12 Healthcare Stocks That Trade At Premium To Their IPO Price

(RTTNews) - More than 150 companies belonging to the healthcare sector made their market debut in the U.S. this year. In this article, we discuss some of the IPO stocks that trade at a significant premium to their offer price.

1. Regencell Bioscience Holdings Limited (RGC), which made its debut on the Nasdaq Capital Market on July 16, offering its shares at a price of $9.50 each, was around $26 at last close. This reflects a gain of more than 170% over the IPO price.

Regencell Bioscience is a Hong Kong, China-based company developing traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of neurocognitive disorders and degeneration, specifically Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

In the company's first study using personalized traditional Chinese medicine formula in Hong Kong, there was a drop in assessment scores meaning that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder symptoms were less severe for patients who participated in the study.

RGC has thus far hit a low of $6.00 and a high of $59.00. The stock closed Monday's (Dec.27, 2021) trading at $26.11, down 1.47%.

2. Biofrontera Inc. (BFRI) was at $11.49 at last close, which equates to a gain of 129% over its IPO price of $5 per share.

A spinoff of Germany-based biopharmaceutical company Biofrontera AG's commercialized dermatology portfolio, Biofrontera Inc. made its debut on the Nasdaq Global Market on October 29, 2021.

The marketed products of Biofrontera Inc. include Ameluz, BF-RhodoLED lamp, and Xepi.

Ameluz, approved by the FDA in 2016, is intended for use in treating actinic keratosis on the face and scalp. Ameluz is used in combination with BF-RhodoLED lamp, a medical device for photodynamic therapy. Xepi, the company's in-licensed drug is a prescription drug for the treatment of impetigo, a common skin infection due to Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes.

A phase IIb study evaluating the safety and efficacy of Ameluz® in combination with the red-light lamp BF-RhodoLED for the treatment of moderate-to-severe acne with photodynamic therapy and a phase I study evaluating the safety and tolerability of photodynamic therapy for the treatment of actinic keratosis using three tubes of Ameluz together with the BF-RhodoLED ® XL lamp were initiated earlier this month.

For the third quarter ended Sep.30, 2021, the results of which were announced last month, total revenues were $4.3 million $4.3 million, an increase of 33% from last year, primarily due to higher sales of Ameluz, reflecting volume increases and a higher net selling price.

BFRI has thus far hit a low of $2.25 and a high of $14.63. The stock closed Monday's trading at $11.49, down 12.76%.

3. Prometheus Biosciences Inc. (RXDX) made its debut on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on March 12, 2021, offering its shares at a price of $19 each. The stock closed yesterday's trading at $38, reflecting a gain of 100% over the IPO price.

Prometheus Biosciences, Inc. is a biotechnology company developing precision antibody therapies for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD).

The company's lead therapeutic candidate is PRA023, a monoclonal antibody or mAB, against cytokine TL1A, a target associated with both intestinal inflammation and fibrosis.

PRA023 is under a phase II clinical trial in patients with moderate-to-severely active Ulcerative Colitis who have failed conventional therapy, including biologics, dubbed ARTEMIS-UC, and in a phase IIa trial in patients with moderate-to-severely active Crohn's disease with endoscopically active disease who have failed conventional therapy, including biologics, dubbed APOLLO-CD.

Topline results from both the trials are expected in the fourth quarter of 2022.

The company is also planning to explore PRA023 in Systemic Sclerosis-associated Interstitial Lung Disease (SSc-ILD), with the initiation of a Phase 2 clinical trial anticipated for the first quarter of 2022.

RXDX has thus far hit a low of $16.11 and a high of $39.98. The stock closed Monday's trading at $38.75, up 1.57%.

4. Valneva SE's (VALN) initial public offering on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on May 5, 2021, was priced at $26.41 per American Depositary Share. At last close, VALN was around $59, more than two-fold the offer price.

France-based Valneva is a specialty vaccine company developing prophylactic vaccines against Lyme disease, the chikungunya virus and COVID-19.

The European Medicines Agency has started a rolling review of VLA2001, the company's whole-virus inactivated, adjuvanted COVID-19 vaccine candidate, with regulatory approvals expected in the first quarter of 2022.

The company has two commercialized vaccines - IXIARO: for the prevention of disease caused by Japanese encephalitis virus, and Dukoral to protect people who are travelling to an area where there is a risk of cholera or diarrhea due to ETEC bacteria.

VALN has thus far hit a low of $24.16 and a high of $67.84. The stock closed Monday's trading at $59.31, up 3.49%.

5. Verve Therapeutics Inc. (VERV), a company developing gene editing medicines to treat patients with cardiovascular disease, began trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on June 17, 2021, at an offer price of $19 per share. The stock opened the first day of trading with a bang, at a price of $30 per share, which itself was 58% over the offer price. At last close, the stock was around $40, reflecting 110% gain over the offer price.

The company plans to begin clinical development of VERVE-101, its lead gene editing therapy targeting PCSK9, in 2022, initially focused on patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, a prevalent form of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

VERV has thus far hit a low of $29.50 and a high of $78.00. The stock closed Monday's trading at $40.01, down 3.17%.

6. Vera Therapeutics Inc. (VERA) made its Nasdaq debut on May 14, 2021, at an IPO price of $11 per share and at last close, was trading around $22, which is a two-fold gain over the offer price.

Vera is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing treatments for immunological diseases.

Recently, the company acquired MAU868, a first-in-class monoclonal antibody to treat BK Virus (BKV) infections, from Pfizer. A phase II clinical trial for MAU868 in kidney transplant patients is underway, with data readout in mid-2022.

VERA has thus far hit a low of $11.30 and a high of $37.11. The stock closed Monday's trading at $22.57, down 1.18%.

7. Mainz Biomed B.V. (MYNZ), a molecular genetics diagnostics company specializing in the early detection of cancer, commenced trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market on November 5, 2021, at a public offering price of $5.00 per share. At last close, the stock was trading around $10, representing over 100% gain over the offer price.

Early this month, the company launched ColoAlert.de, an ecommerce store providing Germans direct access to its ColoAlert colorectal cancer (CRC) screening test.

MYNZ has thus far hit a low of $7.80 and a high of $18.00. The stock closed Monday's trading at $10.82, up 4.24%.

8. GH Research PLC's (GHRS) IPO was priced at $16 per share and began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market on June 25. At last close, GHRS was around $23, which equates to a gain of 43% over its IPO price.

The Dublin, Ireland-based GH Research is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapies for psychiatric and neurological disorders.

The pipeline includes GH001, its proprietary inhalable 5- Methoxy-N,N-Dimethyltryptamine, or 5-MeO-DMT product candidate, GH002, its proprietary injectable 5-MeO-DMT product candidate, and GH003, its proprietary 5-MeO-DMT product candidate formulated for administration via a proprietary intranasal administration approach.

GH001 is in phase 2 clinical trial in patients with treatment-resistant depression. The company plans to request a pre-IND meeting with the FDA and a Scientific Advice meeting with the EMA in the first quarter of 2022 and, pending the outcome of these meetings, expects to initiate a multi-center, randomized, controlled Phase 2b trial of GH001 in treatment-resistant depression.

GH002 and GH003 are currently in preclinical development, for the potential treatment of psychiatric and neurological disorders.

GHRS has thus far hit a low of $12.38 and a high of $30.43. The stock closed Monday's trading at $23.71, unchanged from the previous day's close.

9. Rani Therapeutics Holdings Inc (RANI) closed yesterday's trading at $20.69, which equates to a gain of 88% over its IPO price of $11 per share. The company made its debut on the Nasdaq Global Market on July 30, 2021.

The Waltham, Massachusetts Rani Therapeutics Inc. is a clinical-stage biotherapeutics company, which has developed the RaniPill robotic drug delivery capsule, intended to replace subcutaneous or IV injection of biologics with oral dosing for various drug treatments.

The company's lead product candidate is RT-102, which comprises a RaniPill capsule containing a Parathyroid Hormone payload for the potential treatment or prevention of osteoporosis. RT-102 is expected to advance into a phase I study in 2022.

Rani completed a GLP 7-day repeat oral administration study evaluating safety and tolerability of RT-102, for Parathyroid hormone or PTH for the treatment of osteoporosis, and the initiation of phase 1 clinical trial in healthy volunteers is expected in 2022.

RT-101, for oral administration of octreotide for acromegaly and Neuroendocrine tumors, or NETs, completed a Phase 1 clinical trial, for which repeat-dose study is expected in 2022.

RANI has thus far hit a low of $9.24 and a high of $36.27. The stock closed Monday's trading at $ 20.69, up 11.24%.

10. Apria Inc. (APR) priced its initial public offering on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on February 11, 2021, at $20 per share. At last close, APR was around $32, representing a gain of 60% over its offer price.

Apria is a commercial-stage company offering a comprehensive range of products and services for in-home care and delivery across three core service lines: home respiratory therapy; obstructive sleep apnea treatment; and negative pressure wound therapy.

For the third quarter ended September 30, 2021, the company's net income surged to $22.8 million from $5.7 million in the prior year. Quarterly net revenues were $287.2 million compared to $276.8 million a year ago.

For the year ended December 31, 2021, the company expects net revenue to range between to $1.13 billion and $1.15 billion.

APR has thus far hit a low of $ 20.07 and a high of $40.00. The stock closed Monday's trading at $32.14, down 1.56%.

11. Seattle, Washington-based Icosavax Inc. (ICVX) is a biopharmaceutical company developing vaccines against infectious diseases, with an initial focus on life-threatening respiratory diseases, based on its innovative virus-like particle (VLP) platform technology.

The company made its debut on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on July 29, 2021, offering its shares at a price of $15.00 each. The stock closed yesterday's trading at around $22, reflecting a gain of 50% over its IPO price.

A phase 1/1b clinical trial of IVX-121 vaccine candidate that targets respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of IVX-411 vaccine candidate that targets SARS-CoV-2 are underway - with interim top-line data readouts expected the first half of 2022.

ICVX has thus far hit a low of $19.14 and a high of $49.99. The stock closed Monday's trading at $22.51, down 2.72%.

12. Immuneering Corp (IMRX), a biopharmaceutical company developing translational bioinformatics platform to advance oncology and neuroscience drug candidates. The company made its debut on the Nasdaq Global Market on July 30, 2021, offering its shares at a price of $15 each. At last close, the stock was around $18, which represents a gain of 20% over its IPO price.

The lead drug candidate is IMM-1-104, currently in IND-enabling studies for the treatment of advanced solid tumors in patients harboring RAS mutant tumors. An IND application seeking FDA clearance to advance IMM-1-104 into clinical testing is expected to be submitted to the FDA in the first quarter of 2022.

IMRX has thus far hit a low of $16.06 and a high of $33.99. The stock closed Monday's trading at $18.30, down 10.73%.