OVID), a biopharmaceutical company committed to developing medicines that transform the lives of people with rare neurological diseases, today announced that it has been added to the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index (Nasdaq: NBI). The addition will become effective prior to market open on Monday, December 21, 2020.

The NASDAQ Biotechnology Index is designed to track the performance of a set of securities listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market(NASDAQ) that are classified as either biotechnology or pharmaceutical according to the Industry Classification Benchmark (ICB). The NASDAQ Biotechnology Index is re-ranked annually and all securities in the index are listed on the NASDAQ Global Market or the NASDAQ Global Select Market, and meet minimum market value and share volume requirements among other criteria. The NASDAQ Biotechnology Index is the basis for the iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology IndexSMFund. In addition, options based on the iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index Fund trade on various exchanges. For more information about the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index visit https://indexes.nasdaqomx.com/Index/Overview/NBI.

About Ovid Therapeutics

Ovid Therapeutics Inc.is aNew York-based biopharmaceutical company using its BoldMedicineapproach to develop medicines that transform the lives of patients with rare neurological disorders. The Company is developing OV935 (soticlestat) in collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, which is expected to initiate its pivotal clinical trials in 2021 for the potential treatment of rare developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs). OVID is evaluating the results of the NEPTUNE trial of OV101 (gaboxadol) for the treatment of Angelman syndrome and Fragile X syndrome. For more information on Ovid, please visitwww.ovidrx.com.

Contacts

Investors and Media:Ovid Therapeutics Inc.Investor Relations & Public Relationsirpr@ovidrx.com

OR

Investors:Argot PartnersMaeve Conneighton/Dawn Schottlandt212-600-1902ovid@argotpartners.com

Media:Dan Budwick1ABdan@1abmedia.com

Excerpt from:
Ovid Therapeutics Announces Addition to the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index - GlobeNewswire

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & MONTREAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Repare Therapeutics, Inc. (Repare or the Company) (Nasdaq: RPTX), a leading clinical-stage precision oncology company enabled by its proprietary synthetic lethality approach to the discovery and development of novel therapeutics, today announced that it has been selected for addition to the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (NASDAQ: ^NBI). Repares addition to the NBI will become effective prior to market open on Monday, December 21, 2020.

The NASDAQ Biotechnology Index is designed to track the performance of a set of securities listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ) that are classified as either biotechnology or pharmaceutical according to the Industry Classification Benchmark. The NASDAQ Biotechnology Index is calculated under a modified capitalization-weighted methodology and ranked on an annual basis. All securities in the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index are listed on the NASDAQ Global Market or the NASDAQ Global Select Market and meet minimum market value and share volume requirements, among other criteria.

For more information about the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index, including eligibility criteria, please visit https://indexes.nasdaqomx.com/Index/Overview/NBI.

About Repare Therapeutics, Inc.

Repare Therapeutics is a leading clinical-state precision oncology company enabled by its proprietary synthetic lethality approach to the discovery and development of novel therapeutics. The Company utilizes its genome-wide, CRISPR-enabled SNIPRx platform to systematically discover and develop highly targeted cancer therapies focused on genomic instability, including DNA damage repair. The Companys pipeline includes its lead product candidate RP-3500, a potential leading ATR inhibitor, as well as CCNE1-SL inhibitor and Pol inhibitor programs. For more information, please visit reparerx.com.

SNIPRx is a registered trademark of Repare Therapeutics, Inc.

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements in this press release other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by words such as aims, anticipates, believes, could, estimates, expects, forecasts, goal, intends, may, plans, possible, potential, seeks, will and variations of these words or similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the discovery of potential product candidates using SNIPRx platform; and the clinical development of the Companys pipeline and its research and development programs, including the anticipated timing of its clinical trials of RP-3500 and RP-6306; and the development of preclinical assets pursuant to the Companys collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb. These forward-looking statements are based on the Companys expectations and assumptions as of the date of this press release. Each of these forward-looking statements involves risks and uncertainties that could cause the Companys clinical development programs, future results or performance to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Many factors may cause differences between current expectations and actual results, including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Companys business, clinical trials and financial position, unexpected safety or efficacy data observed during preclinical studies or clinical trials, clinical trial site activation or enrollment rates that are lower than expected, changes in expected or existing competition, changes in the regulatory environment, the uncertainties and timing of the regulatory approval process, and unexpected litigation or other disputes. Other factors that may cause the Companys actual results to differ from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements in this press release are identified in the section titled "Risk Factors" in the Companys Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2020 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) on November 12, 2020, and its subsequent filings with the SEC. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.

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Repare Therapeutics Added to the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index - Business Wire

TipRanks

The coronavirus pandemic crisis shows no signs of abating, even with a vaccine coming on to the markets. Were still facing severe social lockdown policies, with a number of states (such as California, Minnesota, and Michigan) forcing even harsher restrictions on this round than previously.Its a heavy blow for the leisure industry that is still reeling from one of the most difficult years in memory. The difficulties faced by restaurants are getting more press, but for the cruise industry, corona has been a perfect storm.Prior to the pandemic, the cruise industry which had been doing $150 billion worth of business annually was expected to carry 32 million passengers in 2020. Thats all gone now. During the summer, the industry reeled when over 3,000 COVID cases were linked to 123 separate cruise ships, and resulted in 34 deaths. After such a difficult year, its useful to step back and take a snapshot of the industrys condition. JPMorgan analyst Brandt Montour has done just that, in a comprehensive review of the cruise industry generally and three cruise line giants in particular."We believe cruise shares can continue to grind higher in the near term, driven overwhelmingly by the broader vaccine backdrop/progress. Looking out further, operators will face plenty of headwinds when restarting/ramping operations in 2Q3Q21, but significant sequential improvement of revenues/cash flows over that period will likely dominate the narrative, and we believe investors will continue to look through short-term setbacks to a 2022 characterized by fully ramped capacity, near-full occupancies, and so far manageable pricing pressure," Montour opined.Against this backdrop, Montour has picked out two stocks that are worth the risk, and one that investors should avoid for now. Using TipRanks Stock Comparison tool, we lined up the three alongside each other to get the lowdown on what the near-term holds for these cruise line players.Royal Caribbean (RCL)The second-largest cruise line, Royal Caribbean, remains a top pick for Montour and his firm. The company has put its resources into facing and meeting the pandemics challenges, shoring up liquidity and both streamlining and modernizing the fleet.Maintaining liquidity has been the most pressing issue. While the company has resumed some cruising, and has even taken delivery of a new ship, the Silver Moon, most operations remain suspended. For Q3, the company reported adjusted earnings of -$5.62, below consensus of -$5.17. Management estimates the cash burn to be between $250 million and $290 million monthly. To combat that, RCL reported having $3.7 billion in liquidity at the end of September. That included $3 billion in cash on hand along with $700 million available through a credit facility. Total liquidity at the end of Q3 was down more than 9% from the end of Q2. Since the third quarter ended, RCL has added over $1 billion to its cash position, through an issue of $500 million senior notes and a sale of stock, putting an additional 8.33 million shares on the market at $60 each.In his note on Royal Caribbean, Montour writes, [We] are most constructive on OW-rated RCL, which we believe has the most compelling set of demand drivers... its extensive investments in premium priced new hardware, as well as consumer data, all set RCL up well to outgrow the industry in revenue metrics, margins, and ROIC over the longer term.Montour backs his Overweight (i.e. Buy) rating with a $91 price target. This figure represents a 30% upside potential for 2021. (To watch Montours track record, click here)Is the rest of the Street in agreement? As it turns out, the analyst consensus is more of a mixed bag. 4 Buy ratings and 6 Holds give RCL a Moderate Buy status. Meanwhile, the stock is selling for $69.58 per share, slightly above the $68.22 average price target. (See RCL stock analysis on TipRanks)Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH)With a market cap of $7.45 billion and a fleet of 28 ships, Norwegian Cruise Line found its relatively smaller size as an advantage in this pandemic time. With a smaller and newer fleet, overhead costs, especially ship maintenance, were lower. These advantages dont mean that the company has avoided the storm. Earlier this month, Norwegian announced a prolongation of its suspension of voyages policy, covering all scheduled voyages from January 1, 2021 through February 28, 2021, plus selected voyages in March 2021. These cancellations come as Norwegians revenues are down in the third quarter, the top line was just $6.5 million, compared to $1.9 billion in the year-ago quarter. The company also reported a cash burn of $150 million per month.To combat the cash burn and minimal revenues, Norwegian, in November and December, took steps to improve liquidity. The company closed on $850 million in senior notes, at 5.875% and due in 2026, during November, and earlier this month closed an offering of common stock. The stock offering totaled 40 million shares at $20.80 per share. Together, the two offerings raised over $1.6 billion in new capital.On a more positive note, Norwegian is preparing for an eventual resumption of full services. The company announced, on Dec 7, a partnership with AtmosAir Solutions for the installation of air purification systems on all 28 vessels of its current fleet, using filtration technology known to defeat the coronavirus.JPMs Montour points out these advantages in his review of Norwegian, and sums up the bottom line: This coupled with a relatively newer, higher-end, brand/ship footprint would generally lead us to believe it was in a good position to outperform on pricing growth, though its demographics skewing to older age customers probably will remain a drag through 2021. Ultimately, NCLH is a high-quality asset within the broader cruise industry, with a higher beta to a cruise recovery, and it should see outperformance as the industry returns and investors look further out the risk spectrum.Montour gives the stock a $30 price target and an Overweight (i.e. Buy) rating. His target implies an upside of 27% on the one-year time frame.Norwegian is another cruise line with a Moderate Buy from the analyst consensus. This rating is based on 4 Buys, 4 Holds, and 1 Sell set in recent months. Like RCL above, the stock price here, $23.55, is currently higher than the average price target, $23.22. (See NCLH stock analysis on TipRanks)Carnival Corporation (CCL)Last up, Carnival, is the worlds largest cruise line, with a market cap of $23.25 billion, more than 100 ships across its brands, and over 700 destination ports. In normal times, this giant footprint gave the company an advantage; now, however, it has become an expensive liability. This is clear from the companys fiscal Q3 cash burn, which approached $770 million.Like the other big cruise companies, Carnival has extended its voyage cancellations, or, in the companys terms, the pause in operations. The Cunard line, one of Carnivals brands, has cancelled voyages on the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Elizabeth through early June of next year. Carnival has also cancelled operations in February from the ports of Miami, Galveston, and Port Canaveral, and pushed back the inaugural voyage of the new ship Mardi Gras to the end of April 2021. These measures were taken in compliance with coronavirus restrictions.Carnivals shares and revenues are suffering deep losses this year. The stock is down 60% year-to-date, despite some recent price rallies since the end of October. Revenues fell to just $31 million in the fiscal third quarter, reported in September. Carnival reported a loss of nearly $3 billion in that quarter. The company did end the third quarter with over $8 billion in available cash, an impressive resource to face the difficult situation.This combination of strength and weakness led Montour to put a Neutral (i.e. Hold) rating on CCL shares. However, his $25 price target suggests a possible upside of 23%.In comments on Carnival, Montour wrote, [We] believe that some of the same relative net yield drags it saw in 2018-2019 due to its sheer size will likely become top of mind on the other side of this crisis However, given CCLs relative share discount, less pricing growth ahead of the crisis, and geographical diversification, we see it as the company with the least downside over the next few months and are not surprised by its recent outperformance. We believe this will reverse in the 2H21. Overall, Carnival has a Hold rating from the analyst consensus. This rating is based on 10 reviews, breaking down to 1 Buy, 8 Holds, and 1 Sell. The stock is selling for $20.28 and its $18.86 average price target implies a downside potential of ~7%. (See CCL stock analysis on TipRanks)To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

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Spero Therapeutics Added to the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index - Yahoo Finance

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Global White Biotechnology Market 2020 Growth Factors, Technological Innovation and Emerging Trends 2025 - The Courier