It is the day after Thanksgiving and one of the first things to hit my alerts this morning was the news of a new Covid variant giving everyone pause. Rightfully so, the market’s response to this news was as expected so I had to check on my favorite biotech stock, VXRT. It was already up in premarket and closed the day up a little over 5%. in aftermarket it went up an additional 1% making me several hundred dollars on the day. If you tuned into the Winter is Coming episode on Vaxart you already know that this bump is indicative of what’s to come. In the last VXRT episode covering the squeeze pattern the stock is experiencing I said the stage is set for it to breakout. Are we on the verge of the next bull run? Let’s look at a couple of factors and you be the judge.

Welcome to Money Talk Sundayz. I’m your investment bro Stevie Bee with another installment of our Vaxart Watch. Run that like button. Subscribe and share if you’re feeling even more bullish on VXRT.

Here’s a bit of news I just found out and I haven’t heard or seen much chatter about it. We all know that Vaxart is conducting phase 2 trials of their covid vaccine tablet. What many of you may not have heard however is that the study will also be assessing the viability of the vaccine candidate as a “booster” for those who’ve received the injectable vaccine. Reports stated that the efficacy of the injectable vaccine wanes over time thus the need for a vaccine booster. The company’s Phase II trial is investigating its vaccine as a booster dose in people who have previously received an mRNA vaccine in their primary series. With the need for boosters comes more time for Vaxart to complete their phase 2 study.

The problem with the regular booster shots come from familiarity. Reports indicated adenovirus-vectored Covid-19 vaccines may face efficacy issues if they are used again as boosters because the immune system would be able to recognize and debilitate the vector.

Now obviously the convenience of the pill trumps many concerns and gives VXRT an advantage. Some are not needing a cold chain protocol, as well as doing away with needles, syringes, and vials. Also, as Vaxart chief scientific officer Sean Tucker points out, the vaccine has the additional potential benefit of sidestepping unwanted antivector responses as expected with other adenovirus-vectored vaccines. Vaxart uses the adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) as its vector. In addition, there is preclinical data showing its oral vaccine could also prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission to unvaccinated individuals.

Just a little over a month ago crap outlets like the Motley Fool were claiming that it was too little too late for Vaxart but here we are with covid spikes around the globe and a new variant starting to make its rounds. Markets are reeling and countries are back to implementing travel bans just as the holiday season is kicking off. Vaxart is in a prime space to carve out its own niche in the vaccine market. Vaxart’s oral vaccine is much more straightforward to investigate in a clinical trial than ones that require a needle and syringe.

So how is the pill supposed to work you may be wondering. Vaxart’s Covid-19 vaccine tablet has a coating that allows it to survive the low pH in the stomach. Once it reaches the lower small intestine, its adenovirus vectors are released to infect epithelial cells. Once the genetic code is delivered, the host cell manufactures the SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen, as well as a double-stranded hairpin turn adjuvant. Vaxart’s vaccine draws a stronger response in the lower small intestine potentially due to specific immune system cells in this region, as well as local digestive enzymes assisting with the response.