Goldman Sachs Builds $75M Bet Across CAPR, SLS And IBRX As Major Catalysts Loom

Goldman increased its stake in Sellas by 5.2% to 585,035 shares, worth $8.64 million.

• Goldman raised its Capricor stake to 73%, or 1.58 million shares valued at $38 million.
• Capricor plans to amend Deramiocel’s BLA after the FDA indicated it was “willing to review” additional Hope-3 data.
• Goldman kept its IBRX stake nearly unchanged at 3.23 million shares valued at $28.32 million.

Goldman Sachs disclosed nearly $75 million in combined holdings across Capricor Therapeutics (CAPR), Sellas Life Sciences (SLS) and ImmunityBio (IBRX), placing the Wall Street giant behind three biotech firms approaching major FDA, clinical-trial and commercial milestones.

Goldman Boosts CAPR Stake By 73%

Goldman added 666,155 Capricor shares, increasing its stake by 73% to 1.58 million shares worth $38 million at quarter-end. Capricor is pursuing a revised FDA pathway for Deramiocel after an advisory committee voted 9-3 against whether available evidence established the drug’s effectiveness for treating cardiomyopathy in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients.

The company plans to amend its Biologics License Application (BLA) with 24-month open-label extension data from the Phase 3 Hope-3 study and additional analyses supporting a narrower upper-limb skeletal muscle indication. CEO Linda Marban said that the FDA is “willing to review” the amendment and extend Deramiocel’s current Aug. 22 PDUFA action date after receiving it.

“Let me be clear that the Hope-3 primary endpoint was unaffected, and its significance stands both statistically and clinically,” Marban said. The primary endpoint showed a statistically significant slowing of upper-limb disease progression.

Goldman Adds SLS Ahead Of Phase 3 Trigger

Goldman increased its Sellas stake by 29,122 shares, or 5.2%, to 585,035 shares valued at $8.64 million. Investor attention is still centered on Sellas’ Phase 3 Regal trial of Galinpepimut-S (GPS) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. The study has recorded 78 of the 80 events required to trigger its final analysis.

After the 80th event, Sellas will begin the database lock, blinded review, statistical analysis and unblinding process before releasing topline results. Sellas has said Regal would be successful if GPS extends median overall survival to 12.6 months, compared with eight months for standard treatment. The company has also enrolled 28 of 80 planned patients in a Phase 2 study of SLS009 in newly diagnosed AML, with initial results expected in the fourth quarter. Sellas ended Q2 with $138.3 million in cash and equivalents.

Goldman Holds Tight To IBRX

Goldman trimmed its ImmunityBio stake by just 2,801 shares, or 0.09%, leaving it with 3.23 million shares valued at $28.32 million. ImmunityBio’s commercial momentum is accelerating around Anktiva. Second-quarter net product revenue increased 92% year-over-year and 15% sequentially to a record $50.7 million, marking the immunotherapy’s eighth consecutive quarter of growth. First-half revenue surged 121% to $94.8 million.

Anktiva recently secured its broadest authorization yet in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), covering certain BCG-unresponsive bladder cancers, including papillary-only disease, and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. The FDA is also reviewing ImmunityBio’s application to expand Anktiva’s U.S. label to papillary-only bladder cancer, with a decision scheduled for Jan.6, 2027.

How Do Retail Traders Feel About CAPR, SLS And IBRX?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment was ‘bullish’ for both CAPR and SLS, with ‘high’ message volume for CAPR and ‘normal’ chatter for SLS. IBRX sentiment was ‘bearish’ amid ‘low’ message volume. 

Over the past year, SLS outperformed both IBRX and CAPR, soaring 725%, compared with a 179% gain for ImmunityBio and a 15% decline for Capricor. 

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