June 22, 2023 4:47pm

Funny names, do investor know the names of drug candidates?

News: Prime Medicine (PRME -$0.12) and Cimeio Therapeutics (Private) announce research collaboration to develop Prime Edited Shielded-Cell & Immunotherapy Pairs™ for Genetic Diseases, Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Myelodysplastic Syndrome. The goal of the research is to improve the safety and effectiveness of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplants to treat genetic diseases, acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), as well as enable the in vivo selection of edited HSCs to potentially remove the need for transplantation entirely.

Pre-open Indications: 4 Hits and 1 Miss

Subscription is coming, it is not conscription but, an offer to join our collective of like-minded investors!  Join me … in the NO spin zone.

Never leave an investor uninformed! Framing the main takeaway … pricing, volume and machine trading creates volatility and liquidity!

 

If I have learned one thing as a former research analyst in a venture and public fund, operating executive, adjunct (MBA) business school professor now a journalist; it is that your life and your portfolio are largely tied to your knowledge of price movements and questioning pricing targets.

 

The Dow closed DOWN -4.81 points (-0.01%), the S&P closed UP +16.20 points (+0.37%) while the Nasdaq closed UP +128.41 points (+0.95%)

 

Henry’omics:

We need to more than consider the economic environment - rising rates and inflation to comprehend the micro re “our” universe of cell and gene therapy companies …

Indexes rose post the mid-day … as the Dow dropped as the S&P and Nasdaq jumped on Thursday morning after jobless claims ahead of Fed Chair Powell's speech

The tug of war between bull and bear market camps is balanced, which implies uncertainty and increased volatility for the foreseeable future.”

“Markets are weaker because I think that they’re realizing that not just the Federal Reserve, but global central banks are not done, and are still actually fully committed to their inflation fight and will sacrifice economic growth if they need to” < Megan Horneman, chief investment officer at Verdence Capital Advisors>

Economic Data Docket: The number of people filing for state unemployment benefits for the first time held steady at a 20-month high last week, remaining elevated for a third straight week in what may be an early indication of a softening labor market in the face of the Fed's aggressive credit tightening.

  • First-time jobless claims rose to 264,000, above estimates. They were expected to ease to 261,000 vs. 262,000 in the previous week, per Econoday estimates.
  • The ranks of all those continuing to receive benefits beyond the first week fell to 1.759 million in the week ended June 10 from a revised 1.772 million the week before.
  • The latest reading compared with a median economists' estimate of 1.782 million so-called continued claims.

May existing home sales numbers from the National Association of Realtors unexpectedly rose to 4.3 million. They were anticipated to dip slightly to an annualized rate of 4.25 million vs. April's 4.28 million.

 

Thursday (6/22) … RegMed Investors’ (RMi) pre-open: “who left the barn door open?  Keep your eyes on taking profits on some of the winners.” … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/13014

 

RegMed/Stem/Cell and Gene Therapy’s 35 covered equities’ Advance/Decline (A/D) lines: what happened – differences …

  • Thursday’s advance/decline line opened negative at 12 up/ 21 down and 2 flats, stayed negative with 7 up/ 28 down and 0 flat at the mid-day, ending with a negative close of 10 incliners, 24 decliners and 1 flat

 

Pre-open indications: 4 Hit <Generation Bio (GBIO +$0.06), Beam Therapeutics (BEAM -$0.13), Vericel (VCEL +$1.16), Ultragenyx (RARE -$0.60)> and 1 Miss <Verve Therapeutics (VERV -$0.35)>

 

Key Metrics:

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

Thursday, the IBB was UP +0.03% and the XBI was down -0.60%

The CBOE Volatility Index (VVIX: INDEX) tracked:

  • Thursday was down -0.40 point or -3.03% at 12.80

 

Closing Down (10 of 24):

  • Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY -$4.83 after Wednesday’s +$2.30),
  • Sage Therapeutics (SAGE -$0.62),
  • Ultragenyx (RARE -$0.60 after Wednesday’s +$2.02 and Tuesday’s +$1.85),
  • Solid Biosciences (SLDB -$0.60 after Wednesday’s -$0.70 after Tuesday’s -$0.19),
  • Fate Therapeutics (FATE -$0.53),
  • uniQure NV (QURE -$0.48 after Wednesday’s -$7.82),
  • Biostage (OTCQB: BSTG -$0.40 after Wednesday’s -$0.12, Tuesday’s -$0.08 post Monday holiday
  • Verve Therapeutics (VERV -$0.35 after Wednesday’s -$0.70 after Tuesday’s -$0.21),
  • Voyager Therapeutics (VYGR -$0.25 after Wednesday’s -$1.35 after Tuesday’s +$1.02),
  • Mesoblast (MESO -$0.24 after Wednesday’s +$0.14 after Tuesday’s +$0.31),

Flat (1):

  • Editas Medicine (EDIT +$0.00 after Wednesday’s -$0.34, Tuesday’s -$0.46, Friday’s -$0.46, Thursday’s -$1.81 on the heels of an $125 M stock offering),

Closing Up (10 of 10):

  • Vericel (VCEL +$1.16 after Wednesday’s +$0.91),
  • Blueprint Medicine (BPMC +$0.42 after Wednesday’s -$0.34 and Tuesday’s +$2.69),
  • Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA +$0.13 after Wednesday’s -$1.77 and Tuesday’s -$1.29),
  • MiMedx (MDXG +$0.10 after Wednesday’s +$0.42),
  • Caribou Biosciences (CRBU +$0.09 after Wednesday’s +$0.07 and Tuesday’s -$0.24),
  • Generation Bio (GBIO +$0.06 after Wednesday’s +$0.30),
  • Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics (BCLI +$0.03 after Wednesday’s +$0.07 and Tuesday’s -$0.37),
  • AxoGen (AXGN +$0.03),
  • Cellectis SA (CLLS +$0.02),

Adverum Biotechnologies (ADVM +$0.02),

 

Q2/23 – June

  • Thursday closed negative with 10 incliners, 24 decliners and 1 flat

 

The BOTTOM LINE: I try to keep it simple … and short!

I follow the dictum, quoting Churchill that “short words are best, and the old words when short are best of all.”

I believe, there is a great deal of money on the sidelines of people who had been scared of the coming July, a usual slow month for trading.

Right up front, “I also hate to be so negative or contrarian but, this is a NO spin zone and truth is its product; I can always be WRONG but, I am mostly EARLY!”

Reiterating, there is VALUE out there even as electronic trading and algorithms take their toll on share pricing however, it’s about playing or betting and timing of the sector.

 

A Return in the sector: UniQure NV (QURE) DIVED AGAIN on Thursday -$0.48 or -4.13% to $11.14 after diving Wednesday -$7.82 or -40.23% to $11.62) crashed having unveiled mixed results for its study of a Huntington's disease treatment …   https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/13012

 

The top three (3) performing in the session:

·         Thursday: Vericel (VCEL) - again, Blueprint Medicine (BPMC) and Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA)

·         Wednesday: Ultragenyx (RARE) – again, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY) and Vericel (VCEL)

·         Tuesday: Blueprint Medicine (BPMC), Ultragenyx (RARE) and Voyager Therapeutics (VYGR)

·         Monday: holiday

While The worst three (3) in the session:

·         Thursday: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), Solid Biosciences (SLDB) and Fate Therapeutics (FATE)

·         Wednesday: uniQure NV (QURE), Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA) and Voyager Therapeutics (VYGR)

·         Tuesday: CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP), Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA) and Editas Medicine (EDIT)

·         Monday: holiday

 

WHY (?) do I keep posting, so investors can get a daily update of the sector's share pricing and some individual companies TRUTHS while electronic trading chews on our portfolio edges.

I am definitely considered a contrarian depending on the session – one has to be a watcher of the ups and downs as well as measurer of sentiment. I am also a NO trust investor but, a validate and verify investigator/journalist/analyst.

 

A sector positive, Aeglea BioTherapeutics (AGLE +$0.36 or +338.82 to $0.4669) has acquired Spyre Therapeutics, a privately-held biotechnology company focused on developing antibody therapeutics for inflammatory bowel disease. As part of the acquisition, AGLE entered into a definitive agreement for a private placement of Series A non-voting convertible preferred stock, resulting in approximately $210 million in gross proceeds. Spyre's lead programs, targeting a4b7 and TL1A, are projected to enter clinical studies in 2024. The acquisition and financing transactions provide Aeglea with immediate access to public capital markets and aim to accelerate research and development efforts for their biologics pipeline.

·         IBD, which causes chronic digestive tract inflammation, affects approximately 1.7 million patients in the U.S. The global IBD market, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, is estimated to exceed $29 billion by 2028.

 

Check your portfolio reports: Vanguard Group was fined and censured by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) for errors appearing in about 8.5 million customer account statements.

 

The NO spin zone! U.S. public shareholders deserve accountability …

 

Biostage (OTCQB: BSTG) … so many issues from the past as many of those “miscreant management” members are still employed!

Thursday closed down -$0.40 with 5,400 after Wednesday closed down -$0.12 with 2,676 shares traded, Tuesday closed down -$0.08 with 1,523 shares traded, Monday’s market holiday post Friday closing down -$0.2175 with 410 shares traded, <3-month average =758 shares>

·         Biostage (OTCQB: BSTG) finally announced a clinical trial initiation for an IND that was approved on 3/20/2020 – what’s with the time (3 years and 2 months) interval?

·         Question: Review the number of shares traded on a weekly and monthly basis … is OTCQB: BSTG a Ponzi scheme (with their pump/promote buy and sell agenda) as shares are bought to replace those sold?

·         Accumulated deficit:  $85,901 M – still NO product in sight – a 4-to-5-year clinical trial BEFORE they can evolve to a pediatric protocol!

·         OTCQB: BSTG is holding their annual meeting on 7/19, to vote the Beijing, China designated directors …??? Certainly NOT a US company ANYMORE!

My question that resounds, that should be asked is how many companies are at the end of sentiments …  leash?

 

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.