Altimmune, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALT) Faces Market Challenges Despite Promising Trial Results

• Altimmune, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALT) receives a "Market Perform" grade from William Blair amidst concerns over its fatty liver candidate.
• Pemvidutide shows promising results in the IMPACT Phase 2b trial for treating metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), with significant MASH resolution rates.
• Despite positive trial outcomes, ALT's stock has seen a decrease, highlighting the volatile nature of biopharmaceutical investments.

Altimmune, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALT), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing treatments for liver diseases and metabolic disorders, has recently been updated to "Market Perform" by William Blair, maintaining a "hold" action. At the time, the stock was priced at $3.48. Concerns have been raised about Altimmune's fatty liver candidate, as highlighted by Benzinga.

Altimmune's recent announcement of the topline results from its IMPACT Phase 2b trial of pemvidutide sheds light on its potential. Pemvidutide is a candidate for treating metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a serious liver condition. The trial involved 212 participants with biopsy-confirmed MASH and fibrosis stages F2/F3, both with and without diabetes.

Participants in the trial received weekly subcutaneous doses of pemvidutide at either 1.2 mg or 1.8 mg, or a placebo, over 24 weeks. The results were promising, with 59.1% of participants on the 1.2 mg dose and 52.1% on the 1.8 mg dose achieving MASH resolution without worsening fibrosis. This is compared to just 19.1% in the placebo group.

Despite these promising results, ALT's stock has experienced a decrease of 3.05%, with a change of $0.11, currently priced at $3.50. The stock has fluctuated between a low of $3.39 and a high of $3.77 during the day. Over the past year, ALT has reached a high of $11.16 and a low of $2.90.

Altimmune's market capitalization stands at approximately $283.87 million, with a trading volume of 19.81 million shares. The low treatment discontinuation rate of 9% in the trial is a positive sign for the company's future prospects, despite the current market performance.