IBRX Stock Rally Not Over Yet? Chairman Says Trump Diplomacy Led To ‘Amazing Results’ For Cancer Drug

Traders are closely watching positioning, as short interest hit a record 13.7% of the free float amid a jump in retail activity on Stocktwits this week.

• Soon-Shiong said that ImmunityBio has also initiated the process of establishing a “world bank of natural killer cells.
• ImmunityBio recently partnered with Accord Healthcare to expand access to Anktiva across 30 countries.
• Earlier this week, the company received European Union approval for Anktiva in combination with BCG for certain patients with bladder cancer.

Shares of ImmunityBio, Inc. (IBRX) have entered the spotlight again after executive chairman Patrick Soon-Shiong said that talks with U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman helped accelerate regulatory approvals and global expansion for the company’s cancer immunotherapy, Anktiva.

IBRX Stock has posted gains throughout the week, with shares climbing nearly 1% on Thursday to hit their highest levels since May 2024. 

Saudi Momentum Builds

Soon-Shiong said on X that a meeting held in May 2025 with the world leaders led to “amazing results and action,” including the approval for lung cancer tied to the company’s “Bioshield” platform for Anktiva and the establishment of a Saudi Arabia unit to support physicians and healthcare systems across the Middle East and North Africa region. The meeting took place around the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum, an event held alongside Trump’s state visit to Riyadh.

“Distribution readiness of Anktiva for both bladder and lung cancer patients since approval just one year ago will amaze all at the speed,” Soon-Shiong added.

‘World Bank Of Natural Killer Cells’ Vision

In a separate post on X, Soon-Shiong said that ImmunityBio has initiated efforts to establish a “world bank of natural killer cells.”

He said ImmunityBio has identified global cancer centers where AI-driven manufacturing robots will be installed, with the goal of automating the storage and engineering of trillions of natural killer cells for use as off-the-shelf therapies, including engineered CAR-NK treatments linked to Anktiva.

“The AI-driven manufacturing robot (Leonardo) has been trained with our software and more news to come soon on that,” Soon-Shion said.

Regulatory Wins Stack Up

The comments come amid a busy week for ImmunityBio. On Thursday, the company announced a partnership with Accord Healthcare to expand access to Anktiva across 30 countries, alongside the establishment of an Irish unit in Dublin for commercialization efforts across Europe.

Earlier in the week, ImmunityBio received European Union approval for Anktiva in combination with BCG for certain bladder cancer patients, clearing the therapy for use across all EU member states as well as Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. The approval followed a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency in December.

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority also encouraged ImmunityBio this week to submit a filing for its recombinant BCG therapy to address treatment shortages and granted accelerated approval in January for Anktiva in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer and BCG-unresponsive bladder cancer.

Short Squeeze Watch

ImmunityBio has remained in focus among traders amid elevated short interest and rising retail engagement. Short positioning hit a record high between Feb. 13 and Feb. 19 at 13.7% of the free float as investors awaited regulatory clarity in Europe.

Options activity also reflected heightened interest, with increased call volume and elevated implied volatility.

How Did Stocktwits Users React?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for IBRX was ‘bullish’ amid a 252% jump in message volumes this week.

One user said, “Only a matter of time before the US FDA gets off their high pharma-bought horse and gives approval. This makes accumulating stock and call leaps a virtual no-brainer. And you're investing in a company that is actually helping people.”

Another user said, “Tomorrow's going to be a blast, breaking 52-week highs one after another. “

IBRX stock has skyrocketed 225% year-to-date.

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