Pancreatic cancer
Adobe
The Market Online - At The Bell

Join our daily newsletter At The Bell to receive exclusive market insights

Amplia Therapeutics (ASX:ATX) has popped over +40% in lunchtime trades as the company reports its products provide superior outcomes when coupled with chemotherapy, at least in one ‘ACCENT’ trial announced on Thursday.

“The ACCENT trial is evaluating narmafotinib in combination with the chemotherapies gemcitabine and Abraxane in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer,” Amplia wrote on Thursday.

“Sufficient confirmed responses have now been recorded to demonstrate that narmafotinib combined with chemotherapy is superior to chemotherapy alone.”

Its drug, narmafotinib, is currently the subject of a pancreatic cancer trial which has, clearly, been on watchlists. Just look at liquidity.

Driving ATX’s +40% pop on Thursday is a dramatic shift in the number of shares trading hands each day. As of 1pm some 34.2M individual shares have moved on Amplia’s books, but over the last four weeks, the average daily amount has been only 166K.

That kind of effect is notorious for exaggerating share price gains. But Amplia’s good fortunes do also tap into a larger story for 2025 YTD – that a number of well-known biotech stocks have been, if not outperforming, then offering some good chances to make a few bags.

Currently, Amplia’s 1Y returns are up nearly +30%.

The most recent shock we saw to the healthcare sector was from, unsurprisingly, Donald Trump, who vowed to slash US drug prices.

So far, it’s not entirely clear how that will occur, and part of that uncertainty is perhaps in part why stocks like Telix and Neuren have been bouncing back from the sell-off that news caused.

ATX last traded at 8cps.

Join the discussion: See what HotCopper users are saying about ATX and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

ATX by the numbers
More From The Market Online

‘Success’: Eastern Metals enjoys +200% unpause pop after closing out pivotal Raptor acquisition

Eastern Metals − now seeing out its final days under that name − has boomed +200%…
Logo of Rio Tinto on a building in Montreal

Back to the table: Glencore-Rio Tinto restart talks to create world’s largest mining company

Glencore and Rio Tinto have returned to the deal room early in CY26, holding "preliminary discussions"…
The words "Market Open ASX 200 Futures Tip RISE" appear stacked atop one another next to ASX company iconography.

ASX Market Open: Stokes brewing up new BlueScope bid, Glencore-Rio merger convo restarts | Jan 9

ASX today – Friday is looking like an M&A day, with Stokes' conglomerate preparing another BlueScope…
Market Close Graphic

Market Close: Boring day really as 8700pts mark remains the quo; gold retreat hits materials

Welcome to the end of the Thursday session, today’s Market Close will be article-only, but keep an eye on the homepage for the