Biotech stocks hit post-pandemic high after Moderna, Merck mRNA cancer trial win

Becton Dickinson agreed to invest $3 billion to bring manufacturing of essential medical products to the United States, part of a broader plan to invest $19 billion in the country over several years across capital, operations and supply-chain initiatives, President Donald Trump said Monday in a post on Truth Social. More than $1 billion of that $3 billion will go to Nebraska to ramp up production of numerous products, including needles made with American steel, and BD expects to increase domestic production of essential medical consumables by about 5 billion units annually, raising the share of such products supplied from within the U.S. to roughly 80%. Separately, Viatris entered a definitive agreement to acquire all outstanding shares of Pacira BioSciences for $36.50 per share in cash, an aggregate equity value of $1.65 billion, in a deal expected to close by the end of 2026 that adds the patent-protected pain therapies EXPAREL and ZILRETTA; Pacira generated approximately $746 million in total revenue and about $177 million in adjusted EBITDA in the twelve months ended June 30, 2026. CSL and Alentis Therapeutics entered an exclusive global partnership to co-develop and co-promote lixudebart for rare kidney, liver and other diseases, with CSL making an initial payment of $355 million and Alentis eligible for up to $1.2 billion in commercial milestone payments, and the companies sharing global profits 55% to CSL and 45% to Alentis once the drug is commercialized. Novavax and Moderna traded flat in the premarket on Tuesday after the WHO said Russian officials had traced all contacts of a plague research lab employee who died of pneumonia of an unknown cause, though Novavax closed 20% higher and Moderna added 7% on Monday after Russia's Rospotrebnadzor reported the death of the 28-year-old worker at the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia.

Moderna appointed former executive Juan Andres as its new Chief Operating Officer in a newly created role. The appointment gives investors additional information to weigh against a sharp recent move in the stock, which is down 7.8% over the past day and week but still up 28.8% over 30 days and 154% over 90 days. That 90 day surge was tied to positive intismeran autogene data, FDA clearance of updated COVID vaccines, inclusion in the Nasdaq 100, sector moves around infectious disease headlines, and now the return of Andres in a new operating role. Moderna last closed at $187.46, while the most followed valuation narrative places fair value at $119.56, framing the recent surge and leadership change as happening on top of already stretched expectations. Analysts hold a consensus price target of $119.56, with the most bullish at $170.0 and the most bearish at just $45.0.