Three Airbound Shares with Potential for Significant Gain in 2025's Skies
🚀 Soaring Stocks in 2025: Biotech Giants to Watch 📈
Three Our Website contributors believe they've found high-flyers that could take off even further in 2025. These are: Summit Therapeutics (SMMT -3.61%), Verona Pharma (VRNA 1.70%), and Viking Therapeutics (VKTX -1.26%). Let's dive into why these biotech stocks are worth your attention.
Another year in the limelight for Summit Therapeutics
Summit Therapeutics, established in 2003, had its breakout year in 2024, with shares skyrocketing 584%. Keen eyes on the company predict another monumental year in 2025.
Chinese biopharma company Akeso was a game-changer for Summit in 2024. In May, Akeso reported outstanding results from a late-stage clinical study of ivonescimab — a first-line therapy for PD-L1-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Ivonescimab triumphed over Merck's blockbuster drug, Keytruda, in enhancing progression-free survival rates.
Before Akeso's announcement, Summit held the license for ivonescimab in major markets. Following the news, Summit wisely expanded its licensing territories to include Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Why the buzz about another great year for Summit in 2025? Summit is expected to share top-line data from a Phase 3 trial around mid-year. Positive results could pave the way for the company to file for U.S. approval of ivonescimab as a second-line treatment for NSCLC.
That's not all. Summit is already enrolling patients for late-stage trials of ivonescimab in combination with chemotherapy as a first-line treatment and as a monotherapy in the first-line setting. It aims to expand clinical development into more types of cancer.
Verona Pharma with room to reach new heights
Verona Pharma saw its shares soar by 200% over the previous year, largely thanks to positive developments. The major catalyst was the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approving Ohtuvayre for the maintenance treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Ohtuvayre has the potential to reach blockbuster status, with analyst predictions for sales topping the $1 billion mark by 2029. Verona has had a solid start to its rollout and recently reported net sales of over $36 million for Q4. CEO David Zaccardelli said the drug had an "exceptionally strong start" with more than 16,000 prescriptions in hand.
For more gains in 2025, Verona needs to continue its positive rollout trajectory. Improving on its financial standing and potential market acceptance could fuel an even brighter year for this pharma company.
Viking Therapeutics: More upside ahead
Viking Therapeutics found notoriety in 2024 thanks to its stellar clinical progress in chronic weight management. Although the company might not match its 2024 performance in 2025, it's still worth watching.
Viking Therapeutics' lead candidate, VK2735, should commence late-stage studies for weight loss in 2025. The company is also developing an oral version of this medicine, which could be a significant advantage for weight-loss patients who prefer pills over injections.
Viking is not a one-trick pony. Its VK2809 targeting metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (a disease with high unmet need) is set to start a Phase 3 study. VK0214, an investigational treatment for X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy with no approved treatment option, is moving into Phase 2 studies.
Viking is quietly advancing, and clinical readouts and Phase 3 study initiations in 2025 could fuel another upswing for the stock.
In light of their promising clinical trials and market potential, investing in Summit Therapeutics, Verona Pharma, and Viking Therapeutics could prove lucrative in the realm of finance, particularly in the context of 2025's biotech sector.
Summit Therapeutics, bolstered by positive Phase 3 trial results for ivonescimab, stands to secure U.S. approval as a second-line treatment for non-small cell lung cancer, potentially leading to significant financial gains.
