IBRX Garners Retail Attention On Positive Update In Immunotherapy For Lung Cancer Patients

The company reported positive results with ANKTIVA, which boosted immune function and improved survival in NSCLC when combined with checkpoint inhibitors.

• The company said that responding patients lived longer overall, with a median survival of 16.2 months.
• The data come from two clinical trials, evaluating 151 patients across first-line and later-line treatment settings.
• ImmunityBio is now advancing its Phase 3 trial, it said.

ImmunityBio Inc. (IBRX) stock caught retail attention on Tuesday after the company reported positive clinical results showing its immunotherapy ANKTIVA significantly boosts immune function and improves survival in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients when combined with checkpoint inhibitors.

The data come from two clinical trials, QUILT-2.023 and QUILT-3.055, evaluating 151 patients across first-line and later-line treatment settings.

IBRX shares were up 12.4% at the time of writing. Retail chatter increased to ‘high’ on Stocktwits while sentiment shifted to ‘extremely bullish’ from ‘bullish’ a day earlier.

One bullish user expects the U.S. Food and Drug Agency (FDA) to approve ANKTIVA for NSCLC and expand access broadly.

Another user sees the benefits of a non-chemotherapy treatment.

Outcome Of The Trials

In the first-line QUILT-2.023 study, patients receiving ANKTIVA plus a checkpoint inhibitor showed a statistically significant and sustained increase in absolute lymphocyte count (small white blood cell) compared with checkpoint inhibitor therapy alone. In the second- and later-line QUILT-3.055 study, 77% of patients maintained or restored healthy lymphocyte levels, showing ANKTIVA’s role as a lymphocyte-stimulating agent.

The company said that responding patients lived longer overall, with a median survival of 16.2 months, while those with stronger immune recovery had a median survival of 21.1 months, far exceeding historical results with standard chemotherapy.

ImmunityBio is now advancing its Phase 3 trial, comparing ANKTIVA plus checkpoint inhibitors to docetaxel in second-line NSCLC, it added.

“The results from these studies support a potential paradigm shift toward what we define as Immunotherapy 2.0, which is the coordinated activation of the innate immune system through natural killer cells and the adaptive immune system through T cells to restore immune competence and extend survival,” said Patrick Soon-Shiong, M.D., Founder, Executive Chairman, and Global Chief Scientific and Medical Officer of ImmunityBio.

Over the past year, IBRX shares have gained more than 20%.

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.<