PSTV: 2026 focus: CNSide scale-up, REYOBIQ pivotal trial prep, and expanded payor coverage

Investing.com – U.S. stocks were lower after the close on Wednesday, as losses in the Technology, Consumer Services and Consumer Goods sectors led shares lower.

At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.09%, while the S&P 500 index lost 0.53%, and the NASDAQ Composite index declined 1.00%.

The best performers of the session on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were Merck & Company Inc (NYSE:MRK), which rose 2.57% or 2.78 points to trade at 111.04 at the close. Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) added 2.31% or 4.94 points to end at 218.59 and Chevron Corp (NYSE:CVX) was up 2.12% or 3.47 points to 167.34 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN), which fell 2.43% or 5.89 points to trade at 236.65 at the close. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) declined 2.31% or 10.87 points to end at 459.80 and Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ:CSCO) was down 1.42% or 1.07 points to 74.40.

The top performers on the S&P 500 were LyondellBasell Industries NV (NYSE:LYB) which rose 6.84% to 52.00, Dow Inc (NYSE:DOW) which was up 6.44% to settle at 28.26 and The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) which gained 5.46% to close at 27.64.

The worst performers were Intuit Inc (NASDAQ:INTU) which was down 6.38% to 566.69 in late trade, Aptiv PLC (NYSE:APTV) which lost 6.03% to settle at 82.93 and Airbnb Inc (NASDAQ:ABNB) which was down 5.20% to 132.79 at the close.

The top performers on the NASDAQ Composite were Inspire Veterinary Partners Inc (NASDAQ:IVP) which rose 256.52% to 0.08, Lottery.com Inc (NASDAQ:SEGG) which was up 79.91% to settle at 0.93 and Rich Sparkle Holdings Ltd (NASDAQ:ANPA) which gained 70.50% to close at 143.24.

The worst performers were Briacell Therapeutics Corp (NASDAQ:BCTX) which was down 55.49% to 4.86 in late trade, TryHard Holdings Ltd (NASDAQ:THH) which lost 41.87% to settle at 32.00 and Plus Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:PSTV) which was down 37.97% to 0.29 at the close.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the New York Stock Exchange by 1762 to 978 and 82 ended unchanged; on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, 1918 rose and 1434 declined, while 176 ended unchanged.

Shares in Merck & Company Inc (NYSE:MRK) rose to 52-week highs; gaining 2.57% or 2.78 to 111.04. Shares in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) rose to all time highs; gaining 2.31% or 4.94 to 218.59. Shares in Rich Sparkle Holdings Ltd (NASDAQ:ANPA) rose to all time highs; gaining 70.50% or 59.23 to 143.24.

The CBOE Volatility Index, which measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 options, was up 4.88% to 16.76.

Gold Futures for February delivery was up 0.66% or 30.46 to $4,629.56 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in February fell 1.21% or 0.74 to hit $60.41 a barrel, while the March Brent oil contract fell 1.12% or 0.73 to trade at $64.74 a barrel.

EUR/USD was unchanged 0.01% to 1.16, while USD/JPY fell 0.35% to 158.55.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.03% at 98.88.

Investing.com -- Plus Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:PSTV) stock dropped 3.5% on Thursday following the company’s announcement of a Type B meeting with the FDA regarding its REYOBIQ pivotal trial strategy for leptomeningeal metastases (LM).

The clinical-stage pharmaceutical company revealed that while the FDA indicated accelerated approval may be appropriate for the LM indication, there are insufficient data to support the use of circulating tumor cells as an intermediate clinical endpoint. The agency recommended that the study evaluate an established clinical benefit endpoint such as overall survival.

Plus Therapeutics said it intends to incorporate the FDA’s feedback into its current dose optimization trial and seek alignment with the agency on a revised protocol later this year. The company aims to be ready for a potential pivotal trial following completion of the current dose optimization trial.

"Our recent FDA end of phase meeting was constructive, and we hope will help us speed up our clinical development timelines and facilitate faster submission of an application for the approval of REYOBIQ for patients with LM," said Dr. Marc H. Hedrick, President & Chief Executive of Plus Therapeutics.

REYOBIQ (rhenium Re186 obisbemeda) is an injectable radiotherapy designed to deliver targeted high-dose radiation to central nervous system tumors. The treatment is currently being evaluated for recurrent glioblastoma, leptomeningeal metastases, and pediatric brain cancer in various clinical trials.

LM is a rare complication of advanced cancer that affects approximately 5% of patients with metastatic cancer. Median survival is typically 2-6 months, with limited effective treatment options currently available.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Investing.com -- Plus Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:PSTV) stock gained 8.4% in premarket trading Thursday after the company announced its subsidiary CNSide Diagnostics signed a national agreement with Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM).

The agreement, effective October 29, 2025, will provide coverage for CNSide’s Cerebrospinal Fluid Tumor Cell Enumeration laboratory developed test to approximately 16 million people throughout the United States. This brings the total policy coverage for the test to 67 million people.

The CNSide CSF Assay Platform is designed to support rapid diagnoses, treatment monitoring, and treatment guidance for patients with leptomeningeal metastases. According to the company, the test has demonstrated superior clinical utility over standard of care in nine peer-reviewed publications and the FORESEE clinical trial.

Since 2020, more than 11,000 CNSide tests have been performed at over 120 U.S. cancer institutions. The company reports the test delivers high sensitivity (92%) and specificity (95%), while influencing treatment decisions in 90% of cases.

The test is available exclusively through CNSide Diagnostics as a testing service provided to healthcare professionals in the United States.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.