Is Inovio Pharmaceuticals a Screaming Buy?
DNA vaccine and immunotherapy company Inovio Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: INO) has been a red-hot stock during the opening weeks of 2020. The biotech's push to develop a vaccine against the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, in record time has sparked an avalanche of interest in its stock. One of the big reasons is that Inovio announced last week that researchers at its San Diego facility were able to construct a vaccine for COVID-19 in just a matter of hours after gaining access to the virus' genetic sequence. The company thus hopes to begin human trials for the experimental vaccine as soon as this summer, according to a recent interview with CEO J. Joseph Kim.
What's the big deal? COVID-19 has already spread to 29 countries, caused over 1,600 fatalities in mainland China, and effectively shut down some major global supply chains. What's more, this deadly respiratory disease exhibits several traits such as an extensive incubation phase that may result in its becoming endemic, similar to seasonal outbreaks of the flu. In other words, COVID-19 may not simply evaporate for the most part like other severe coronavirus strains, such as the Middle East respiratory syndrome. In that event, a vaccine or an antiviral therapy will be absolutely essential in the battle against this highly infectious, and sometimes fatal, respiratory ailment.
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Source Fool.com
