Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology
Oncothyreon Inc (ONTY) $4.20 +4.48%
Oncothyreon (ONTY) adds 21 cents to $4.23 and a Jan 10 – 20 call spread is bought on the stock for 50 cents, 5000X. Looks opening and comes amid high implied volatility in the options on the biotech. 30-day ATM implied volatility in ONTY is 217 percent ahead of a Phase 3 trial data for [...]
Exelixis Inc (EXEL) $4.40 -3.08%
Exelixis (EXEL) drops 20 cents to $4.34 and 8750 Feb 6 calls are bought on the San Francisco biotech for 10 cents per contract. It might close positions opened in mid-Sept when the same contract saw opening activity after trading on the 55 and 60 cent bid price. Shares are down 16.2 percent since that [...]
Cell Therapeutics Inc (CTIC) $1.44 +7.09%
Cell Therapeutics (CTIC) is up a dime to $1.44 and a Dec 1 – Jan 2 put spread trades on the stock at 64 cents, 20000X. Jan 2 puts look opening and the Dec 1 puts probably close some of the positions opened on 10/11 when the stock was roughly at the same levels and [...]
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA) $40.73 +1.27%
TEVA ticks 25 cents higher to $40.46 and Jan 42.5 – 45 calls have traded on the biotech multiple times today, including 3,903 for 31 cents and 3,891 for 25 cents on ISE. 10,000 have now been bought-to-open on the exchange, according to ISEE data. The largest looks tied to 236K shares of stock at [...]
ACAD Rewards Call Buyers With Big Gain
Acadia Pharmaceuticals (ACAD) rallies $3.64 to $5.94 and is the big mover so far today after the company reported positive results for a Phase III trial of a Parkinson’s drug. Options volume is running 2X the daily average and probably seeing some liquidating action, as open interest in the calls on the stock increased by [...]
Alexa Pharmaceuticals Inc (ALXA) $4.97 -8.30%
Alexa Pharmaceuticals (ALXA) drops 9.2 percent to $4.92 and snaps a six-day 39 percent winning streak. Options order flow seems somewhat bearish or cautious, with about 7,200 puts and 1,300 calls traded on the biotech. Dec 3.5 puts, which are now 28.9 percent out-of-the-money and expiring in 25 days, are the most actives after a [...]
Cell Therapeutics Inc (CTIC) $1.29 +3.21%
Cell Therapeutics (CTIC) is up 4 cents to $1.29 and a 5000-lot of Mar 1 puts trades at 14 cents per contact when the market was 13 to 28 cents. Open interest is 11,246 and today’s flow might add to positions opened on 11/9 when 6,000 traded at 17 and 18 cents when the market [...]
Merck and Co Inc (MRK) $43.81 +0.57%
Merck (MRK) adds 30 cents to $43.86 and is one of 25 Dow stocks holding gains heading into the second half of trading Wednesday. Morning options trades on the drug maker include a Dec – Jan 45 calls spread for 26 cents, 10000X on CBOE and tied to 110K shares at $43.67. The time spread [...]
Vivus Inc (VVUS) $12.38 +19.61%
Vivus (VVUS) adds $1.60 to $11.95 in active trading for more than 3.2 million shares after Aetna added Qsymia to its coverage. Early options flow on the biotech includes about 6,750 calls and 650 puts. Players are showing the most in interest in December calls with strikes ranging from 11 to 15. Dec $13s are [...]
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA) $38.06 -1.46%
TEVA drops 54 cents to $38.09 and options action is picking up in the pharmaceutical company Friday. January 40 calls are the most actives. 5,111 contracts change hands. The largest trade is a 2670-lot for 70 cents when the market was 68 to 73 cents. Separatey, a sweep of 1,129 contracts for 70 cents across [...]
