Why ImmunityBio (IBRX) Is Surging Today

ImmunityBio (IBRX) is jumping 20% after the drug maker reported that the FDA had approved its use of an “alternative source of BCG.” Specifically, the company will now be able to provide this alternative to urologists for use in combination with IBRX’s bladder cancer treatment, Anktiva.

Typically utilized in conjunction with Anktiva, the common type of BCG has been in short supply in the U.S., the company reported.

More Information About BCG and IBRX’s Alternative Source

“A benign bacterium originally developed as a live vaccine against tuberculosis,” BCG ” has been the standard of care for patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) since 1977,” IBRX reported. The vaccine is used in combination with IBRX’s biologic immunotherapy, Anktiva, which has been approved by the FDA as a treatment for certain types of NMIBC.

A scientist in the lab, researching the development of biopharmaceutical monoclonal antibody drugs.

But a recent survey of 100 urologists found that 57% “were unable to treat patients in the last 12 months due to a lack of access to TICE^® BCG,” according to IBRX. TICE BCG is the commonly used type of BCG.

The alternative source of BCG recently approved by the FDA was created “by the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest manufacturer of vaccines by volume,” IBRX reported. This “recombinant BCG vaccine” stimulates patients’ immune cells and is safer than “earlier BCG strains and formulations,” the company stated.

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Disclosure: The author owns shares of IBRX but has no intention of trading them in the next 48 hours. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.