ImmunityBio stock pops on ANKTIVA lung cancer data; what IBRX investors watch next

New York, Jan 13, 2026, 10:45 (EST) — Regular session

ImmunityBio, Inc. shares rose about 6% on Tuesday after the company released new lung cancer trial results tied to its immune-boosting drug ANKTIVA. The stock was up 6.4% at $2.76, after touching $2.85 earlier in the session.

The move matters because ImmunityBio is trying to widen the case for ANKTIVA beyond its current franchise, and lung cancer is where drug makers chase scale. Traders have been quick to react to any read-through on whether the company can turn trial data into a clearer path for new use cases.

In a statement, the Culver City, California-based biotech said ANKTIVA combined with checkpoint inhibitors — drugs that help the immune system attack tumors — restored immune-cell levels across two studies in 151 patients with non-small cell lung cancer. In one study, the company said ANKTIVA helped lift absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) — a blood measure of key immune cells — versus checkpoint inhibitor therapy alone (p=0.0065), while a second study showed 77% of patients maintained or restored ALC to at least 1.0×10³ cells/µL; those “responders” had longer median overall survival (16.2 months versus 11.8 months). Patrick Soon-Shiong, ImmunityBio’s founder and executive chairman, called docetaxel the “default standard of care” after progression and said it has “substantial toxicity and limited survival benefit.” Business Wire

Checkpoint inhibitors such as Merck’s Keytruda and Bristol Myers Squibb’s Opdivo have reshaped lung cancer care, but many patients eventually stop responding. ImmunityBio is pitching ANKTIVA as a way to rebuild immune competence so those drugs work longer, starting with lymphocyte recovery.

ALC is not a tumor scan, and it is not a regulatory endpoint by itself. But investors often watch it because low lymphocyte counts can go with weaker immune responses, and the company is arguing that higher counts line up with longer survival.

Still, Tuesday’s enthusiasm rests on company-reported data, with one of the studies described as single-arm — meaning no direct control group inside the trial. ImmunityBio said fuller results are being prepared for peer-review publication, and the first-line study it described closed enrollment early after changes in the treatment landscape.

The next swing factor is whether the story holds up in a head-to-head setting. ImmunityBio said a randomized Phase 3 confirmatory trial, ResQ201A, is under way in second-line non-small cell lung cancer, comparing ANKTIVA plus a checkpoint inhibitor versus docetaxel.

Beyond the trial work, the company also flagged an investor-facing event during the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference week. It said it will co-host an inaugural U.S.-Saudi Biotech Alliance Summit in San Francisco on Wednesday, Jan. 14, and Soon-Shiong said the initiative is about “moving from strategy to execution.” Business Wire

For now, the stock’s reaction is doing the talking: buyers pushed it sharply higher early, then it settled back. Traders will be watching for any added detail from management around the summit and for signs the Phase 3 study is advancing cleanly.

The near-term calendar is thin on hard clinical dates, but the next clear check-in is Jan. 14 in San Francisco — and, as the company put it, recorded summit presentations are expected to be made available afterward, with a stream planned for Jan. 16.

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