ASH will release regular meeting abstracts on Wednesday, followed by late-breaking abstracts on Dec.7.
- Investors are watching for possible SLS009 updates as Sellas expects Q4 topline results from its Phase 2 study in newly diagnosed AML.
- Sellas has a 600-square-foot booth at the Dec.12 to Dec.15 ASH meeting in New Orleans, in the same hall as several major drugmakers.
- Q3 holdings disclosures showed stake increases by Pictet, Swiss Life, Arizona State Retirement System and Xponance.
Shares of Sellas Life Sciences (SLS) snapped a four-day losing streak on Tuesday as retail investors looked ahead to abstracts from the American Society of Hematology (ASH), while fresh filings revealed increased holdings by Swiss asset managers and Arizona State Retirement System.
SLS stock jumped nearly 4% on Tuesday to $8.70.
SLS Bulls Count Down To ASH Abstracts
ASH will release regular meeting abstracts on Wednesday, with late-breaking abstracts following on Dec.7. Sellas investors are watching for possible updates on SLS009, or Tambiciclib, its CDK9 inhibitor being studied in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In August, Sellas said it expected fourth-quarter topline results from its Phase 2 study of SLS009 in newly diagnosed AML.
The releases set the stage for the 68th ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition, running Dec.12 to Dec.15 in New Orleans. The event brings together blood-disease specialists, researchers and drugmakers, with more than 275 exhibitors expected. Sellas has a 600-square-foot booth at the far end of Hall G, directly beside the poster area. Its 20-by-30-foot space, Booth 138, puts it in the same hall as large exhibits from Eli Lilly, Takeda, Genentech and AstraZeneca.
Pfizer, Merck, Sanofi, AbbVie and Bristol Myers Squibb have booths across other halls, while Johnson & Johnson is in Hall J, farther from Sellas. The broader exhibitor lineup includes GSK, Novartis, Amgen, Novo Nordisk, Daiichi Sankyo, Astellas, and Gilead and Kite Oncology.
Swiss Managers And Arizona Pension Raise Stakes
Several institutional investors increased their stakes in Sellas during the third quarter, according to Sept.30 holdings disclosed in Tuesday filings tracked by Fiscal.ai.
Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its stake by 15%, adding 3,704 shares to hold 27,688. Swiss Life Asset Management increased its stake by nearly 10%, adding 1,168 shares to bring its total to 13,292.
Meanwhile, Arizona State Retirement System added 5,839 shares, lifting its holding by 12% to 55,391. Xponance increased its position by 3% to 19,025 shares.
Sellas’ Regal Enters Final Analysis Stage
Sellas announced last week that its Phase 3 Regal trial had reached the prespecified 80th event, or death, clearing the way for database lock, unblinding and final statistical analysis.
The randomized trial is testing Galinpepimut-S (GPS) as maintenance treatment for AML patients in second complete remission. Its primary endpoint is overall survival. “Reaching the 80th event represents a critical milestone in the REGAL trial,” CEO Angelos Stergiou said. Sellas expects preliminary topline results this quarter but has not set a release date.
How Do Retail Traders Feel About SLS?
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for SLS jumped to ‘extremely bullish’ from ‘bullish’ levels a day ago amid ‘high’ message volume.
One user anticipates SLS009 data in the abstract release and said that the drug’s potential “should alone be 5X our current market Cap.” Another user said, “it is not far fetched to think we may see data relating to GPS Expanded Access Program, and even more likely to see data regarding SLS-009.”
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A separate trader also distinguished the ASH release from the pending Regal readout. “tomorrow they can say something about sls009, not about regal”
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Institutional ownership also drew attention. “Institutions just keep loading up,” another user said.
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SLS stock has risen 135% year-to-date.
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