6 Top Gainers In Healthcare Sector (CPRX, AXSM, CCXI...)

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

1. NantKwest Inc. (NK)

NantKwest is an innovative clinical-stage immunotherapy company focused on harnessing the power of the innate immune system by using the natural killer cell to treat cancer and virally induced infectious diseases.

Gained 32.54% to close Monday's (Mar.25) trading at $1.67.

News: The Company announced that Patrick Soon-Shiong, its Chairman & CEO, on March 21, 2019, exercised $39 million in warrants and options.

2. Curis Inc. (CRIS)

Gained 32.17% to close Monday's trading at $1.89.

News: The Company has entered into an agreement with funds managed by Oberland Capital Management LLC for up to $135.7 million in exchange for selling rights to a portion of royalty revenues on worldwide net sales of Erivedge.

Erivedge is being developed and commercialized by Roche and Genentech under a 2003 collaboration agreement between Curis and Genentech. The drug is approved for use in patients with advanced basal cell carcinoma in the U.S. and over 60 foreign countries. It is also under regulatory review for commercialization in a number of additional territories.

3. Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CPRX)

Gained 30.35% to close Monday's trading at $5.24.

News: No news

Near-term Catalysts:

-- Completion of enrollment in phase III clinical trial of Firdapse in patients with muscle-specific kinase (MuSK) antibody positive myasthenia gravis (MuSK-MG). -- Completion of enrollment in phase III clinical trial of Firdapse in patients with Congenital Myasthenic Syndromes. -- Top-line results from phase III trial of Firdapse for MuSK-MG expected in the second half of 2019. -- Top-line results from phase III trial of Firdapse for Congenital Myasthenic Syndromes expected in the second half of 2019. -- Top-line results from proof-of-concept phase II trial of Firdapse in ambulatory patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 3 expected in the first half of 2020.

4. Axsome Therapeutics Inc. (AXSM)

Axsome Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies for the management of central nervous system (CNS) disorders.

Gained 25.69% to close Monday's trading at $16.34.

Clinical Trials & Near-term Catalysts:

-- A phase III trial of AXS-05 in patients with treatment-resistant depression, dubbed STRIDE-1, is underway. Top-line data from this study are anticipated in the second quarter of 2019. -- A phase II study of AXS-05 for smoking cessation treatment is also ongoing- with top-line results expected in the second quarter of 2019. -- A phase II/III trial of AXS-05 in agitation associated with Alzheimer's disease, dubbed ADVANCE-1, is underway. Top-line results from this study are expected in the first half of 2020. -- The Company announced positive results from its phase II trial of AXS-05 in major depressive disorder, dubbed ASCEND, in January of this year, sending the stock up over 200%. -- A phase II trial of AXS-12 (reboxetine) in narcolepsy, dubbed CONCERT, was initiated in January of this year, with top-line data expected in the second quarter of 2019. -- A phase III trial of AXS-07 in the acute treatment of migraine, dubbed MOMENTUM, was initiated earlier this month. Top-line results from this study are anticipated in 1Q, 2020.

5. Check-Cap Ltd. (CHEK)

Check-Cap is a clinical stage medical diagnostics company engaged in the development of C-Scan, an ingestible capsule-based device for preparation-free colorectal cancer screening.

Gained 13.64% to close Monday's trading at $3.25.

News: No news

Recent event:

-- On February 12, 2019, the Company announced that it has received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval from New York University School of Medicine to initiate a U.S. pilot study of the C-Scan system.

The pilot study is a single-arm study enrolling up to 45 subjects considered to be of average risk for polyps and colon cancer.

6. ChemoCentryx Inc. (CCXI)

Gained 11.46% to close Monday's trading at $12.16.

News: No news

Clinical Trials & Near-term Catalysts:

-- A phase III study of Avacopan in ANCA-associated vasculitis, dubbed ADVOCATE, is ongoing, and top-line data is expected in the fourth quarter of this year. -- A phase IIb clinical trial of Avacopan for the treatment of Hidradenitis Suppurativa, called the AURORA trial, is underway, with top-line data expected as soon as mid-2020. -- A phase II trial of Avacopan in patients with the kidney disease C3 Glomerulopathy (C3G) is ongoing, with top-line data expected in 2020.