XBiotech Has Identified COVID-19 Antibodies to Be Used as Therapy

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By Chris Lange Published
XBiotech Has Identified COVID-19 Antibodies to Be Used as Therapy

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XBiotech Inc. (NASDAQ: XBIT) shares made a handy gain on Monday after the company said that it has identified True Human antibodies that could potentially be used as a therapy against SARS-CoV2.

The firm found these antibodies through a collaboration with BioBridge Global, which is the parent organization of the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center and QualTex Laboratories, one of the largest independent testing laboratories in the United States.

For the collaboration, BioBridge Global used XBiotech’s proprietary COVID-19 screening technology to identify blood donors who had been infected by the novel coronavirus, as part of a program to provide convalescent plasma to treat patients suffering from severe COVID-19 infections.

In return, BioBridge Global provided XBiotech with blood samples from patients who had been infected with COVID-19. For its antibody discovery process, XBiotech selected blood samples from patients who had recovered rapidly from the virus without serious illness, factors that indicated these donors had antibodies that were highly effective at protecting them against the virus.

[nativounit]

XBiotech originally received its donor blood and launched its discovery program for COVID-19 True Human antibodies back in May. Currently, the firm has a number of True Human antibodies that precisely block the COVID-19 virus’s ability to be infectious and at the same time enable the body to clear the virus naturally.

Excluding Monday’s move, XBiotech stock had underperformed the broad markets, down about 8% year to date. However, over the past 52 weeks, the stock is actually up closer to 122%.

XBiotech stock traded up about 10% to $18.86 on Monday, in a 52-week range of $7.82 to $26.40. The consensus price target is $18.00.

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Photo of Chris Lange
About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.

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