New York, Jan 18, 2026, 07:03 (EST) — Market closed
ImmunityBio’s IBRX shares ended Friday at $5.52, jumping roughly 40% following a series of company updates that attracted momentum traders. Trading volume surged past 182 million shares.
This shift is key as ImmunityBio heads into a shortened week, aiming to convert early interest in its first cancer drug into consistent revenue. Investors also received fresh insight on the company’s timeline for expanding ANKTIVA into a wider first-line bladder cancer market.
ImmunityBio reported preliminary net product revenue of roughly $113 million for 2025 in a Friday release, with fourth-quarter revenue hitting about $38.3 million. CEO Richard Adcock highlighted what he called “accelerating adoption” of ANKTIVA. The company also noted new approvals in Saudi Arabia for ANKTIVA in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer and bladder cancer, adding to its existing approvals. 1
On Friday, ImmunityBio reported that enrollment in QUILT-2.005, its registrational trial for BCG-naive non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), is over 85% complete. The company expects to wrap enrollment by Q2 2026 and aims to submit a biologics license application (BLA) to the FDA by the end of that year. It also highlighted a recombinant BCG access program amid ongoing shortages of BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin), a standard treatment for bladder cancer. In an interim analysis, 85% of patients receiving ANKTIVA plus BCG remained in complete response at six months, compared to 57% on BCG alone, ImmunityBio said. Founder Patrick Soon-Shiong described the results as “encouraging” but cautioned the interim data set is limited. 2
ImmunityBio shared updated early results from QUILT‑106, testing an “off‑the‑shelf” CD19 CAR‑NK cell therapy—genetically engineered natural killer cells not derived from patients themselves—combined with rituximab in Waldenström lymphoma. The company reported two patients have stayed in complete remission for 7 and 15 months. All four treated so far have shown disease control. Lennie Sender, the firm’s cell-therapy chief medical officer, noted patients were treated as outpatients with “no serious adverse events.” 3
ANKTIVA is already greenlit in the U.S. alongside BCG for adults battling BCG-unresponsive NMIBC with carcinoma in situ, a particularly risky early-stage bladder cancer. Merck’s Keytruda holds approval for certain BCG-unresponsive NMIBC patients who cannot undergo bladder removal surgery. Meanwhile, Ferring’s Adstiladrin gene therapy offers another treatment choice in this exact scenario. 4
IBRX surged on Friday, but the big question now is whether that gain sticks once trading volume picks up again. Stocks can rally quickly on positive news—and just as quickly reverse when too many traders pile in.
The company emphasized that the financial figures it shared are preliminary estimates and might change significantly by the time the annual report is published. Investors are likewise focusing on interim clinical data, which can evolve as more patients enroll and follow-up periods extend. 5
U.S. stock markets will be closed Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, reopening for regular trading on Tuesday. Investors are keeping an eye out for follow-on filings from ImmunityBio, as well as updates on reaching full enrollment in QUILT-2.005 by Q2. 6
