Pre-market Movers In Healthcare Sector: TRIL, AERI, NVAX, VXRT, MRNA…

(RTTNews) - What's moving these stocks in the pre-market hours today?

In the Green

1. Trillium Therapeutics Inc. (TRIL) is up over 37% at $13.02 in pre-market trading Wednesday, following a $25 million equity investment from Pfizer Inc. (PFE). The company's lead candidates include TTI-621, under a phase 1 study in patients with advanced relapsed or refractory hematologic malignancies, and TTI-622, which is being evaluated in a phase 1a/1b study in patients with advanced relapsed or refractory lymphoma or multiple myeloma.

2. Aerie Pharmaceuticals Inc. (AERI) is up over 15% at $13.79 in pre-market hours today. The company markets Rocklatan and Rhopressa for the treatment of glaucoma or ocular hypertension in the U.S. Rocklatan, under the brand name Roclanda, is under review by the European Medicines Agency, with an opinion expected in the fourth quarter of 2020. A phase III clinical trial of Roclatan in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension in Europe, dubbed Mercury 3 is underway, with topline data due this quarter.

3. iBio Inc. (IBIO) is up over 10% at $2.10 in pre-market hours today. The company has two vaccine candidates for COVID-19, both of which are under preclinical development. Last month, iBio entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement with Planet Biotechnology Inc. for the development of Planet's COVID-19 therapeutic candidate, ACE2-Fc. In 'in vitro' studies, Planet's ACE2-Fc has shown to block SARS-CoV-2 virus from infecting Vero E6 cells.

4. Novavax Inc. (NVAX) is up over 6% at $91 in pre-market hours Wednesday. Novavax is one of the 9 signatories that have committed to uphold the integrity of the scientific process as they work towards potential global regulatory filings and approvals of the first COVID-19 vaccines. The company's COVID-19 vaccine candidate NVX-CoV2373 advanced to phase II portion of its phase I/II trial in the United States and Australia last month. A Phase 2b clinical trial of the vaccine candidate also began in South Africa in August.

5. Moderna Inc. (MRNA), which lost more than 13% of its share price value yesterday, is up over 4% at $56.97 in pre-market hours today. The stock took a hit yesterday after investment firm SVB Leerink downgraded MRNA to "Underperform" from "Market Perform" and lowered the price target to $41 from $58.

6. Vaxart Inc. (VXRT) is up more than 5% at $5.08 in pre-market hours Wednesday. The company announced the pre-publication of a manuscript that describes the pre-clinical development of a COVID-19 vaccine based on its oral adenovirus platform. An Investigational New Drug application, seeking clearance to initiate a phase I trial of its oral COVID-19 vaccine candidate was filed by Vaxart with the FDA last month.

7. Kamada Ltd. (KMDA) is up over 4% at $9.63 in pre-market trading Wednesday. The company announced initial interim results from its ongoing phase I/II clinical trial of anti-SARS-CoV-2 plasma-derived hyperimmune immunoglobulin (IgG) product as a potential treatment for COVID-19 in Israel. According to the trial results, in 11 of the 12 patients, there was an improvement in symptoms within 24 to 48 hours of treatment. All 11 patients were subsequently discharged from the hospital within a median of 4.5 days from treatment. The top-Line results from this trial are expected by January of 2021. The company expects to initiate the COVID-19 trial in the U.S. early next year.

In the Red

1. Hookipa Pharma Inc (HOOK) is down more than 10% at $9.10 in pre-market hours Wednesday, giving back some of what it gained yesterday. The company plans to report preliminary efficacy and updated safety and immunogenicity data from its phase II clinical trial of its lead product candidate HB-101 in patients awaiting kidney transplantation who are at risk for CMV-associated complications post-transplant by the end of 2020.

2. Eyenovia Inc. (EYEN) is down more than 10% at $3.13 in pre-market hours today. The company is planning to submit its New Drug Application for MicroStat, being developed for pharmacologic mydriasis (eye dilation) by the end of 2020.