Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Stock Gaps Down Ahead of Trading

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Aurinia Pharmaceuticals ($NASDAQ:AUPH) Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing treatments for autoimmune diseases. The company’s lead product candidate is voclosporin, which is in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of lupus nephritis. Aurinia’s stock gapped down on Monday, opening at a price lower than the previous day’s close. The stock has been volatile in recent weeks, with analysts attributing the movement to speculation around the company’s Phase III clinical trial results.

Investors will be closely watching the results of the trial, as a successful outcome could mean a major milestone for the company. A successful Phase III clinical trial would put Aurinia on the path to commercializing voclosporin, which has the potential to be a best-in-class treatment for lupus nephritis.

Stock Price

On Monday, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $7.1 and closed at $7.0, down by 2.1% from last closing price of 7.1. So far, media coverage of the company has been mostly positive. However, some investors are concerned about the company’s future prospects. Live Quote…

About the Company

VI Analysis

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals is a Canadian biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing treatments for autoimmune diseases. The company’s most advanced product candidate is voclosporin, a twice-daily, oral calcineurin inhibitor for the treatment of lupus nephritis . Aurinia is also evaluating voclosporin in other indications such as focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and dry eye syndrome . In two large, global, Phase 2 clinical trials, once-daily voclosporin demonstrated statistically significant treatment effects compared to placebo in achieving remission in patients with active LN. Aurinia is currently enrolling patients in AURORA, a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of voclosporin versus placebo in inducing remission of active LN. The company has a strong and experienced management team and board with a proven track record in the biopharmaceutical industry. Based on the above, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals appears to be a high risk investment. The company’s most advanced product candidate, voclosporin, is still in clinical trials and has not yet been approved by any regulatory authority. In addition, the company has several other product candidates in early-stage development, meaning that it will likely be several years before any of these products generate significant revenue. Finally, the company is heavily reliant on Vifor Pharma’s strategic investment, which could be at risk if Vifor decides to sell its stake in Aurinia. More…

VI Peers

The company’s lead candidate, voclosporin, is a novel, potentially first-in-class immunomodulatory drug that is being investigated for the treatment of lupus nephritis and other autoimmune diseases. Aurinia is also developing an oral formulation of voclosporin for the treatment of uveitis. Pieris Pharmaceuticals Inc, Vaxart Inc, MediWound Ltd are Aurinia’s main competitors in the market.

– Pieris Pharmaceuticals Inc ($NASDAQ:PIRS)

Pieris Pharmaceuticals Inc is a publicly traded company with a market capitalization of $74.41M as of March 2022. The company has a Return on Equity of -89.14%. Pieris Pharmaceuticals Inc is a biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the development of Anticalin proteins to treat a variety of respiratory diseases, including asthma, COPD, and cystic fibrosis.

– Vaxart Inc ($NASDAQ:VXRT)

Vaxart Inc is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of oral recombinant vaccines. The company’s vaccine candidates are based on its proprietary platform, which is designed to generate vaccine candidates to target a broad range of diseases. Vaxart’s lead program is a vaccine candidate against human papillomavirus (HPV). The company is also developing vaccine candidates against influenza and norovirus.

– MediWound Ltd ($NASDAQ:MDWD)

MediWound Ltd is a global biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures, and markets innovative therapeutics to address unmet needs in the fields of severe burns, chronic and other hard-to-heal wounds. The company has a market capitalization of 56.19 million as of 2022 and a return on equity of 193.32%. MediWound was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Yavne, Israel.

Summary

If you’re looking for a biotech stock with potential upside, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals might be worth considering. The company is currently commercializing its only drug, Voclosporin, for the treatment of lupus nephritis. While sales of the drug have been modest so far, there is potential for growth as Aurinia plans to expand into additional indications. Aurinia also has a pipeline of other drugs in development, which gives it additional upside potential. And with a market cap of just over $1 billion, Aurinia is a relatively small biotech stock, which means it could have more room to run if its drugs are successful. Of course, like with any stock, there are risks to investing in Aurinia. The company is still early in its commercialization journey and it remains to be seen if Voclosporin will be successful in the long run.

Additionally, the success of Aurinia’s pipeline drugs is far from guaranteed. Still, for investors willing to take on some risk, Aurinia could be a compelling biotech stock to watch.