Immunome finds antibodies targeting coronavirus variants, shares surge

Hanall Biopharma

18/02/2021 13:58

** Biopharma co's shares  IMNM.O  more than doubles to
$59.80 premarket, set for record high if gains hold 
    ** Stock among top pct gainers across U.S. exchanges
premarket
    ** IMNM says it has discovered potent antibodies capable of
neutralizing several COVID-19 variants, including the B.1.351
South African variant  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nBw2pKxRa
    ** Says it has identified antibodies that bind to
non-overlapping regions of the spike protein, including those
regions containing the critical mutational variants
    ** IMNM's COVID-19 program aims to develop a cocktail of
antibodies targeting spike and non-spike proteins 
    ** Lab testing recently found Regeneron Pharma's  REGN.O 
COVID-19 antibody cocktail can fight a S. African variant but
Eli Lilly's  LLY.N  drug, bamlanivimab, is inactive against it
(https://reut.rs/2NytKqe)
    ** Stock has surged ~65% since its market debut in October

 (Reporting by Amruta Khandekar)
 ((Amruta.Khandekar@thomsonreuters.com;))