Why Halozyme Therapeutics Shares Soared

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of Halozyme Therapeutics , a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of human enzymes, jumped as much as 19% after the company announced its plans to present clinical data on its phase 1b trial for PEPGPH20 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting later this month.

So what: PEPGPH20 is currently being tested in combination with Eli Lilly's Gemzar to treat metastatic pancreatic cancer. Based on the results from Halozyme's 28 patient phase 1b trial, the overall response rate was 42%, and the treatment appeared to be well tolerated by patients. In April, Halozyme initiated a phase 2 124-patient trial as a first-line treatment for metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Now what: Much like we've witnessed over the past week, investors are getting pretty excited about ASCO -- essentially the most important conference all year for cancer-focused biotechnology companies. While the initial data for Halozyme's investigational new biologic treatment is encouraging, I feel it's still far too early in the process for a double-digit move like the one we're seeing today. Halozyme is a company worth adding to your watchlist, but it's not a particularly intriguing buy candidate as of yet.

Craving more input? Start by adding Halozyme Therapeutics to your free and personalized watchlist so you can keep up on the latest news with the company.

While you can certainly make huge gains in biotechs like Halozyme Therapeutics, the best investing approach is to choose great companies and stick with them for the long term. The Motley Fool's free report "3 Stocks That Will Help You Retire Rich" names stocks that could help you build long-term wealth and retire well, along with some winning wealth-building strategies that every investor should be aware of. Click here now to keep reading.

The article Why Halozyme Therapeutics Shares Soared originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Sean Williams has no material interest in any companies mentioned in this article. You can follow him on CAPS under the screen name TMFUltraLong, track every pick he makes under the screen name TrackUltraLong, and check him out on Twitter, where he goes by the handle @TMFUltraLong.Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.