ImmunityBio (IBRX) Stock Climbs 3% After Firing Back at FDA Over Anktiva Ad Concerns

TLDR

• ImmunityBio (IBRX) rose 3% Monday after submitting a compliance response to the FDA
• The FDA flagged a TV ad and podcast for Anktiva as false or misleading in March 2026
• ImmunityBio confirmed the TV ad was never broadcast; the podcast was removed from its website
• The company is rolling out mandatory executive training and expanded review protocols
• Interim data from the QUILT-2.005 trial confirmed the study is adequately powered for a Q4 2026 supplemental FDA filing

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ImmunityBio (IBRX) stock climbed 3% on Monday after the company filed a formal response to the FDA over promotional compliance concerns tied to its bladder cancer drug Anktiva.

ImmunityBio, Inc., IBRX

The FDA’s Office of Prescription Drug Promotion had flagged a television advertisement and a podcast in a March 13, 2026 letter, finding both materials false or misleading.

ImmunityBio pushed back on at least one point — the company stated the TV ad cited by the FDA was never broadcast, aired, or shown to the public.

The podcast in question featured remarks from Founder and Executive Chairman Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong. The company said his comments were meant to convey forward-looking opinions about its drug development pipeline, not claims about approved indications.

ImmunityBio removed the podcast from its corporate website and requested its removal from third-party hosting platforms as well.

CEO Richard Adcock said the company “takes promotional compliance with the utmost seriousness” and stressed the need to keep a clear line between its investigational pipeline and the approved uses of its therapies.

On the corrective action side, the company is implementing mandatory executive training, expanded Promotional Review Committee protocols, and bringing in external regulatory counsel to review future high-visibility communications.

Legal Pressure Builds

The FDA letter triggered more than a regulatory headache. Multiple law firms have since launched securities class action lawsuits, alleging investors were misled about Anktiva’s capabilities and the company’s promotional practices.

That’s a real overhang. Whether or not the FDA response satisfies regulators, the litigation adds another layer of uncertainty for investors already watching a company with heavy cash burn and dependence on a single drug.

Trial Data Offers a Counterweight

Despite the noise, clinical progress on Anktiva hasn’t stopped. Interim data from the pivotal QUILT-2.005 trial showed that an independent data committee confirmed the 366-patient randomized study — comparing Anktiva plus BCG against BCG alone — is adequately powered for a planned supplemental BLA filing in Q4 2026.

That filing would target BCG-naïve non-muscle invasive bladder cancer patients, a broader label than Anktiva’s current approval.

Anktiva is currently approved with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin for adult patients with BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer with carcinoma in situ, with or without papillary tumors.

Analyst projections vary widely. Baseline forecasts point to $1.2 billion in revenue and $435.5 million in earnings by 2029 — requiring roughly 119% annual revenue growth from a current loss position of -$351.4 million.

More bullish estimates stretch to $1.6 billion in revenue and $671.9 million in earnings by the same year.

The Q4 2026 supplemental BLA filing remains the most immediate catalyst on the calendar.

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