Today's Top 6 Gainers In Healthcare Sector (CNST, APRE, PETS…)

(RTTNews) - The following are some of today's top gainers in the healthcare sector.

1. Xenetic Biosciences Inc. (XBIO)

Xenetic Biosciences Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on progressing XCART, a personalized CAR T platform technology engineered to target patient-specific tumor neoantigens. The Company's proprietary drug development platform, PolyXen, is designed to aid next-generation biologic drugs by improving their half-life and other pharmacological properties.

Xenetic Biosciences has an exclusive license agreement with Takeda Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. for PolyXen delivery technology for hemophilia factors VII, VIII, IX, and X, and expects to earn royalty payments under this agreement.

Gained 33.87% to close Monday's (Oct.21) trading at $1.66.

News: No news

Near-term Catalyst:

The Company is slated to make a presentation at BIO Investor Forum on Wednesday, October 23, 2019, at 2:45 PM PT in San Francisco, CA.

2. PetMed Express Inc. (PETS)

PetMed Express is a pet pharmacy, delivering prescription and non-prescription pet medications and other health products for dogs, cats, and horses.

Gained 33.74% to close Monday's trading at $26.00.

News: The Company announced its financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2019. The Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share on the Company's common stock.

Although the quarterly earnings and sales for the second quarter of 2019 were lower than the year-ago comparable quarter, they have topped analysts' expectations.

For the quarter ended September 30, 2019, net income was $6.7 million, or $0.33 per share on net sales of $69.9 million. This compared with net income of $10.8 million, or $0.52 diluted per share, and net sales of $71.4 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2018.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters were expecting earnings of $0.26 per share and sales of $69.65 million for the second quarter of 2019.

The quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share will be payable on November 15, 2019, to shareholders of record at the close of business on November 4, 2019.

3. Aprea Therapeutics Inc. (APRE)

Aprea Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company, whose lead drug candidate is APR-246, a small molecule in clinical development for myelodysplastic syndromes, acute myeloid leukemia, as well as additional hematologic and solid tumor malignancies.

Gained 21.50% to close Monday's trading at $26.00.

News: No news

Recent event:

The Company went public on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on October 3, 2019, offering its shares at a price of $15 each.

Clinical Trials & Near-term Catalysts:

-- A pivotal phase III trial of APR-246 with Vidaza for the frontline treatment of TP53 mutant MDS is underway, with initial data from this trial expected in the second half of 2020. -- Two phase 1b/2 investigator-initiated trials, one in the U.S. and one in France, testing APR-246 with Vidaza as frontline treatment in TP53 mutant MDS and AML patients are ongoing. -- Top-line results on the CR rate primary endpoint and the median duration of response from the U.S. trial are expected in the second half of 2019. -- A phase II trial evaluating APR-246 with Vidaza as post-transplant maintenance therapy in TP53 mutant MDS and AML patients who have received allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is enrolling patients.

4. NanoViricides, Inc. (NNVC)

NanoViricides is involved in developing nanomedicine drugs against viruses.

Gained 17.68% to close Monday's trading at $2.33.

News: No news

Pipeline:

As part of the required IND-enabling preclinical safety and toxicology studies of moving towards human clinical trials, the Company initiated bio-analytical studies of its lead drug candidate NV-HHV-101 for topical dermal treatment of the shingles rash early this month.

5. Constellation Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (CNST)

Constellation Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics for cancer.

Gained 16.26% to close Monday's trading at $14.80.

News: No news

CNST was trading around $7.51, when we alerted our premium subscribers to this stock on October 3, 2019. (Report titled "Will this stock brighten up investors' portfolio?")

6. Satsuma Pharmaceuticals Inc. (STSA)

Satsuma Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing STS101 (dihydroergotamine mesylate (DHE) nasal powder) for the acute treatment of migraine.

Gained 15.18% to close Monday's trading at $11.91.

News: No news

Recent event:

The Company's stock made its debut on the NASDAQ on September 13, 2019, at an opening price of $18.34.

Clinical Trials & Near-term Catalyst:

-- A phase III trial of STS101 in approximately 1,140 migraine patients, dubbed EMERGE, is underway, with top-line data anticipated in the second half of 2020. -- If all goes well as planned, the Company has planned to initiate a 12-month safety trial of STS101, with NDA filing anticipated by the end of 2021.