October 1, 2021 4:57pm

News: ReNeuron Group plc (AIM: RENE) has received regulatory approval to restart the P2a study for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa (RP), an inherited, degenerative eye disease in all geographies. Precigen ActoBio a subsidiary of Precigen (PGEN) announced additional positive interim data from the ongoing P1b/2a clinical study investigating AG019 ActoBiotics™ for the treatment of recent-onset type 1 diabetes (T1D)

The Biostage (BSTG) Chronicles:  the “pump/promote” is back, closing +$0.21 with 1,113 shares traded  

Pre-open indication results: 2 Hits and 3 MISS

Who else is tracking a broad representative index of cell and gene therapy equities – the facts are supported by real numbers?

Week in review …


The Dow closed UP +482.54 points (+1.43%); the S&P closed UP +49.50 points (+1.15%) while the Nasdaq closed UP +118.12 points (+0.82%)

 

Henry’omics:

All three major U.S. stock indexes seesawed earlier in the session, but began trending higher by late afternoon.

U.S. stocks pushed higher on Friday as news of a new oral treatment for Covid-19 boosted shares of companies tied to the economic recovery.

  • Merck (MRK) jumped 9% after the drug maker and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics said their oral antiviral treatment for Covid-19 reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 50% for patients with mild or moderate cases. The companies plan to seek emergency authorization for the treatment. <CNBC>
  • Vaccine stocks Moderna (MRNA) and BioNTech (BNTX) were smashed lower on the news. Moderna stock suffered the biggest loss, dropping nearly 12%, while BNTX fell around 8%.
  • Covid treatment stock Regeneron Pharmaceutical (REGN) was down around 6%. It has round-tripped all its gains after breaking out past a 595.58 buy point.

The road block looming … Congress was poised to prevent a government shutdown Thursday as the Senate and House both passed a short-term appropriations bill that would keep the government running through Dec. 3 and sent it to President Joe Biden to sign.

 

News continued: ReNeuron Group plc (AIM: RENE) recruitment has resumed, with two patients scheduled to be treated in October and all remaining patients expected to be treated by the end of 2021. Given this, RENE now expects to present early efficacy data on the expansion cohort in Q1 2022 and remains on track for advancing the program into the next clinical trial by the end of 2022.

 

Economic Data Docket: personal income rose 0.2% in August, in line with expectations. The price index for core personal consumption expenditures was up 3.6% year over year, the biggest jump in more than 30 years slightly ahead of the estimate of 3.5% from economists surveyed by Dow Jones.

 

RegMed/Stem/Cell and Gene therapy’s 35 covered equities’ Advance/Decline (A/D) lines: what’s happening …

  • Friday opened negative at 6/28 and 1 acquired, flipped stayed negative at the mid-day at 12/21, 1 flat and 1 acquired, ending with a negative close of 16/17, 1 flat and 1 acquired;
  • Thursday opened positive at 22/9, 3 flats and 1 acquired, flipped stayed positive at the mid-day at 20/12, 2 flats and 1 acquired, ending with a negative close of 16/17, 1 flat and 1 acquired;
  • Wednesday opened positive at 25/6, 3 flats and 1 acquired, flipped negative at the mid-day at 410/28 and 1 acquired, ending with a negative close of 6/28 and 1 acquired;
  • Tuesday opened negative at 5/26, 3 flats and 1 acquired, stayed negative at the mid-day at 5/28, 1 flat and 1 acquired, ending with a negative close of 3/31 and 1 acquired;
  • Monday opened positive at 18/15, 1 flat and 1 acquired, stayed positive at the mid-day at 19/14, 1 flat and 1 acquired, ending with a positive close of 18/15, 1 flat and 1 acquired;

 

RegMed Investors’ (RMi) pre-open: “same old volatility tags the sector. Remember, earnings will ripen the stocks to be harvested before they rot.” … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/12120

 

Pre-open indication results: 2 Hits: < bluebird bio (BLUE -$0.09), uniQure NV (QURE -$0.04)> and 3 MISS <Biostage (BSTG +$0.21 -pumped”), Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA -$0.61), Global Blood Therapeutics (GBT)  

 

The Biostage (BSTG) Chronicles: “wrongful death law suit, insurance claim denied” … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/12110  - negligence? <read newest version

 

Q2/21 Earnings releases … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/11542  … to date:

  • Net Income: 3 and Net losses: 24

 

Key Metric - volume:

  • Sector volume was LOW with of the 20-upside having higher than the 3-month average volume with LOW volume of 4 of 14-downside having higher than the 3-month average volume;

 

The Biostage (BSTG) Chronicles: wrongful death law suit, insurance claim denied” … negligence? https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/12110

  • The “pump/promote” is back …

Friday closed up +$0.12 with 1,113 shares traded after Thursday closed down -$0.02 with 6,030 shares traded, Wednesday close down -$0.72 with 1,273 shares traded, Tuesday closed up +$0.48 at $3.74 with 1,236 shares traded, Monday also closed flat with 135 shares traded, Friday closed flat with 62 shares traded, Thursday closed up +$0.06 with 839 shares traded and last Wednesday closed down -$0.45 with 3,833 shares traded.

  • Will legal fees to defend the terminal death suit going to bankrupt the company now, that costs will not be covered by insurance?

 

There are clear winners and losers

Jumping with share pricing momentum (10 of 20):

  • Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY +$3.87 after Thursday’s +$11.36, Wednesday’s +$0.37, Tuesday’s -$16.77 and Monday’s+$6.45)
  • Vericel (VCEL +$1.52 after Thursday’s +$0.60 and Wednesday’s +$0.05)
  • Sage Therapeutics (SAGE +$0.98 after Thursday’s +$0.16, Wednesday’s -$0.84, Tuesday’s -$1.57 and Monday’s +$1.44),
  • Global Blood Therapeutics (GBT +$0.77 after Thursday’s -$0.32, Wednesday’s -$0.75, Tuesday’s +$0.33 and Monday’s +$0.65),
  • ReNeuron (RENE.L=$0.50 after Thursday’s -$0.50, Wednesday’s +$1.50, Tuesday’s -$1.50 and Monday’s -$1.00),
  • Chinook Therapeutics (KDNY +$0.37 after Thursday’s +$0.27 and Wednesday’s +$0.03)
  • BioLife Solutions (BLFS +$0.26 after Thursday’s +$0.29)
  • Sangamo Therapeutics (SGMO +$0.25 after Thursday’s -$0.11)
  • Fate Therapeutics (FATE +$0.23 after Thursday’s -$0.53, Wednesday’s -$0.99, Tuesday’s -$3.57 and Monday’s -$0.49)
  • Biostage (BSTG +$0.21 – “pumped”),

Hammered in today’s market (10 of 14):

  • Ultragenyx (RARE -$2.39 after Thursday +$4.07, Wednesday’s -$0.88, Tuesday’s -$1.66 and Monday’s -$6.45),
  • Regenxbio (RGNX -$1.64 after Thursday -$0.18 and Wednesday’s -$1.39)
  • Editas Medicine (EDIT -$1.17 after Thursday’s -$1.42, Wednesday’s -$9.95, Tuesday’s -$5.39 and Monday’s -$0.87)
  • CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP -$0.64 after Thursday’s +$1.73, Wednesday’s -$1.95, Tuesday’s -$5.11 and Monday’s +$0.83),
  • Applied genetic Technologies (AGTC -$0.17),
  • Pluristem (PSTI -$0.11),
  • MiMedx (MDXG-$0.10 after Thursday’s -$0.18 and Wednesday’s +$0.17)
  • Homology Medicine (FIXX -$0.09),
  • Mesoblast (MESO -$0.060,
  • Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics (BCLI -$0.04 after Thursday’s +$0.12)

Closing:

  • 1 – Stemline Therapeutics (STML) – acquired

 

Stats:

The iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology (IBB) and the SPDR S&P ETF (XBI) indicators:

  • Friday the IBB closed down -1.70% and XBI closed up +0.37%
  • Thursday the IBB closed up +0.17% and XBI closed up +0.06%
  • Wednesday the IBB closed down -0.44% and XBI closed down -1.65%
  • Tuesday the IBB closed down -3.21% and XBI closed down -3.16%
  • Monday, the IBB closed down -1.75% and XBI closed up +1.18%

The CBOE Volatility Index (VVIX: INDEX) tracked:

  • Friday was down -2.03 points or -8.77% at 21.11
  • Thursday was up +0.58 points or +2.57% at 23.13
  • Wednesday was down -0.69 points or -2.97% at 22.56
  • Tuesday was up +4.41 points or +23.51% at 23.17
  • Monday was up +1.01 points or +5.69% at 18.76

 

October, the first month of Q3/21:

Friday closed negative with 4 advancers, 28 decliners, 2 flats and 1 acquired

 

The BOTTOM LINE: We are here … the first day of October, the month for some of history's most infamous market routs, marked a see-saw session with major indices repeatedly switching direction amid investor uncertainty.

  • October which has a reputation for some ugly sell-offs; let’s not forget Q3 results are being prepared.

Investors were still mulling implications on-going Washington, D.C. political antics, inflation worries, bond yields, infrastructure arguments, questions of drug pricing and patterns while military patterns of behavior re the debacle of the Afghanistan withdrawal i.e., surrender “bites” and hard!

Sentiment has been capricious and languishing as the sector bounded to the downside.

The stem, cell and gene therapy sector is still seen as vulnerable to extreme moves in either direction, overbought and oversold categories as risk stimulates the susceptibility!

I’m STILL a “beware or the cautious man” whose focus has always been “warning analysis” … earnings’ season is NOT over … my advice, trim and skim any new highs if one can!”

WHY do I keep analyzing Biostage (BSTG): When one sees an inextricable wrong and morally repulsive scenario; it takes courage, resolve and patience to stay the course of asking the questions without response!

Who is defining the metrics for investors and keeping you notified of the sector and market fluctuations?  What I provide is a trusted source of share pricing intelligence – it’s more than opinion, I deal in the facts and numbers that back them up.

 

Monday –

RegMed Investors’ (RMi) pre-open: Q3’s end is coming Thursday … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/12112

RegMed Investors’ (RMi) closing bell: risks are mounting as sentiment seems AWOL … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/12113

 

Tuesday –

RegMed Investors’ (RMi) pre-open: sector rotation? … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/12114

RegMed Investors’ (RMi) closing bell: Déjà vu, the deep end … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/12115

 

Wednesday –

RegMed Investors’ (RMi) pre-open: a liquid situation … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/12116

RegMed Investors’ (RMi) closing bell: called it volatile and liquid this a.m., it was … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/12117

 

Thursday –

RegMed Investors’ (RMi) pre-open: a finger in sentiment’s dike could stem the low volume downside flow … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/12118

RegMed Investors’ (RMi) closing bell: sector closes the month with a slip and fall … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/12119

 

Friday –

RegMed Investors’ (RMi) pre-open: same old volatility tags the sector … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/12120

 

 

Opinions expressed are those of the author and are subject to change, and not intended to be a forecast of future events, a guarantee of future results, nor investment advice.

Whether information or intelligence is good, bad or somewhere in between; I put into context what is relevant and useful for investors.  All investments are subject to risks. Investors should consider investment objectives.

Henry McCusker, the editor and publisher of RegMed Investors does not hold or have positions in securities referred to in this publication.

Regulation Analyst Certification (Reg AC): The research analyst primarily responsible for the content of this report certifies the following under Reg AC: I hereby certify that all views expressed in this report accurately reflect my personal views about the subject company or companies and its or their securities. I also certify that no part of my compensation was, is or will be, directly or indirectly, related to the specific recommendations or views expressed in this report.