Clinical Trials and Sales Surge: Cancer Drug Stocks Soar 40% Today

On that day, ImmunityBio, Inc. (NASDAQ: IBRX) closed at $5.52 on the Nasdaq, up 39.75% from the previous trading session.

Trading volume surged to nearly 100 million shares, inflating its market capitalization by several trillion Korean won—approximately $1.5 billion—in a single day and positioning it among the standout gainers in the biotech sector.

Since the start of the year, the stock has climbed more than 120% in just one week, sparking debate over short-term overheating while fueling mixed bets on additional upside potential.

According to reports from The Motley Fool and Nasdaq, the company announced it had achieved its target patient enrollment ahead of schedule in the ANKTIVA trial for bladder cancer, and successfully attained disease control in all four non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients treated with its next-generation CAR-NK immunotherapy.

In its preliminary results for 2025, ANKTIVA’s annual revenues surged roughly 700% year-over-year to $113 million (about 150 billion won). With indication approvals in the U.S., Europe, and now Saudi Arabia, its growth narrative has come sharply into focus.

ImmunityBio is an immuno-oncology biotech that secured its first commercialization in April 2024 when the U.S. FDA approved ANKTIVA—a first-in-class IL-15 receptor agonist for BCG-unresponsive non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer—and is pursuing an indication-expansion strategy using IL-15-based immunostimulators for lung and pancreatic cancers.

However, with total revenue still modest and the company’s valuation susceptible to significant swings based on multiple clinical and regulatory outcomes, Wall Street categorizes it as a high-risk, high-volatility growth stock, urging investors to approach with caution.