7 Top Gainers In Healthcare Sector (PHAS, MLNT, TTOO...)

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

1. Histogenics Corporation (HSGX)

Gained 56% to close Monday's (Apr.8) trading at $0.17.

News: Histogenics has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Ocugen Inc., a privately held clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing a pipeline of innovative therapies that address rare and underserved eye diseases, to create a NASDAQ-listed company.

The combined publicly-traded, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company will operate under the Ocugen name.

Ocugen's lead asset is OCU400, a novel gene therapy currently in development as a gene augmentation therapy product for the treatment of NR2E3-mutation associated retinal degenerative diseases, which is a Phase 1/2a-ready product.

2. PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals Inc. (PHAS)

Gained 17.15% to close Monday's trading at $12.57.

News: In after hours, the Company announced that the FDA has granted Breakthrough Therapy designation for its investigational drug PB2452, a novel reversal agent for the antiplatelet drug ticagrelor.

In a phase I trial, PB2452 achieved immediate and sustained reversal of ticagrelor's antiplatelet effects, according to the Company.

Near-term Catalysts:

-- Initiate Phase 2a trial of PB2452 in the first half of 2019. -- Data readout from Phase 2a trial of PB2452 in the first half of 2019. -- Initiate Phase 2b trial of PB2452 in the second half of 2019. -- A Phase 2b clinical trial of PB1046 in patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension is underway, with results expected in the first half of 2020.

Recent event:

The Company went public on the Nasdaq Global Market on October 18, 2018, offering its shares at a price of $5.00 each.

3. Melinta Therapeutics Inc. (MLNT)

Melinta is a commercial-stage company focused on the development and commercialization of novel antibiotics to treat serious bacterial infections. The Company began trading on the NASDAQ on November 6, 2017, following its reverse merger with Cempra Inc.

Gained 15.15% to close Monday's trading at $4.94.

News: The Company is slated to make multiple scientific data presentations with data from its antibiotic portfolio at this year's 29th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), April 13-16 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Near-term Catalysts:

-- File a supplemental New Drug Application with the FDA for Baxdela for the treatment of adult patients with community-acquired bacterial pneumonia. Baxdela received its initial FDA approval in 2017 for the treatment of adult patients with acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI) caused by designated susceptible bacteria. -- European Commission approval decision for delafloxacin (to be marketed under the brand name Quofenix) for acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI). -- Country approvals for Baxdela in South America and Central America. -- Execute Latin America commercialization agreement for Vabomere, Orbactiv and Minocin for injection.

4. Celldex Therapeutics Inc. (CLDX)

Gained 14.75% to close Monday's trading at $4.98.

News: No news

Pipeline & Near-term Catalysts:

-- Enrollment continues in a Phase 1 dose-escalation study of CDX-1140 with recurrent, locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors and B cell lymphomas. -- Enrollment in the first stage of a Phase 2 study of CDX-3379 in advanced head and neck squamous cell cancer in combination with Erbitux in Erbitux-resistant patients who have been previously treated with or are ineligible for checkpoint therapy has been completed. The updated data from the study is expected to be presented at a future medical meeting in 2019.

Recent event:

A one for fifteen reverse stock split became effective February 8, 2019. Celldex common stock began trading on a split-adjusted basis on the NASDAQ Capital Market on February 11, 2019.

5. T2 Biosystems Inc. (TTOO)

T2 Biosystems is focused on developing innovative medical diagnostic products for critical unmet needs in healthcare.

Gained 12.73% to close Monday's trading at $3.10.

News: The Company announced today that on March 15, 2019, it issued inducement awards to seven new employees and on April 3, 2019, it issued inducement awards to four new employees.

The inducement awards granted on March 15, 2019 consist of options to purchase 142,000 shares of T2 Biosystems common stock, have a ten-year term and the exercise price of the options is $2.68, which was the per-share closing price of T2 Biosystems common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on March 15, 2019.

The inducement awards granted on April 3, 2019 consist of options to purchase 118,000 shares of T2 Biosystems common stock, have a ten-year term and the exercise price of the options is $2.65, which was the per-share closing price of T2 Biosystems common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on April 3, 2019.

Recent event:

On March 7, 2019, the Company reported financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2018.

Revenue for the fourth quarter of 2018 was $1.8 million, up 6% year-over-year, and for the full year was $10.5 million, up 123% compared to 2017.

For the first quarter of 2019, revenue is expected to be in the range of $1.3 million to $1.5 million. Looking ahead to full-year 2019, revenue is expected to double compared to $10.5 million in 2018.

6. CEL-SCI Corporation (CVM)

Gained 11.82% to close Monday's trading at $6.15.

News: No news

Recent event:

On March 29, 2019, the Independent Data Monitoring Committee (IDMC), which reviewed the data from the Company's pivotal phase III head and neck cancer study of investigational immunotherapy Multikine, recommended that the trial be continued until the appropriate number of events have occurred. 7. INmune Bio Inc. (INMB)

Gained 9.31% to close Monday's trading at $8.69.

News: The Company will be presenting a poster about new data on its neurodegenerative disease drug candidate XPro1595 at The European Conference on Neuroinflammation on April 8 and 9.

XPro1595 is entering a biomarker-directed Phase I clinical trial in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease who have biomarkers of neuroinflammation to determine if neutralizing soluble TNF can decrease those biomarkers neuroinflammation.

Recent event:

The Company went public on the Nasdaq Capital Market on February 4, 2019, offering its shares at a price of $8.00 each.