Is This Beaten-Down Stock a Millionaire Maker?
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Over the past two years, Iovance Biotherapeutics (IOVA), a small-cap bio company, has made significant clinical and regulatory gress. However, the stock has also plunged over this period -- s are...
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July 6, 2025
06:47 AM
The Motley Fool
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Over the past two years, Iovance Biotherapeutics (IOVA), a small-cap bio company, has made significant clinical and regulatory gress
However, the stock has also plunged over this period -- s are currently trading for less than $2 apiece
Penny stocks tend to be risky, but Iovance Biotherapeutics has an exciting apved duct and several potential catalysts that could jolt its stock price
If Iovance Biotherapeutics' long-term plans come to fruition, the stock could skyrocket from current levels and der the kinds of returns over the next two decades (or so) that could help one become a millionaire
How ly is that to happen
Image source: Getty Images
An innovative apach to treating cancer Iovance Biotherapeutics' claim to fame is that it developed Amtagvi, a medicine for advanced melanoma (skin cancer)
There are at least two important things to note this duct
First, it is manufactured from patients' tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), a type of white blood cell that destroys cancer cells
Second, Amtagvi became the first medicine of its kind apved by the U
Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of metastatic melanoma
It's not surprising, then, that Amtagvi's sales have been growing at a good clip
Iovance Biotherapeutics expects to generate $275 million this year (at the midpoint) after racking up $164. 1 million in revenue last year
The company's long-term strategy seems simple enough
It is currently seeking apval for Amtagvi in other regions, after which it will look to earn label expansions for the medicine
Then, Iovance Biotherapeutics will work on other TIL-based therapies
If all of that happens without a hitch, Iovance Biotherapeutics could, indeed, generate life-changing returns from its current levels
Will Iovance's breakthroughs be enough
Suppose one invests $100,000 in Iovance Biotherapeutics today
It will take a compound annual growth rate of 12. 2% to get to $1 million in 20 years, which is above the S&P 500's historical return
It's hard to bet on Iovance Biotherapeutics accomplishing such a feat despite its Amtagvi-related success
The medicine was a significant breakthrough and could achieve blockbuster at some point
Even so, one issue with Amtagvi is that it is a complex medicine to administer
The cedure requires collecting patients' cells, which are used to manufacture the therapy
It takes 34 days for the manufacturing work to be
Further, Iovance Biotherapeutics recently revised its guidance downward from between $400 million and $450 million for fiscal year 2025
It did so because it had miscalculated the timeline for the activation of authorized treatment centers where Amtagvi is administered
Launch dynamics are complex for any medicine, but they are even more so for therapies Amtagvi
This factor significantly complicates matters for Iovance Biotherapeutics, making the stock less attractive, as it impacts its revenue and earnings potential
In the meantime, the company estimates that it only has sufficient cash to keep the lights on until the second half of 2026
That's before we account for other obvious potential issues
Consider that a lot would have to go right for Iovance Biotherapeutics to perform well through the next two decades
It will need to record consistent clinical and regulatory wins
Setbacks, particularly with otherwise mising ducts or pipeline candidates, will sink its stock price
That's the risk bio investors have to with, and the risk is far higher when dealing with a smaller drugmaker Iovance
Perhaps Iovance Biotherapeutics will perform well regardless, but it's hard to bet on that happening, considering it has yet to establish itself
The company currently has only two ducts on the market, remains unfitable, and has only enough cash for the next two and a half years, facing some uncertainty due to the complexity of the therapies it
Between potential clinical trial failures, regulatory rejections, and the possibility that Iovance Biotherapeutics may have to re to dilutive financing, the stock appears far too risky for most investors
It's worth keeping Iovance Biotherapeutics on your and considering small sums in the stock if its spects imve
Sper Junior Bakiny has no position in any of the stocks mentioned
The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Iovance Biotherapeutics
The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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