The world is in desperate need of a COVID-19 cure.With more than two million people now infected with 129,045 deaths on record, we’re running out of time. However, we may also be one step closer to a solution with companies like Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) and Inovio Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:INO) in human trials, but does that make INO stock worth getting into now?
Moderna is in a Phase 1 trial of its mRNA-1273 with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). They’ve just begun to enroll patients.
“Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine, which has drawn enormous attention in recent months, is among nine experimental prophylactic vaccines the company is developing. All of the vaccines employ the same approach, in which small bits of messenger RNA are used to activate the immune system against a particular virus,” reports Barron’s contributor Josh Nathan-Kazis.
At the same time, Inovio just launched its Phase 1 trials of INO-4800 for a vaccine. Should all go according to plan, INO could run to at least $20 a share.
Human Trials for INO-4800 Already Began
After getting the approval of the U.S. FDA in early April 2020, trials began on 40 adult volunteers in Philadelphia and Kansas City.
According to a statement from the company, “each participant will receive two doses of INO-4800 four weeks apart, which should provide Inovio with initial immune responses and safety data by late summer.”
“We’ve tested our DNA medicine vaccines in thousands of people over the course of our experience. So, we have a good handle on how these vaccines react in the clinic, and we’re very comfortable with that,” said Inovio Senior Vice President, R&D, Kate Broderick. “We are very, very comfortable with safety database we have collected so far.”
The company has said preclinical results for the vaccine were consistent with Phase 1 studies of MERS, which was also caused by a coronavirus. Should INO-4800 continue to show strong benefits, Inovio will move into Phase 2 quickly. From there, should it find success, the company plans to have one million doses ready by year-end.
Nothing is a guarantee with drug development, however, there’s good potential here that could drive the INO stock higher through progression.
There’s More to Like About INO Stock than Just COVID-19 Vaccine
While a COVID-19 vaccine would certainly thrust INO stock into the spotlight, it’s not the only one in the Inovio pipeline.
Again, according to the website the company uses DNA and next-generation sequencing and delivery to activate the immune system is also working on a host of treatments.
For example, the company is currently in Phase 3 trials for cervical HSIL, or high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions with VGX-3100., as well as treatments for vulvar HSIL, and anal HSIL, which produced positive interim Phase 2 results.
It’s also in Phase 1 studies for INO-3107 for recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP), a rare disease that impacts about 15,000 people in the U.S. per year.
That’s in addition to current Phase 2 trials for INO-5151 for prostate cancer, Phase 2 trials of MEDi0457 for the treatment of neck and head cancer, and Phase 2 trials of INO-5401 for the treatment of glioblastoma, an unfortunately common brain tumor.
In short, Inovio has quite a healthy pipeline. While it’s not yet profitable that could soon change, as it moves forward with human trials of its COVID-19 vaccine. Should all go well, I strongly believe the INO stock could quickly rally to $20 a share, near-term.
Ian Cooper, a contributor to InvestorPlace.com, has been analyzing stocks and options for web-based advisories since 1999. As of this writing, Ian Cooper did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
