The Week Ahead In Biotech: Conferences, Clinical Trials And IPOs

Sentiment toward biotech stocks turned neutral this week amid a lack of any major sectorwide catalysts. That said, there were wild swings in select stocks in reaction to clinical trial announcements. 

Here are a few catalytic events in the upcoming week that should be on the radar of every biotech investor.

Medical, Health Care And Biotech Conferences

• 23rd Congress of European Hematology Association: June 14-17 in Stockholm, Sweden.
• 52nd European Human Genetics Conference in conjunction with the European Meeting on Psychological Aspects of Genetics: June 16-19 in Milan, Italy.
• JMP Securities Annual Life Sciences Conference: June 20-21 in New York.
• World Congress On Gastrointestinal Cancer: June 20-23 in Barcelona, Spain.
• American Diabetes Association's 78th Scientific Sessions: June 22-26 in Orlando, Florida. 

See Also: Attention Biotech Investors: Mark Your Calendar For These June PDUFA Dates

PDUFA Dates

The FDA is set to rule on Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl Inc VRX's NDA for IDP-118, a topical lotion being evaluated for plaque psoriasis in adult patients, on Monday, June 18.

Clinical Trial Presentations

Sarepta Therapeutics Inc SRPT is due to release Phase 1/2 data on its microdystrophin gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy on Tuesday, June 19. The stock has nearly doubled year-to-date.

Array Biopharma Inc ARRY is scheduled to present Phase 3 data on its combo drug encorafenib and cetuximab for treating BRAF-mutant colorectal cancer at the European Society For Medical Oncology's World Congress On Gastrointestinal Cancer scheduled for June 20-23.

Zafgen Inc ZFGN will present Phase 2 data on its diabetes treatment candidate ZGN-1061 at the ADA meeting scheduled between June 22-26.

IPOs

Aptinyx, which develops therapies for disorders of the brain and nervous system, is scheduled to offer 5.33 million shares with an estimated price range of $14-$16. The company seeks to list its shares on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol APTX.

Autolus Therapeutics will offer 7.8125 million shares priced between $15 and $17  and is aiming for a Nasdaq listing under the ticker symbol AUTL. The company is a developer of next-gen programmed T cell therapies for cancer treatment.

AVROBIO is offering 4.412 million shares in an IPO, with an estimated price range of $16-$18 for each share. The developer of ex vivo lentiviral-based gene therapies to treat rare diseases is planning to list its shares on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AVRO.

Eidos Therapeutics, which is developing a therapy for transthyretin amyloidosis, a rare disease with no FDA-approved treatments, is set to offer 6.25 million shares with a price range of $15-$17. The shares are to be listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol EIDA.

ElectroCore is to offer 4.33 million shares on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol ECOR. The company's proprietary non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation, or nVNS therapy, is meant to treat multiple conditions in neurology and rheumatology.

Kezar Life Sciences, which develops therapies for autoimmune diseases and oncology, is set to offer 4.67 million shares in an IPO, with each share likely to be priced between $14 and $16. The company seeks to list its shares on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol KZR.

Magenta Therapeutics will offer 6.67 million shares in an IPO, with an estimated price range of $14-$16. The company develops novel medicines to aid in bone marrow transplant. The shares are to be listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol MGTA.

Xeris Pharmaceuticals, which develops ready-to-use injectable and infusible drug formulations, is set to offer 5 million shares between $14 and $16. The shares will be listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol XERS.

IPO Quiet Period Expirations

Iterum Therapeutics PLC ITRM began trading on May 25, with shares down about 5 percent from their debut closing price.

Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals Ltd KNSA, which debuted on May 24 with a gain of 8.2 percent, is now trading off its IPO price.