ImmunityBio Study Shows Long-Term Success for Bladder Cancer Treatment

A recent study published in the Journal of Urology revealed promising long-term results for ImmunityBio, Inc. (NASDAQ:IBRX) and its immunotherapy treatment, ANKTIVA. ImmunityBio Achieves World’s Broadest Bladder Cancer Approval as UAE Green Lights Lead Drug The Phase 2/3 QUILT-3.032 study evaluated ANKTIVA combined with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) in patients with BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer with carcinoma in situ. The study demonstrated a 71% complete response rate, with a median duration of 26.6 months. Responses, released on Friday, extended beyond 53 months, and over half of responding patients in the Food and Drug Adminstration-reviewed population maintained complete responses past 45 months. High Survival Rates and Safety Profile The data also highlighted an 84% cystectomy-free survival rate at 36 months among responders and a 98.2% disease-specific survival rate at three years. Progression-free survival remained at 80.9% after three years. The treatment maintained a favorable safety profile, with no Grade 4 or Grade 5 treatment-related adverse events reported. The majority of adverse events were mild and localized. The publication strengthens the clinical evidence for ANKTIVA plus BCG, initially approved by the FDA in 2024 and expanded earlier this month to include patients with papillary-only disease. ANKTIVA is the first FDA-approved IL-15 receptor agonist for NMIBC, designed to generate durable immune responses. Technical Signals ImmunityBio’s stock has a constructive longer-term setup, trading above its 50-, 100-, and 200-day moving averages while sitting just below its 20-day average. The bullish alignment of the 20-day SMA above the 50-day SMA and the 50-day SMA above the 200-day SMA supports the broader uptrend, though the short-term pause shows momentum has cooled. RSI is 56.09, which is neutral and leaves room for the stock to move higher without being stretched. RSI reached overbought territory on Oct. 4, so the retreat from that recent swing high looks more like a cooling period than clear evidence of a lasting trend break. MACD is below its signal line, indicating bearish pressure and weaker near-term momentum. Traders should look for MACD to turn higher again before treating the next advance as a stronger continuation move. ImmunityBio’s stock has resistance near $11.00, while no reliable support level is currently identified in the supplied data. A move through $11.00 would strengthen the case for a retest of the $12.50 area near the 52-week high, while failure to hold the current range would raise the risk of a deeper pullback. With no dated golden-cross or death-cross event provided, the moving-average structure is the key longer-term signal: price remains well above the 200-day SMA, and the 50-day SMA remains above it as well. That positioning favors trend continuation, but a sustained break below the 50-day SMA would weaken the intermediate-term picture. ImmunityBio’s stock has gained 255.13% over the past 12 months, confirming a powerful longer-term advance from the $1.95 52-week low. The move above prior resistance on Feb. 23 and the later high of $12.43 show strong demand, although the current position at 69.5% of the 52-week range leaves room for both recovery and renewed volatility. The main trading question is whether the stock can regain its 20-day average and turn MACD higher while holding above the 50-day average. If that happens, the October pullback could resolve into another push toward resistance; continued weakness below the intermediate trend line would instead suggest the larger rally is entering a deeper consolidation. IBRX Price Action: ImmunityBio shares were trading 4.68% higher at $9.609 on Monday, according to Benzinga Pro data. Photo via Shutterstock Read Also: Michael Saylor 'Found More Room for Orange' as Strategy Adds 267 Bitcoin