For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – October 21, 2026 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: BridgeBio Pharma BBIO, Intellia Therapeutics NTLA, Biogen BIIB and Viking Therapeutics VKTX.
Here are highlights from Tuesday’s Analyst Blog:
4 Biotech Stocks with Promising Late-Stage Pipelines to Watch Now
Biotechnology companies with promising late-stage drug pipelines can offer significant growth potential as experimental treatments move closer to commercialization. Positive phase III results and regulatory decisions can validate a drug candidate's efficacy, strengthen its commercial prospects and provide a potential catalyst for the stock. However, late-stage development does not eliminate the risk of clinical setbacks or regulatory delays.
From an investment perspective, pipeline depth and the timing of upcoming milestones matter when evaluating biotech stocks. Candidates addressing substantial unmet medical needs can offer attractive opportunities, but investors must also assess clinical differentiation, safety, competitive pressures, funding requirements and commercial readiness. A successful drug launch ultimately depends on more than favorable study results.
Against this backdrop, BridgeBio Pharma, Intellia Therapeutics, Biogen and Viking Therapeutics stand out for their promising late-stage development programs. All four companies have investigational treatments progressing through pivotal studies or regulatory review, creating potential value catalysts over the coming quarters. Their investment cases nevertheless differ in terms of regulatory proximity, pipeline breadth and the clinical and commercial risks that remain.
BridgeBio Pharma
BridgeBio has three drug candidates in advanced regulatory stages, setting up several potential regulatory catalysts. The nearest milestone is the FDA's impending decision on the new drug application (NDA) for BBP-418, an oral investigational treatment for limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2I/R9 (LGMD2I/R9). The FDA accepted the application under Priority Review, with a decision date of Nov. 27, 2026. The application is supported by positive 12-month interim results from the candidate's phase III FORTIFY study, which met all prespecified primary and secondary endpoints. If approved, BBP-418 could become the first approved therapy specifically for LGMD2I/R9, addressing a significant unmet medical need.
Beyond BBP-418, BridgeBio has two additional candidates under FDA review. The NDA for oral infigratinib for children with achondroplasia is undergoing FDA Priority Review, with a final decision expected on Feb. 4, 2027. In the phase III PROPEL 3 study, infigratinib significantly improved annualized height velocity versus placebo at Week 52, with a treatment effect of 2.10 cm/year. BridgeBio anticipates a potential U.S. launch in mid-2027, subject to approval and intends to submit a marketing authorization application (MAA) in the EU by the end of 2026.
Meanwhile, BBIO's NDA for encaleret, an oral treatment for autosomal dominant hypocalcemia type 1 (ADH1), is also under FDA's Priority Review, with a decision expected on May 8, 2027 and supported by the phase III CALIBRATE study results. Additional 24-week data presented in October showed that 100% of patients receiving encaleret reported improvement in at least one ADH1 symptom compared with 46% receiving standard care. BridgeBio has also submitted an MAA in the EU for oral encaleret in ADH1. Beyond this indication, the company dosed the first patient in the registrational phase III RECLAIM-HP study evaluating encaleret for chronic hypoparathyroidism. Together, these programs offer BridgeBio multiple potential growth drivers, with commercial success hinging on regulatory approvals and effective launch execution.
Intellia Therapeutics
Intellia stands out for its promising late-stage pipeline, led by a gene-editing therapy that could demonstrate the potential of in vivo CRISPR technology as a treatment approach. The FDA accepted the company's biologics license application for lonvoguran ziclumeran (lonvo-z) for hereditary angioedema (HAE) under Priority Review in September 2026, with a decision expected on March 10, 2027. Lonvo-z has been developed as a one-time treatment that could potentially reduce the need for chronic preventive therapy. In the phase III HAELO study, a one-time infusion of lonvo-z reduced HAE attacks by 87% compared with placebo during the six-month efficacy evaluation period. If approved, it could become the first in vivo CRISPR-based therapy, marking a significant milestone for the gene-editing industry.
Intellia's other major late-stage program is nexiguran ziclumeran (nex-z), an in vivo CRISPR-based therapeutic candidate being evaluated in the phase III MAGNITUDE and MAGNITUDE-2 studies for transthyretin amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy and hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis with polyneuropathy, respectively. Both studies faced clinical holds following a serious liver-related safety event in late 2025. The FDA lifted the hold on MAGNITUDE-2 in January 2026 and on MAGNITUDE in March 2026, allowing the company to resume enrollment under enhanced safety measures. In August 2026, Intellia reported that enrollment had resumed in both late-stage studies, with MAGNITUDE-2 enrollment expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
Biogen
Biogen has a broader late-stage pipeline, with several pivotal study readouts expected over the coming quarters. Its key near-term catalyst is the pivotal phase III study data on litifilimab, an investigational antibody for systemic lupus erythematosus, with results expected by the end of 2026. Litifilimab is also being evaluated for cutaneous lupus erythematosus in a phase III study, with results expected in the first half of 2027. Positive results could strengthen Biogen's immunology pipeline and support litifilimab's commercial potential.
Beyond litifilimab, Biogen is advancing felzartamab for antibody-mediated rejection in kidney transplant recipients and zorevunersen for Dravet syndrome in its late-stage pipeline. BIIB expects to report results from both phase III studies in the first half of 2027. Biogen's ability to deliver positive results across these programs could strengthen its longer-term growth outlook.
Viking Therapeutics
Viking is advancing its lead obesity drug candidate, VK2735, through late-stage studies, positioning the company to compete in the rapidly growing obesity-treatment market. VK2735 is a dual GLP-1/GIP RA being developed in injectable and oral formulations. The company recently initiated the phase III SUNRISE program for the oral formulation, with two studies designed to evaluate once-daily VK2735 in adults with obesity, including patients with type II diabetes (T2D). Earlier mid-stage results showed dose-dependent weight reductions of up to 12.2% after 13 weeks of oral treatment.
Viking is also evaluating injectable VK2735 in the phase III VANQUISH-1 and VANQUISH-2 studies, both of which were fully enrolled. The studies are assessing the drug in adults with obesity or overweight, with VANQUISH-2 specifically enrolling patients with T2D. Additionally, Viking initiated a study to assess whether oral or less-frequent injectable dosing of VK2735 can help patients maintain weight loss achieved with initial weekly injections, with results expected in 2027.
Oral and injectable options could broaden the candidate's commercial appeal if favorable efficacy and safety data support. However, VK2735's commercial potential will depend on demonstrating competitive efficacy and safety amid intensifying competition in the obesity-treatment market.
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