To The Moon

$Novo-Nordisk A/S(NVO)$ and $Eli Lilly(LLY)$ will have more competitors on weight loss?

Yesterday, after finishing writing about $Viking Therapeutics(VKTX)$ , the stock surged by another 11.11% on Wednesday.

The call options expiring on March 15th rose by 90%.

Another stock, $Vivani Medical, Inc.(VANI)$ , closed up by 270% on Wednesday.

According to public information, the company's weight loss solution has boosted people's spirits.

$Vivani Medical, Inc.(VANI)$ released preclinical data for NPM-115, its biannual subcutaneous implant of microdoses of liraglutide, being developed for long-term weight management. In studies involving obese mice, the implant "led to a weight reduction of approximately 20% compared to the sham-implanted controls after 28 days of treatment."

(Photo: Business Wire)

Additionally, $Vivani Medical, Inc.(VANI)$ conducted a second study using NPM-119 (a low-dose version of the subcutaneous implant) on healthy rats. After 15 weeks of treatment, researchers observed that the rats with the implant weighed about 25% less than the weight of the control group with carrier implants.

(Photo: Business Wire)

It is noteworthy that $Vivani Medical, Inc.(VANI)$ stated that the weight reduction observed is comparable to that seen in mice receiving popular Ozempic and Wegovy injection therapies from $Novo-Nordisk A/S(NVO)$

Fundamentally, interest in emerging biopharmaceuticals has surged as potential implants could offer convincing alternatives to Ozempic and Wegovy.

Despite $Novo-Nordisk A/S(NVO)$ 's advantage in FDA-approved therapies, they are not entirely convenient. Both typically require weekly injections and are costly. Without insurance, Wegovy sells for $1,627 per box, while Ozempic sells for $907 per box.

Although $Vivani Medical, Inc.(VANI)$ did not disclose the costs associated with its subcutaneous implants, this approach (requiring surgery only twice a year) may be more preferred than currently popular therapies. We await further developments.

Apart from $Vivani Medical, Inc.(VANI)$ there were also some movements in pharmaceutical stocks on Wednesday.

$Adial Pharmaceuticals(ADIL)$ +85%; $vTv Therapeutics(VTVT)$ +95.88%, which will announce its performance on March 4th; $INCANNEX HEALTHCARE LTD(IXHL)$ +48.58%.

As always, biopharmaceutical stocks are subject to significant volatility, with long experimental cycles for drugs and results having a dramatic impact on stock prices. The risk of single investment is immense.

In expectations of inflation or recession, biopharmaceutical ETFs remain a relatively lower-risk option. $Spdr S&P Biotech Etf(XBI)$ $NASDAQ Biotechnology(NBI)$