5 Top Gainers In Healthcare Sector (MBOT, VVUS, RNN...)

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

1. Microbot Medical Inc. (MBOT)

Microbot Medical is a medical device company specializing in the design and development of transformational micro-robotic medical technologies.

Gained 307.92% to close Monday's (Jan.14) trading at $9.79.

News: The Company announced encouraging results from an independent in-vitro study of its Self-Cleaning Shunt, or SCS, for treating Hydrocephalus, also known as "water in the brain".

The study was conducted at Envigo CRS Israel, a provider of non-clinical contract research services and research models. Human brain glioblastoma cells were used in order to assess the performance of the Self-Cleaning Shunt in a test system with accelerated cell growth rate, accumulation and obstruction rates.

Near-term Catalyst:

A follow-up study in both in-vitro (lab) and in-vivo (animal) models is underway, with data expected in the second half of 2019.

2. VIVUS Inc. (VVUS)

Gained 38.20% to close Monday's trading at $4.45.

News: A retrospective study evaluating the cardiovascular safety of the Company's weight loss medication Qsymia indicates that the combined risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) was not elevated in patients currently taking Qsymia, or concurrently taking both phentermine and topiramate, compared with former users of these medications.

This study, conducted using medical claims databases, was prompted by the observation in clinical trials that participants taking Qsymia had higher heart rates than those taking a placebo.

In the third quarter ended September 30, 2018, Qsymia net product revenue was $9.74 million compared to $9.91 million in the year-ago quarter.

The Company is slated to report financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2018, in March.

3. AAC Holdings Inc. (AAC)

American Addiction Centers is a provider of inpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment services.

Gained 20.08% to close Monday's trading at $2.93.

News: No news

Recent event:

On December 7, 2018, the Company announced that its implemented cost reduction program, which includes an aggregate reduction of approximately 200 positions, is currently expected to reduce the total expenses on an annualized basis by approximately $15 million.

The Company currently expects to incur less than approximately $1 million in one-time cash expenditures to fully execute the cost reduction initiatives, the majority of which is expected to be incurred during 2019.

An SEC investigation into the Company's referral practices, cost reporting, billing practices, credit balances, physician ownership and joint ventures involving hospitals and other healthcare providers is ongoing.

In the third quarter ended September 30, 2018, the Company's total revenue declined to $77.47 million from $80.42 million in the comparable year-ago quarter.

Near-term Catalyst:

The Company is expected to report fourth quarter and full year 2018 financial results next month.

For full-year 2018, revenue is expected to be $315 million to $320 million. The Company's revenue in 2017 was $317.64 million.

4. Heat Biologics Inc. (HTBX)

Gained 16.80% to close Monday's trading at $1.46.

News: The Company announced that it has dosed the first patient in its phase II clinical trial investigating HS-110 in combination with Merck's Keytruda in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Near-term Catalyst:

New interim data from an ongoing phase II trial of HS-110 plus with Bristol-Myers Squibb's Opdivo combination have been selected for oral presentation at the 2019 ASCO-SITC Clinical Immuno-Oncology Symposium on February 28.

5. Rexahn Pharmaceuticals Inc. (RNN)

Gained 15.74% to close Monday's trading at $1.25.

News: The Company announced that it will present updated preliminary safety and efficacy data from its ongoing phase IIa clinical trial of RX-3117 in combination with ABRAXANE in first-line metastatic pancreatic cancer patients on January 18, 2019, at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancers Symposium.