May 14, 2025 4:44pm

And always be vigilant concerning your portfolio … why you need RMi!

Where was the open, what was the price, what are the newest cell and gene therapy sector risks and have knowledge of the earning, cash and runways on the tip of your tongue?

And what will enable share pricing increases attributable to pipelines, institutional and retail holdings not algorithms?

News: Carlyle Group and SK Capital Partners increased their upfront offer to take-over bluebird bio (BLUE +$1.67 or +50.45% to $4.98). The private equity firms made a new offer of $5 per share upfront, while the previous bid had offered $3 per share upfront and a contingent value right (CVR) of $6.84 per share, payable upon bluebird achieving certain sales milestones. The new bid could amount to about $49 million. <Reuters>  

Earnings:

  • Verve Therapeutics (VERV) Net loss of -$31 M or -$0.35, collaboration revenue of $32.98 M, cash of $500 M in cash with a 2H/2026 runway.

Never leave an investor uninformed!  

On point, short on words, long on facts and being judicious!

My mission is to provide clear, actionable guidance on a regular basis to help investors and traders navigate the uncertain and often irrational financial markets.

I put hours of effort to create reporting, while leveraging my 40 years of operating. investigative and research experiences to analyze the key market-moving events and distill that into a cogent outlook.

 

Tuesday night’s RegMed Investors (RMi) Closing Bell: sector share pricing falls from Issac Newton’s apple tree … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/13918

RegMed Investors (RMi) Financing: Sangamo Therapeutics (SGMO) prices 12,235 M share offering at $0.50 to raise $23 M … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/13917

 

RegMed Investors (RMi) Research Note: Harvard Apparatus GT (OTCQB: HRGN) Chronicles: Yet another "screw job" for/on investors ... "wanting to effect a reverse split of its outstanding common stock" in its recent proxy statement filing!! … https://www.regmedinvestors.com/articles/13812

 

Wednesday: The Dow closed DOWN -89.37 points or -0.21%, the S&P closed UP +6.03 points or +0.10% while the Nasdaq closed UP +136.72 points or +0.72%

  • The Dow was down and the S&P with the Nasdaq was up
  • The week to date, the S&P 500 is up +4%, the Dow +1%, with the Nasdaq +6%.

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

  • Risk appetite grew this week after the U.S. and China temporarily slashed tariffs on a wide array of goods. The U.S. reduced tariffs on China to 30% earlier this week, while China lowered its own levies to 10% on U.S. imports. Both nations had threatened in April to impose tariffs above 100% on the other.

Wednesday’s advance/decline line opened with a negative 9 incliner, 22 decline and 4 flats ending with a negative close of 8 incliners, 25 decliners and 2 flats         

Metrics:  Wednesday, the IBB was down -2.61%, the XBI was down -1.18% while the VIX was up +0.43 points or +2.36% at 18.65

 

Q2/25 – May – 6 negative and 4 positive closes

  • April – 11 positive and 10 negative closes

Q1/25

  • March, 10 positive and 12 negative closes
  • February – 12 holiday, 11 negative and 7 positive closes
  • January - 2 holidays, 1 market close, 10 negative and 10 positive closes

 

Wednesdays Closing UP (8 of 8) 

  • bluebird bio (BLUE +$1.67 after Tuesday’s +$0.02 after Monday’s -$0.21),
  • AxoGen (AXGN +$0.93 after Tuesday’s -$0.51),
  • Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY +$0.69 after Tuesday’s -$1.33 after Monday’s +$19.04),
  • Verve therapeutics (VRV +$0.15),
  • Regenxbio (RGNX +$0.15 after Tuesday’s +$0.21)
  • Agenus (AGEN +$0.09),
  • Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS +$0.07 after Tuesday’s -$1.00 after Monday’s +$1.27),
  • Caribou Biosciences (CRBU +$0.0361),

Flat (2)

  • Compass Therapeutics (CMPX)
  • Homology Medicine (FIXX)

Wednesday’s Closing DOWN (10 of 25): 

  • Blueprint Medicine (BPMC -$1.89 after Tuesday’s -$0.90 after Monday’s +$3.14),
  • CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP -$1.62 after Tuesday’s -$0.37 after Monday’s +$1.97),
  • Moderna (MRNA -$1.47),
  • Vericel (VCEL -$1.34 after Tuesday’s +$0.98 after Monday’s +$0.92),
  • Lenz Therapeutics (LENZ -$1.33 after Tuesday’s -$0.41 after Monday’s +$3.03),
  • BioLife Solutions (BLFS -$1.04 after Tuesday’s -$0.80 after Monday’s +$0.60)
  • Beam Therapeutics (BEAM -$0.81),
  • Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals (RARE -$0.68 after Tuesday’s -$0.69 after Monday’s +$0.98),
  • Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA -$0.44),
  • Mesoblast (MESO -$0.34 after Tuesday’s +$0.56),

 

The BOTTOM LINE: Earnings, share price burnings and offering; just another session in a sea of alteration

Cell and gene therapy sector 2nd session closed negative (Wednesday and Tuesday) having started the 3rd week …with a positive close

  • Ending with a Friday Humpty-Dumpty negative fall post Thursday and Wednesday’s positive closes … followed by 2 negative closes (the previous Tuesday and Monday)

What more can be written, a surprise deal to dramatic call cut tariffs

May ‘25: understand the “flow” …

  • 5/14 – Wednesday closed negative with 8 positive, 25 negative and 2 flats
  • 5/13 – Tuesday closed negative with 6 positive, 28 negative and 1 flat
  • 5/12 - Monday positive with 39 positive, 3 negative and 2 flats
  • 5/9 - Friday closed negative with 10 positive, 23 negative and 2 flats
  • 5/8 – Thursday closed positive with 25 positive, 8 negative and 2 flats
  • 5/7 - Wednesday closed positive with 16 positive, 15 negative and 4 flats
  • 5/6 – Tuesday closed negative with 2 positive, 31 negative and 2 flats
  • 5/5 - Monday closed negative with 9 positive, 23 negative and 3 flats
  • 5/2 – Friday closed positive with 24 positive, 8 negative and 3 flats
  • 5/1 - Thursday closed negative with 14 positive, 19 negative and 2 flats

 

Some BAD news:

Leap Therapeutics (LPTX) is making cuts to its team as it navigates a “difficult market environment,” according to the company’s CEO.

  • The Cambridge, Mass. biotech said it would let go of about 50% of its staff. Leap came into 2025 with 52 full-time employees, 41 of which worked in research and development and 11 were general and administrative workers. The layoffs will impact around 26 people.
  • Leap (Nasdaq: LPTX) said it would funnel resources into the clinical development of sirexatamab in second-line colorectal cancer patients and another drug, FL-501, in preclinical development. <Boston Business Journal>

 

I usually write/say “electronic trading and uncle algo” slips in and out, back doors reaping sector disharmony and then pops right back for some profiteering.

  • What can I say, love ‘em, leave ‘em and welcome back to save the sector’s honor – “uncle algo and his electronic dwarfs.” <me>

 

My perspective is retail investors should NOT be dipping their toes back into the cell and gene therapy sector until after LPS (loss-per-share) earnings report.

  • NO all ins – just add those with solid partners, lengthened runways and solid cash positions leveraged by solid management teams – there I see losses going forward!

Market news i.e., tariff drive upside yet estimate and consensus misses with continued earnings LPS (loss-per-share) will shake the sector down – the vig must be paid!

“I 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!”

  • If I have learned one thing as a former research analyst in a venture and public fund, operating executive, x-FBI, x-military officer and an adjunct (MBA) business school professor now a journalist; my life and your portfolio are largely tied to knowledge of price movements and questioning pricing targets and more.

What could 2025 have in store for the capital access space – DESPERATE  

  • "You'll see a number of cell and gene therapy companies DESPARITE drive for financings – they’re desperate for cash, but I do think a lot of cell and gene therapy sector companies NEED to be focused on what is driving their own growth —they're focused on a lot of change BUT … that's happening in pipelines … capital expansion is second.

 

Why do I keep repeating, so investors can make the connection …

The top three (3) performing in the session:   

  • Wednesday: bluebird bio (BLUE), AxoGen (AXGN) and Regenxbio (RGNX)
  • Tuesday: Vericel (VCEL), Mesoblast (MESO) and Regenxbio (RGNX)
  • Monday: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), Blueprint Medicine (BPMC) and Lenz Therapeutics (LENZ)
  • Friday: BioLife Solutions (BLFS), uniQure NV (QURE) and Lenz Therapeutics (LENZ)

The worst three (3) in the session: 

  • Wednesday: CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP), Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY) and Moderna (MRNA)
  • Tuesday: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS) and Blueprint Medicine (BPMC)
  • Monday: bluebird bio (BLUE), Adverum Biotechnologies (ADVM) and Cellectis SA (CLLS)
  • Friday: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), Blueprint Medicine (BPMC) and AxoGen (AXGN)

Welcome to my world of defining the “grey’ in our universe!

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

 

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 it’s 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.