BBIO stock breaks out after crushing expectations, and its rivals, in a midget study
BridgeBio Pharma (BBIO) shattered Wall Street’s expectations in a study of children with dwarfism, causing BBIO stock to break out on massive volume.
X
The company tested a drug called infigratinib in children with achondroplasia, a genetic condition that slows bone growth. After six months, eight out of 10 children responded to the treatment. The group had an improvement in annual height velocity – how much they could be expected to grow in a year – of 3.03 centimetres.
Analysts had expected an improvement of 1.52 centimeters, Mizuho Securities analyst Salim Syed said in a report. In comparison, a rival treatment from BioMarin Pharmaceutical (BMRN) called Voxzogo showed an improvement of 2.01 centimeters per year in annualized height velocity in a similar test. Ascending Pharma (ASND) is also studying a treatment for achondroplasia.
“To say the data (was) a victory might be an understatement,” he said. “We now see that annual rate of elevation means change from baseline and in absolute terms in a whole new level.”
In morning trading on the stock market today, the BBIO share rose 61.2% to 17.52. Shares broke out of a prolonged consolidation with a buy point at 12.74, according to MarketSmith.com. BioMarin shares fell 6.7% near 94.38. Ascendis shares fell 1.2% near 112.79.
BBIO stock: 99th percentile growth
Achondroplasia affects a protein called fibroblast growth factor receptor, or FGFR. In children with this disorder, the protein functions abnormally and slows bone growth. BridgeBio’s infigratinib blocks one form of that FGFR protein.
In this study, BridgeBio tested the treatment on 12 children. Two did not respond and two have not yet reached the six-month follow-up limit. At the median, children receiving infigratinib had an annual height velocity of 7.6 centimeters per year. It is outside the 99th percentile for children with this disorder.
The two patients who had not yet reached a six-month follow-up had an annual height velocity of 8.8 centimeters per year based on three-month data.
Mizuho’s Syed estimates that BBIO stock could reach a market value of $3 billion based on this very substance. The company’s market capitalization reached $2.63 billion in mid-morning trading, up from $1.65 billion before the market opened. He has a buy rating and 23 price targets on BridgeBio shares.
No data security issues
Importantly, the drug had no safety concerns. None of the patients had high levels of phosphate in their blood – an important safety signal for this treatment. High phosphate can lead to kidney problems.
There was one case of high blood phosphate in a previous study. But it was a mild case that was resolved by a dose adjustment.
“This data clearly (positions) infigratinib as BridgeBio’s second most risk-free late-stage asset, and we expect shares to trade up into the high-teens today,” SVB Leerink analyst Mani Foroohar said in a report. He has an outperform rating on the BBIO share and raised the price target to 26 from 20.
Mizuho’s Syed expects BridgeBio to run a similar clinical trial for infigratinib as BioMar’s Voxzogo. In phase 3 testing, BioMarin enrolled 120 patients.
“Management noted that there are already around 60 participant places already requested, reflecting a high level of interest which should translate into a high enrollment rate,” he said.
The news sent BridgeBio shares to their highest point since December 2021. BBIO stock has a relative strength rating of 93, which places the stock in the top 7% of all stocks when it comes to 12-month performance, according to IBD Digital.
Follow Allison Gatlin on Twitter at @IBD_AGatlin.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
The next generation of cancer vaccines is coming; What it means for Moderna and other biotech stocks
Dexcom nears breakout after surprise Medicare decision for its devices
Today’s IBD Stock: See how to find, track and buy the best stocks
Want more IBD insights? Subscribe to our investment podcast!
Get timely buy and sell alerts with the IBD Leaderboard
