Everything from regulatory approvals, clinical readouts and big money buyout offers can boost the stocks of biopharma companies. But restructurings, diminishing cash and safety issues can also push the prices down. Either way, since the end of July, BioWorld’s Drug Developers Index has shown minimal movement. It is still down by 21.95% for the year, but that is its highest point since the end of March. In comparison with the broader markets, it is following closely the path of both the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index, down 17.16% for the year, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average, down 13.09%.
After bottoming out at the end of May, BioWorld’s Drug Developers Index is making a slow, tedious climb back upwards. The index was down 23.18% for the year as of July 27, which is better than where it was at the end of each of the three prior months. It is following the same curve as the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which are down by 16.47% and 11.39%, respectively.
After a sharp drop in April, BioWorld’s Drug Developers Index is beginning to rise, although it is not yet showing what many investors would like to see, and it remains at one of its lowest points in 18 months.
While BioWorld’s Drug Developers Index appeared to be moving in the right direction last month, it did an about-face in April and is now at its lowest point this year, down 23.1%, following the same trajectory as both the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
A spring of hope has emerged for BioWorld’s Drug Developers Index (BDDI) with stocks moving in a positive direction in recent weeks, much in line with the broader markets. The BDDI is currently down for the year by 15.5%, but that is an improvement over the 21% decline at the end of February. Likewise, the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average are showing similar upward trajectories, but are still down by 11.1% and 4.2%, respectively. It is the first time this year stocks have begun to rise.
Stocks that make up BioWorld’s Drug Developers Index have tumbled by more than 17% since the start of the year, with only five of the 30 component companies showing a rise in share price. The Nasdaq Biotechnology Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average also are down by 12.2% and 2.41%, respectively, indicating the biotech industry, which has experienced huge stock surges during the past two years, is now struggling, dropping more sharply than the broader markets.
While most of the 30 stocks that comprise BioWorld’s Drug Developers Index (BDDI) are trading down for the year, the three showing the most upward movement in 2021 include a company at the forefront of COVID-19 vaccine development, an RNAi therapeutics firm that became a multibillion-dollar acquisition target, and a neurological disease company with one marketed product.
After Moderna Inc. lowered its revenue expectations earlier this month, the company’s swollen stock price plunged over the next two weeks by more than 32%, signifying that BioWorld’s Drug Developers Index can no longer rely solely on one company to keep industry stocks in positive territory.
Biotech stocks and the overall market have taken divergent paths in the past month, not unlike what was seen throughout 2020, except this time, they are moving in opposite directions. While BioWorld’s Drug Developers Index (BDDI) appeared to be on the upswing only a month ago, it changed course in the final weeks of September.
Continuing an upward trajectory, BioWorld’s Drug Developers Index (BDDI) has climbed more than 10% since the start of this year, following sharp drops at the end of March and May. Shares began to rebound in June and the index has shown a steady incline, similar with the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index, which is currently up 12%.
