Volume Spike Investor

Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPTR) is soaring in early hours trading today.  The stock is indicated up 85% at $8.51 on almost 40,000 shares at 8:27 AM EST after the company said that its antibiotic to treat hospital (and long-term care and community) acquired infection met the main goal of achieving clinical cure.  Its results showed roughly 92% cure in Clostridium difficile Infection.  Baird also raised the rating to “Outperform” on this news.

Average volume here is only 183,000 and it has no stock options traded.  Before this jump, its market cap was a mere $134 million.  We’d also note that treatments for hospital acquired infections are elusively not great as of today.  More improvements have been made, but this is still a greatly under-treated area.

Jon C. Ogg
November 11, 2008