2021 was a year to be easily forgotten for biotech stocks. The S&P 500 climbed 26.9%. However, SPDR S&P Biotech exchange-traded fund dropped 20.5%. Looks like 2022 will be “THE” year for biotech sector. In a recent note from Piper Sandler analyst Christopher Raymond and his colleagues, Raymond said that he recommended “selective buying” of biopharma stocks. On his list of top picks for the year are AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV), Horizon Therapeutics (NASDAQ:HZNP), Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding (NYSE:BHVN), and Jazz Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:JAZZ), among others.
“We see a macro set-up that skews largely positive across the market cap spectrum for the sector,” Raymond wrote. Let’s look at some of the biotech stocks with potential to make a breakthrough in 2022.
Hoth Therapeutics (NASDAQ:HOTH) announced an exciting news today that sent the stock prices surging by more than 80%. The company demonstrated positive results for its HT-ALZ therapeutic in a preclinical mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. Although there is a long way for the drug to go from bench side to bed side, the news has created a ray of hope for commercialization for HT-ALZ drug. Hoth Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing new generation therapies for unmet medical needs. Hoth’s pipeline development is focused to improve the quality of life for patients suffering from indications including atopic dermatitis, skin toxicities associated with cancer therapy, chronic wounds, psoriasis, asthma, acne, mast-cell derived cancers and anaphylaxis and pneumonia. Hoth has also entered into two different agreements to further the development of two therapeutic prospects to prevent or treat COVID-19.
NLS Pharmaceutics Ltd. (NASDAQ:NLSP) is another biotech stock that is gaining significant attention in the new year. NLSP is a Swiss clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative therapies for patients with rare and complex central nervous system disorders. The company today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted the Company U.S. Patent No. 11207271, entitled A MAZINDOL IR/SR MULTILAYER TABLET AND ITS USE FOR THE TREATMENT OF ATTENTION DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD). The patent covers oral formulations containing immediate-release and sustained-release layers of mazindol and their use in treating attention deficit disorders (ADD or ADHD), related deficit of alertness or decline of vigilance, or excessive daytime sleepiness including narcolepsy or idiopathic hypersomnia.
A new emerging stock in the biotech sector seems to be SciSparc Ltd. (NASDAQ:SPRC). The company recently announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted it a new patent – U.S. Patent No. 11,207,290, titled combinations of cannabinoids and n-acylethanolamines (the “Patent”). The invention relates to “Pharmaceutical compositions comprising cannabinoids and N-acylethanolamines, and methods for their use in preventing and treating a variety of cannabinoid-treatable conditions.”
As per the recent press release, “As an innovative pharmaceutical company, our IP portfolio is one of our greatest and most important assets. Obtaining a U.S. patent for our core technology constitutes a major achievement for us, especially as we are one of the few companies in the field that has IP protection on compounds and not only indications. We are pleased that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has again recognized the uniqueness of our compounds and methodologies and granted this patent,” said Adi Zuloff-Shani, PhD, Chief Technologies Officer of SciSparc. Dr. Zuloff-Shani added, “Our growing portfolio of patents is a testament to the dedication and innovation of the SciSparc team and strengthens our commitment to continue the work we do to bring therapies to patients suffering with the challenges associated with disorders of the central nervous system, for whom there is currently no effective treatment.”
Other key tickers in the biotech space include Plus Therapeutics (NASDAQ: PSTV), Immix Biopharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:IMMX), Genprex, Inc. (NASDAQ:GNPX), NeuroBo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:NRBO)
