WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The following biotech stocks reached a 52-week high on August 18, 2026, primarily driven by positive quarterly reports.
Amylyx Pharmaceuticals Inc. (AMLX)
Amylyx Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company specializing in developing therapies for neurodegenerative and endocrine disorders. The company saw shares soar over 63% to a 52-week high of $35.39 on Tuesday.
The company has been developing Avexitide, an investigational therapy for post-bariatric hypoglycemia (PBH), that is currently under evaluation in the Phase 3 LUCIDITY trial. Positive topline results were released on Tuesday, demonstrating that dosed patients experienced a 55% reduction in hypoglycemic events. A new drug application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is anticipated by the end of 2026.
Following the announcement, the company reported commencing a public offering of up to $350 million of shares with an underwriters' option worth an additional $52.5 million.
Amylyx also completed enrollment in the Phase 1 LUMINA trial for AMX0114, an investigational antisense oligonucleotide that shows potential in treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Vogenx Inc. (VOGX)
Vogenx is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel therapeutics to treat metabolic diseases. On Tuesday, shares surged to a 52-week high of $20.01, ending the day up 25%.
Vogenx debuted on the Nasdaq Capital Market on August 12, 2026, and commenced trading with an initial public offering (IPO) of 6,250,000 shares of common stock at $13 per share. The company gained about $81.3 million from the IPO.
Mizagliflozin is the company's lead product candidate, and is currently being advanced for the treatment of post-bariatric hypoglycemia (PBH), gastroparesis, and GIP-dependent Cushing's syndrome. The Phase 2b EMERGE trial evaluating the drug for PBH reported positive results in June, as the drug demonstrated a clinically meaningful reduction of glucose and hypoglycemic events.
AtriCure Inc. (ATRC)
AtriCure provides various technologies to treat Atrial fibrillation or Afib, which is an irregular heart rhythm originating in the upper heart chambers known as atria. Shares climbed to a 52-week high of $46.33 in Tuesday's trade.
Among the company's products is the Isolator Synergy surgical ablation system, used to repair faulty atrial walls that cause Afib. The system was the first medical device for treating persistent Afib that received FDA approval. Other treatments include AtriClip, that acts as a left atrial appendage (LAA) exclusion system, the minimally-invasive Hybrid AF therapy, and the cryoICE cryoSPHERE and cryoXT probes for temporary ablation to block peripheral nerve signalling.
For the second quarter of this year, the company reported a revenue of $153.6 million, reflecting a 12.8% growth. Revenue for the full year of 2026 are estimated between $602 million and $610 million, considerably higher than the $534 million recorded last year.
Charles River Laboratories International Inc. (CRL)
Charles River Laboratories is engaged in aspects of drug discovery, non-clinical development, and safety testing. Shares shot up to a 52-week high of $289.60 on Tuesday.
The company released second quarter earnings earlier this month, recording a revenue of over $1 billion, a marginal 2.7% decrease from the previous year. Non-GAAP earnings per share for the full year of 2026 are estimated to rise by $0.25 at mid-point.
The company has continued to develop transgenic rodents to facilitate pre-clinical research and safety testing and reportedly provided mice models facilitating testing of over 90% of drugs receiving FDA approval in 2025. Additionally, the company offers cell-line manufacture, toxicology testing, in vivo tools for human organoid assessment, and pre-clinical validation of antivirals.
Orchestra BioMed Holdings Inc. (OBIO)
Orchestra BioMed is a biomedical company specializing in developing therapies for vascular hypertension and arterial diseases. Shares peaked at a 52-week high of $5.77 in intraday trading following a rise of over 19% on Tuesday.
The company is working on two lead product candidates, namely, the Atrioventricular Interval Modulation (AVIM) therapy and the Virtue Sirolimus AngioInfusion Balloon (Virtue SAB). The AVIM therapy was developed to treat hypertension in patients with pacemakers and showed positive regulation of systolic pressure in the MODERATE II trial. The Virtue SAB delivers the drug sirolimus directly to arterial walls to reduce stenosis and yielded positive results for treating in-stent restenosis (ISR) in the European SABRE study. Both therapies have been granted a Breakthrough Device designation by the FDA.
Orchestra's net loss in the second quarter expanded 23% to $24.1 million as research and development expenses rose by 20%, owing to increased clinical activity.
This Day In History:
On this day in 1960, the first oral contraceptive pill went on sale in 1960. Enovid, marketed by the Searle Drug Company, consisted of progestin extracted from the Mexican Barbasco root, and small amounts of estrogen. Developed by Russell Marker, Gregory Pincus and Min Cheuh Chang, the pill was promoted by Margaret Sanger and Katharine McCormick in the U.S. and soon gained popularity in over 100 other countries by the end of the 20th century. Though primarily prescribed for birth control, the pill has been linked to reducing excessive bleeding during menstruation, in treating poly-cystic ovarian disease (PCOS), and other disorders.
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