VTVT Up 30% In 5 Days, INO Gets Shot In The Arm, DRNA, HBIO On Fire

(RTTNews) - The following are some of today's top gainers in the pharma/biotech sector.

1. vTv Therapeutics Inc. (VTVT)

Gained 28.43% to close Tuesday's (Jan.23) trading at $7.59. The stock has gained more than 30% in the last 5 trading days.

News: No news

Clinical Trials & Near-term Catalysts:

-- The Company's lead product candidate is Azeliragon, under phase III trial in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease, dubbed STEADFAST.

The STEADFAST trial has 2 parts - Part A and Part B. Part A enrolled patients in the United States and Canada. Part B included study sites in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

-- Top-line results from Part A of the study are expected to be reported in early 2018 and that from Part B in late 2018. -- A phase 1b/2 study of TTP399 in adult patients with type 1 diabetes, dubbed simplici-T1, was initiated in November 2017.

2. Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. (INO)

Gained 22.63% to close Tuesday's trading at $5.69.

News: A published study in the journal Vaccine, claims that Inovio's ASPIRE technology platform could produce a universal flu vaccine that can span seasonal vaccine changes allowing for continued immune protection.

Clinical Trials:

The most-advanced product candidate of Inovio is VGX-3100, under phase III trial, to treat cervical dysplasia caused by human papillomavirus. It is also under a phase 2 trial in women with high-grade HPV-related vulvar high-grade intraepithelial lesions.

Also in the pipeline are AstraZeneca's combination Phase 1 /2 trial of MEDI0457 (formerly INO-3112, in-licensed from Inovio) and IMFINZI for HPV-related head & neck cancer; a phase 1b/2 trial of Roche's TECENTRIQ in combination with Inovio's INO-5401 in metastatic bladder cancer; a phase 1b/2a trial of Regeneron's REGN2810 in combination with Inovio's INO-5401 and INO-9012 in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma (GBM); a phase 1b study of INO-5150 in prostate cancer, among others.

3. GenMark Diagnostics Inc. (GNMK)

Gained 14.91% to close Tuesday's trading at $5.78.

News: No news

Recent event:

On January 9, 2018, the Company provided preliminary operational and financial results for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Total revenue for the fourth quarter of 2017 is expected to be approximately $16.0 million, representing an increase of 8% over the fourth quarter of 2016. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect the Company to report revenue of $15.64 million.

Total revenue for 2017 is expected to be approximately $52.5 million, representing an increase of 7% over 2016, and slightly above analysts' consensus estimate of $52.21 million.

Upcoming event:

The Company is slated to report Q4 and full-year 2017 financial results on February 26, 2018.

4. CRISPR Therapeutics AG (CRSP)

Gained 14.90% to close Tuesday's trading at $38.78.

CRISPR Therapeutics is a gene-editing company focused on developing transformative gene-based medicines for serious diseases using its proprietary CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing platform.

News: Wall Street Journal reports that human trials testing CRISPR technology are going ahead in full steam in China. According to the Journal, the first CRISPR trial, which began in 2015, has tested the technology on at least 86 cancer and HIV patients in China. Human trials of CRISPR technology are yet to begin in the U.S.

Recent events:

-- On December 7, 2017, the Company submitted its first Clinical Trial Application for a CRISPR gene-edited therapy, CTX001 in ß-thalassemia, in Europe. -- On December 12, 2017, the Company entered into an agreement with Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VRTX) to co-develop and co-commercialize CTX001.

Near-term Catalysts:

-- A Phase 1/2 trial of CTX001 in adult transfusion dependent ß-thalassemia patients is expected to begin in Europe in 2018. -- An Investigational New Drug Application for CTX001 to treat sickle cell disease is expected to be filed with the FDA in 2018.

5. Rocket Pharmaceuticals Inc. (RCKT)

Gained 14.47% to close Tuesday's trading at $15.19.

News: No news

Recent event:

-- On January 5, 2018, Rocket's common stock began trading on the NASDAQ Global Market, following its reverse merger with Inotek Pharmaceuticals Corp.

Clinical Trials & Near-term Catalysts:

-- A phase 1/2 trial of LVV-based gene therapy for Fanconi Anemia (FA), is underway . Additional patient data are expected this year, with a registration study anticipated to start in 2019. -- Also in the pipeline are three LVV-based programs in preclinical development for the indications of Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LAD-I), Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKD) and Infantile Malignant Osteopetrosis (IMO). -- The LAD-I program is expected to advance into the clinic in 2018, with the PKD and IMO programs to follow in 2019.

6. Dicerna Pharmaceuticals Inc. (DRNA)

Gained 14.32% to close Tuesday's trading at $10.94.

News: No news

The Company is involved in developing subcutaneously delivered ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi)-based pharmaceuticals to treat chronic liver diseases, cardiovascular diseases and viral infectious diseases.

Recent event:

-- On December 14, 2017, the Company priced its follow-on public offering of common stock at $7.00 per share.

Near-term Catalysts:

-- On January 30, 2018, the Company will make a presentation at Noble Capital Markets' NobleCon14. -- Upon approval by the MHRA in the United Kingdom, a phase I study of DCR-PHXC for primary hyperoxaluria is expected to be conducted in the first quarter of 2018. -- File an IND application in the U.S. and/or CTA in Europe for a second candidate for an undisclosed rare disease involving the liver in the second quarter of 2018. -- File an IND application in the U.S. or CTA in Europe for DCR-HBVS program, which targets HBV directly, at approximately the end of 2018.

7. Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CNAT)

Gained 13.08% to close Tuesday's trading at $5.62.

News: No news

Clinical Trials & Near-term Catalysts:

The Company's lead compound is Emricasan, a first-in-class, orally active caspase protease inhibitor, that interrupts the progression of liver disease by reducing the activity of enzymes that mediate inflammation and cell death.

Emricasan, being developed in collaboration with Novartis, is under four phase IIb clinical trials namely,

-- A phase IIb trial of Emricasan, in post-orthotopic liver transplant (POLT) recipients, dubbed POLT-HCV-SVR. Top-line results are expected in the second quarter of 2018. -- A phase IIb trial of Emricasan in reducing hepatic venous pressure gradient in patients with compensated or early decompensated liver cirrhosis caused by nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and severe portal hypertension, dubbed ENCORE-PH. Top-line results from this trial are expected in the second half of 2018. -- A phase IIb clinical trial of Emricasan evaluating potential improvements in fibrosis and steatohepatitis in patients with fibrosis caused by NASH, dubbed ENCORE-NF. Top line results are expected in the first half of 2019. -- A phase IIb clinical trial of Emricasan in NASH cirrhosis patients, dubbed ENCORE-LF. Top-line results are expected in the second half of 2019.

8. Sientra Inc. (SIEN)

Gained 11.97% to close Tuesday's trading at $12.72.

News: No news

Recent event:

-- On January 8, 2018, Sientra, a medical aesthetics company, announced preliminary unaudited revenue for the fourth quarter 2017.

Total revenue for the fourth quarter 2017 is expected to be approximately $11.4 million compared to total revenue for the fourth quarter 2016 of $6.5 million. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect revenue of $11.63 million.

9. Harvard Bioscience Inc. (HBIO)

Gained 11.54% to close Tuesday's trading at $4.35.

News: The Company has acquired privately-held Data Sciences International Inc. for approximately $70 million. Also, the Company has completed the sale of its wholly-owned subsidiary Denville Scientific Inc. to Thomas Scientific, LLC for approximately $20 million, which includes a $3 million earn-out provision.

As a result of the transactions, the Company's fiscal 2018 annual revenue is expected to be between $118 million and $123 million, and non-GAAP adjusted EPS is anticipated to be between $0.19 and $0.23. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters are expecting earnings of $0.17 per share and revenue of $104.13 million for fiscal 2018.

Upcoming event:

The Company is slated to report Q4, and full year 2017 financial results on March 7, 2018. Analysts have forecast an EPS of $0.05 and revenue of $26.29 million for the fourth quarter, and an EPS of $0.13 and revenue of $101.24 million for fiscal 2017.