Shareholder rights law firm Robbins LLP announces that it is investigating the officers and directors of Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: INO) for breaches of fiduciary duties and violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Inovio is a late-stage biotechnology Company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of DNA-based immunotherapies and vaccines.

Inovio Pharmaceuticals (INO) surged almost 10% after the company said that preclinical study data results of its potential vaccine candidate showed “robust” neutralizing antibody and T cell immune responses against coronavirus.Shares rose 9.5% to $15.94 in midday U.S. trading. The value of the stock has this year gone up five-fold with investors excited about Inovio’s potential Covid-19 vaccine INO-4800. The vaccine drug candidate targets the major antigen Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19 disease."These positive preclinical results from our Covid-19 DNA vaccine not only highlight the potency of our DNA medicines platform, but also build on our previously reported positive Phase 1/2a data from our vaccine against the coronavirus that causes MERS, which demonstrated near-100% seroconversion and neutralization from a similarly designed vaccine INO-4700,” said Kate Broderick, Inovio's Senior VP of R&D. “The potent neutralizing antibody and T cell immune responses generated in multiple animal models are supportive of our currently on-going INO-4800 clinical trials."The study found that vaccination with INO-4800 generated robust binding and neutralizing antibody as well as T cell responses in mice and guinea pigs. What’s more Inovio now expects in June to receive preliminary safety and immune responses data from Phase 1 clinical trial.“We are planning to utilize these positive preclinical results along with our upcoming animal challenge data and safety and immune responses data from our Phase 1 studies to support rapidly advancing this summer to a large, randomized Phase 2/3 clinical trial,” said Dr. J. Joseph Kim, Inovio’s President & CEO.Inovio is currently preparing to initiate a larger Phase 2 vaccine trial for INO-4700 in the Middle East where most MERS viral outbreaks have occurred. Phase 2/3 trial is now planned to start in July or August pending regulatory approval.Five-star analyst Jason McCarthy at Maxim Group this month raised his price target on the stock to $18 from $12 and maintained a Buy rating.“Inovio and its deep pipeline of DNA vaccines for infectious diseases, including other coronaviruses, has demonstrated safety and induced robust immune responses, more than any in the space, in our view,” McCarthy wrote in a note to investors. “Yet, from a valuation perspective INO lags its nucleic-acid vaccine peers MRNA and BNTX.The Street has a cautiously optimistic outlook on Inovio, with a Moderate Buy consensus based on 4 Buys and 3 Holds. As share prices have skyrocketed so quickly, the $14.14 average analyst price target now indicates more than 10% downside potential. (See Inovio stock analysis on TipRanks).Related News: Bluebird Prices New Shares At $55, Seeks To Raise $500 Million Moderna Spikes 21% Amid “Positive” Early-Stage Covid-19 Vaccine Data AstraZeneca-Merck Lynparza Prostate Cancer Treatment Gets FDA Approval More recent articles from Smarter Analyst: * Boeing Cuts 6,770 Jobs In U.S.; CFRA Upgrades Stock To Buy   * Google Faces Arizona Lawsuit Over ‘Unfair’ Location Data Storing * Novavax Seeks To Make 1 Billion Covid-19 Vaccine Doses; Top Analyst Ramps Up PT To $61 * Hertz Sinks 11% After-Hours As Carl Icahn Sells Stake At $1.8B Loss

The race to develop a vaccine against COVID-19 is charging full speed ahead. Yesterday, Inovio Pharmaceuticals (INO) released promising preclinical data for the biotech’s COVID-19 DNA vaccine candidate, INO-4800. Investors have high hopes for the vaccine maker and have sent the stock soaring by over 332% so far this year. The results, published in Nature Communications, showed INO-4800 elicited strong binding and neutralizing antibody responses in addition to high-level T cell responses in mice and guinea pigs. INO-4800 targets the major antigen spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, and is currently in a Phase 1 trial. 40 healthy volunteers are taking part, with interim data expected in June. With data in hand, Inovio will approach the FDA for authorization to move forward with a Phase 2/3 trial, which it hopes to initiate in July or August. The company expects to recruit 2,000 frontline healthcare workers for the Phase 2/3 study. “We believe data from this randomized trial, if positive, could allow the company to file for emergency regulatory approval for INO-4800,” said H.C. Wainwright’s Ram Selvaraju. Additionally, Inovio will examine the vaccine in larger animals including rabbits and monkeys. The company will conduct "challenge" studies, which involve giving the virus to an animal and then seeing if the vaccine prevents the infection. “In our view, these animal data bode well for the upcoming data from multiple animal challenge studies and data readout from the ongoing Phase 1 study in June,” Selvaraju added. It should come as no surprise, then, that the 5-star analyst reiterated a Buy rating on Inovio, accompanied by a $17 price target. There’s upside of 22% in the cards, should the target be met over the next 12 months. (To watch Selvaraju’s track record, click here) Over the last three months, 8 analysts have thrown the hat in with a view on the vaccine maker’s prospects, with 5 recommending Buy and 3 saying Hold. This makes the consensus rating a Moderate Buy. Overall, the Street sees upside potential of 18% ahead, as the average price target comes in at $16.57. (See Inovio stock analysis on TipRanks)

Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: INO) said Wednesday that positive preclinical data for its DNA vaccine for the SARS-CoV-2 has been published in a peer-reviewed journal, sending its shares higher.Inovio's Preclinical Data News Stale? Following the announcement, short seller Citron Research came down heavily on the company, stating in its report that the announcement is not a fresh one and calling for the SEC to halt trading in the stock. "We immediately began preclinical testing and small-scale manufacture and have already shared robust preclinical data with our public and private partners," Inovio's CEO Dr. Joseph Kim said in a March 3 release.Citron Sees Tall But Empty Claims From Inovio Citron also said the situation is deja vu. Inovio has been in the habit of sharing press releases highlighting positive animal testing data for "every disease it researches" without producing a single commercial product in 40 years, Citron said in the report, lining up Inovio's previous releases as evidence for its claim."Simply put, Inovio is nothing but over 40 years of 'robust' data without a single product to market," Citron said.Benzinga has contacted Inovio for comment on the Citron report. About 90% Downside Likely For Inovio, Short Seller Says In a tweet, Citron assigned a $2 price target for the company, which represents about 86% downside from Tuesday's closing price.> $INO Company should be halted as they have no shame in this time of crisis. Read Citron to see how $INO issued "robust preclinical" data in EVERY situation that has resulted in 0 products to market. Company has become a full stock promotion. Tgt price $2> > -- Citron Research (@CitronResearch) May 20, 2020Inovio shares were trading 8.73% higher at $15.83 at the time of publication Wednesday. Related Links: The Week Ahead In Biotech: Aquestive Awaits FDA Decision, Earnings Flow Slows The Daily Biotech Pulse: Aldeyra Jumps Into COVID-19 Drug Fray, FDA Nod For Myriad's Companion Diagnostic Test See more from Benzinga * Results From Oxford University's Human Trial Of Coronavirus Vaccine Could Arrive In June; Where Inovio, Moderna Stand * Inovio Analysts Tackle Coronavirus Vaccine Timeline, Funding, Pipeline After Q1 Report(C) 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

INOVIO (NASDAQ:INO), a biotechnology company focused on rapidly bringing to market precisely designed DNA medicines to protect and treat people from infectious diseases, cancer, and diseases associated with HPV, today announced it will hold a webinar event on June 1 from 10 AM to noon EDT to detail its proprietary DNA medicines technology and provide updates on INO-4800, its DNA vaccine in Phase 1 clinical development for COVID-19, and INO-5401, its DNA immunotherapy designed to treat glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and aggressive type of brain cancer. Preclinical data on INO-4800 demonstrating robust neutralizing antibody and T cell immune responses was published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications on May 20, 2020. Data demonstrating 85% of newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients were alive 12 months following treatment with INO-5401, in combination with INO-9012 and PD-1 inhibitor Libtayo® (cemiplimab), will be featured at an oral poster presentation at the ASCO 2020 Virtual Scientific Program, May 29-31, 2020.

With the Street and experts divided on rival Moderna Inc's (NASDAQ: MRNA) recently released interim Phase 1 readout, Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: INO) released positive preclinical data for its SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate INO-4800.What Happened?Pennsylvania-based Inovio announced publication of data from animal testing of INO-4800 in the peer-reviewed journal "Nature Communications" showing robust neutralizing antibody and T-cell immune responses against the coronavirus mice and guinea pigs.The article was authored by Inovio scientists and collaborators from the Wistart Institute, the University of Texas, Public Health England, Fudan University and Advaccine."These positive preclinical results from our COVID-19 DNA vaccine not only highlight the potency of our DNA medicines platform, but also build on our previously reported positive Phase 1/2a data from our vaccine against the coronavirus that causes MERS, which demonstrated near-100% seroconversion and neutralization from a similarly designed vaccine INO-4700," said Dr. Kate Broderick, SVP of R&D and Team Lead for COVID-19 vaccine at Inovio.Data also showed antibodies were detected in the lungs of the vaccinated animals, which could be important in providing protection from SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, high levels of Spike-specific T-cell responses were observed with INO-4800 vaccination, underlining its importance in mediating protection from the virus infection.Why It MattersWith the COVID-19 pandemic bringing the world to a standstill, biopharma companies and institutions have plunged headlong into developing a treatment or vaccine to counter the virus.Inovio was touted to be one of the frontrunners for a vaccine against the virus. Moderna reported Monday positive interim Phase 1 data for its mRNA vaccine candidate mRNA-1273. STAT News reported, citing experts, data from eight subjects is not adequate to authenticate the efficacy and safety results released by the company.What's Next?Inovio said these positive preclinical results along with its upcoming animal challenge data, and safety and immune responses data from its Phase 1 studies support rapid advancement of the INO-4800 this summer to a large, randomized Phase 2/3 clinical trial.In pre-market trading Wednesday, Inovio shares were higher by 14.08% to $16.61.Related Links:A Deep Dive On Coronavirus Vaccine Plays Moderna, Inovio6 Coronavirus Vaccine Candidates Are The Likeliest To Succeed, Says Morgan StanleySee more from Benzinga * Results From Oxford University's Human Trial Of Coronavirus Vaccine Could Arrive In June; Where Inovio, Moderna Stand * Inovio Analysts Tackle Coronavirus Vaccine Timeline, Funding, Pipeline After Q1 Report(C) 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Inovio, like Moderna, is conducting a Phase 1 human trial of its vaccine, with 40 volunteers enrolled. It plans to report initial results on safety and immune responses in that study in late June.

"We saw antibody responses that do many of the things we would want to see in an eventual vaccine," said Dr. David Weiner, director of the vaccine and immunotherapy center at the Wistar Institute, which has collaborated with Inovio. There are currently no approved treatments or vaccines for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, with governments, drugmakers and researchers working on around 100 vaccine programs. Many other drugmakers including Moderna Inc, Pfizer Inc, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi and AstraZeneca Plc are also in various stages of vaccine development.

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine,Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases Dr. William Schaffner joins Yahoo Finance’s Seana Smith to discuss the coronavirus, as a quarter of Americans say they are nervous about a vaccine, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.

INOVIO (NASDAQ:INO) today announced the publication of the preclinical study data for IN0-4800, its COVID-19 DNA vaccine, demonstrating robust neutralizing antibody and T cell immune responses against coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The study was published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications titled, "Immunogenicity of a DNA vaccine candidate for COVID-19" by INOVIO scientists and collaborators from The Wistar Institute, the University of Texas, Public Health England, Fudan University, and Advaccine.

Vaccines are perceived as key to ending the restraints on work and life that have decimated the global economy, and returning to some sense of normalcy.

In the current session, Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: INO) is trading at $16.17, after a 11% rise. Over the past month, the stock increased by 38.12%, and in the past year, by 397.66%. With performance like this, long-term shareholders optimistic but others are more likely to look into the price-to-earnings ratio to see if the stock might be overvalued.Assuming that all other factors are held constant, this could present itself as an opportunity for shareholders trying to capitalize on the higher share price. The stock is currently under from its 52 week high by 16.48%.The P/E ratio measures the current share price to the company's EPS. It is used by long-term investors to analyze the company's current performance against its past earnings, historical data and aggregate market data for the industry or the indices, such as S&P 500. A higher P/E indicates that investors expect the company to perform better in the future, and the stock is probably overvalued, but not necessarily. It also shows that investors are willing to pay a higher share price currently, because they expect the company to perform better in the upcoming quarters. This leads investors to also remain optimistic about rising dividends in the future.Depending on the particular phase of a business cycle, some industries will perform better than others.Inovio Pharmaceuticals has a better P/E ratio of 0.0 than the aggregate P/E ratio of 0.0 of the biotechnology industry. Ideally, one might believe that Inovio Pharmaceuticals might perform better in the future than it's industry group, but it's probable that the stock is overvalued.There are many limitations to P/E ratio. It is sometimes difficult to determine the nature of the earnings makeup of a company. Shareholders might not get what they're looking for, from trailing earnings.See more from Benzinga * 16 Healthcare Stocks Moving In Wednesday's Pre-Market Session * 20 Healthcare Stocks Moving In Thursday's Pre-Market Session(C) 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

S&P; 500 futures are up more than 1% in premarket trading as Inovio Pharmaceuticals reports promising results for its COVID-19 vaccine.

Novavax has begun human trials, and Merck has joined the race with the acquisition of Themis and collaboration with non-profit IAVI.

The number of global cases of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 rose to 4.9 million on Wednesday and Brazil suffered its worst fatalities since the start of the outbreak, prompting President Donald Trump to say he may bar entry to flights from Brazil.

Biotech firm Novavax has entered its coronavirus vaccine in a Phase 1 clinical trial in Australia — the first in the Southern Hemisphere.

A day after short seller Citron Research slammed Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: INO), sell-side analysts lined up behind the company. Benzinga is covering every angle of how the coronavirus affects the financial world. For daily updates, sign up for our coronavirus newsletter.The Inovio Analysts Benchmark analyst Aydin Huseynov initiated shares of Inovio with a Buy rating and $28 price target. H.C. Wainwright analyst Raghuram Selvaraju reiterated a Buy rating and $17 price target.Inovio Shares To Benefit From Likelihood of Financing For COVID Vaccine, Benchmark Says Inovio's SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate INO-4800 has a meaningful chance of progressing to Phase 2/3 in the July-August timeframe and securing the necessary financing from the government or nonprofits, Benchmark analyst Huseynov said in a note.Noting that Inovio has a pipeline of vaccine candidates for various infectious diseases such as HIV, Ebola, MERS and Zika, the analyst said the company will get sufficient financial support for every promising vaccine candidate, including INO-4800."Also, Inovio's DNA plasmid platform has commercially and clinically attractive HPV-targeting and immuno-oncology drug candidates that may drive INO's shareholder value longer term." The higher probability of Inovio securing external non-dilutive financing to move INO-4800 further into the clinic is likely to help its share price, Huseynov said.The analyst also noted that the company has promising late-stage oncology assets, VGX-3100 and INO-5401, with potential launches in 2023 and combined risk-unadjusted peak 2035 sales of $1.4 billion.See also: AstraZeneca Receives Over B In BARDA Funding For Coronavirus Vaccine Preclinical Data Bode Well For Phase 1 Data Due In June, HC Wainwright Says Preclinical studies showed that vaccination with INO-4800 generated binding and neutralizing antibodies as well as T cell responses in mice and guinea pigs, H.C. Wainwright analyst Selvaraju said.The fact that researchers were able to demonstrate neutralizing activity of the vaccine using three separate neutralization assays is remarkable, the analyst said. Additionally, these antibodies were detected in the lungs of the vaccinated animals, and high levels of Spike-specific T cell responses were observed, he said. "In our view, these animal data bode well for the upcoming data from multiple animal challenge studies and data readout from the ongoing Phase 1 study in June." INO Price Action Inovio shares were trading down 9.86% at $14.23 at the time of publication Thursday.Related Link: The Daily Biotech Pulse: Mixed Filgotinib Readout For Gilead-Galapagos, Akorn To File For Chapter 11, D-Day For Aquestive Latest Ratings for INO DateFirmActionFromTo May 2020BenchmarkInitiates Coverage OnBuy Apr 2020StifelMaintainsBuy Apr 2020HC Wainwright & Co.ReiteratesBuy View More Analyst Ratings for INO View the Latest Analyst Ratings See more from Benzinga * Inovio Publishes Positive Animal Testing Data For Coronavirus DNA Vaccine * Results From Oxford University's Human Trial Of Coronavirus Vaccine Could Arrive In June; Where Inovio, Moderna Stand(C) 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security Senior Scholar Dr. Amesh Adalja joins Yahoo Finance’s Seana Smith to discuss President Trump’s remarks that he is taking hydroxychloroquine as a preventative measure against COVID-19.

Shares of Inovio gained 22.8% in premarket trading on Wednesday after the company said its COVID-19 vaccine candidate demonstrated neutralizing antibodies in animals. The data, published in Nature Communications, is from a preclinical study, meaning it does not include information about how the investigational vaccine reacts in humans but in mice and guinea pigs. Inovio is currently conducting a Phase 1 clinical trial testing the DNA vaccine candidate in people; early data from that study is expected to be announced in June. "The potent neutralizing antibody and T cell immune responses generated in multiple animal models are supportive of our currently on-going INO-4800 clinical trials," Dr. Kate Broderick, Inovio's team lead for COVID-19 vaccine development, said in a news release. There are no proven vaccines that prevent against infections with COVID-19. Moderna Inc. announced early positive results from its Phase I trial testing a vaccine candidate in people on Monday. Inovio's stock is up 341.2% year-to-date, while the S&P 500 is down 9.5%.

Novavax announced it would begin human trials for its coronavirus vaccine, while COVID-19 engulfs Brazil.