From established players to up-and-coming firms, Canada’s pharmaceutical company landscape is diverse and dynamic.
Canadian drug companies are working to discover and develop major innovations amidst an increasingly competitive global landscape. Rising technologies such as artificial intelligence are playing a role in the landscape as well.
Read on to learn about what’s been driving the share prices of the best performing Canadian pharma stocks.
1. NurExone Biologic (TSXV:NRX)
Year-over-year gain: 147.27 percent
Market cap: C$34.08 million
Share price: C$0.68
NurExone Biologic is the biopharmaceutical company behind ExoTherapy, a drug delivery platform that uses exosomes, which are nano-sized extracellular vesicles, to create treatments for central nervous system disorders, spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries. It is a less invasive alternative to cell transplantation, which requires surgery and carries the risk of rejection.
NurExone’s first nano-drug, ExoPTEN, uses a proprietary sIRNA sequence delivered with the ExoTherapy platform to treat spinal cord injuries. ExoPTEN received orphan drug designation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in October 2023, meaning it has been recognized as a potential treatment for rare medical conditions. The designation makes it eligible for incentives such as market exclusivity and regulatory assistance aimed at accelerating its development and approval.
In December 2024, the company released preclinical results from animal testing evaluating the efficacy of its nano-drug ExoPTEN in restoring lost vision. The lead investigator at the Goldschleger Eye Institute, which collaborated on the study, said the results were ‘extremely encouraging,’ and ‘suggest that ExoPTEN could fundamentally change how we approach conditions like glaucoma and optic nerve trauma.’
2. Cipher Pharmaceuticals (TSX:CPH)
Year-over-year gain: 140.88 percent
Market cap: C$377.18 million
Share price: C$14.26
Cipher Pharmaceuticals is a specialty pharma company with a diverse portfolio of treatments, including a range of dermatology and acute hospital care products. The company has out-licensed some of its offerings as well. Cipher began trading on the OTCQX Best Market under the symbol CPHRF in early 2024.
In addition to its current portfolio, Cipher has acquired Canadian rights to CF-101, a dermatology treatment for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis is currently expected to undergo Phase III clinical trials. The company is also conducting proof-of-concept studies on DTR-001, a topical treatment for removing tattoos.
On July 29, Cipher announced it had signed a definitive asset purchase agreement with ParaPRO for its US-based Natroba operations and global product rights, and the news caused Cipher’s share price to spike significantly. The company’s Q3 2024 results showed a product gross margin from the acquired Natroba products of 85 percent.
3. Satellos Bioscience (TSXV:MSCL)
Year-on-year gain: 88.89 percent
Market cap: C$95.99 million
Share price: C$0.85
Satellos Bioscience is a Canadian pharmaceutical company expanding treatment options for muscle disorders. The company has focused specifically on Duchenne muscular dystrophy, developing therapies to regenerate and repair muscle tissue by targeting the specific biological pathways involved. Its lead candidate SAT-3247 targets a protein called AAK1, which regulates the activity of stem cells that activate and differentiate new muscle fibers.
An acceptance to commence Phase 1 clinical trials of the drug was announced on August 19 and the first patient was dosed on September 18. Analysis of tests conducted on canines, shared on October 1, showed improved muscle morphology and increased muscle regeneration with no adverse side effects.
An update was provided in November, revealing it had begun enrolment for a multiple-ascending-dose arm of the Phase 1 study after no drug-related adverse events were reported in the single-ascending-dose group.
4. Telescope Innovations (CSE:TELI)
Year-over-year gain:81.4 percent
Market cap: C$20.39 million
Share price: C$0.39
Telescope Innovations is a chemical technology company that develops scalable manufacturing processes and tools that combine robotic automation, online analysis and machine learning for the pharmaceutical and chemical industries.
The company has commercialized its Direct Inject-LC system. Short for Direct Inject Liquid Chromatography, the system combines hardware and software to analyze chemical reactions and can potentially reduce the time and cost of new drug development.
On July 31, Telescope Innovations entered into a collaborative research agreement with pharma giant Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) to accelerate pharmaceutical research and development using automation, robotics and artificial intelligence.
According to a press release, some efforts will focus on deploying Self-Driving Laboratories, a concept pioneered by Telescope Innovations in which robotic systems carry out experiments while AI algorithms analyze the data in real time to inform researchers about what the next steps should be.
5. Medexus Pharmaceuticals (TSX:MDP)
Year-over-year gain: 46.47 percent
Market cap: C$100.34 million
Share price: C$3.94
Medexus Pharmaceuticals specializes in bringing drugs to treat rare diseases to North America. The company manages the entire process through its fully integrated operations, from acquiring and developing drugs to marketing and selling them. Some of its key products include treatments for hemophilia B and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as a line of drugs for autoimmune diseases like lupus and allergy treatments.
In November 2024, Medexus Pharmaceuticals announced it had successfully negotiated with the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance to make treosulfan, which Medexus commercialized in Canada under the name Trecondyv, available to publicly funded drug programs and patients. Trecondyv is indicated as part of conditioning treatment prior to bone marrow transplants in patients with certain types of blood cancers.
In addition to Canada, Medexus has the exclusive commercialization rights to treosulfan in the US, where it currently being reviewed by the FDA for approval. The FDA extended the review period for the new drug application for treosulfan in September and set a new prescription drug user fee act target action date of January 30, 2025.
Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.