Reaction to Confirmed Ebola Case in U.S. -- UPDATED

Health and Healthcare

Published: September 30, 2014 5:16 pm

Last Updated: October 1, 2014 7:03 am

News has hit of the first confirmed Ebola case in the United States. While this news is still breaking and developing, it appears to be a case that was after symptoms and travel disclosure of a patient in Dallas at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website did not have any proper updates as of 5:05 p.m. Eastern Time.

Please note: this story has been updated with detail and for how the stocks have reacted tied to Ebola.

Details indicate that the patient developed symptoms of Ebola days after returning from West Africa to Texas and that the patient was admitted into isolation on Sunday.

CDC UPDATE 5:45 Eastern Time: The patient was said to have left Liberia September 19, showing no symptoms but began to show symptoms on the 26th. On the 28th, the patient began receiving care at the hospital in Texas. Specimens have now tested positive. The next steps are to care for the patient as safely as possible and then to identify all people who may have had contact with the patient, and then monitor those people for 21 days.

As you would expect, the speculative companies that have been involved in potential and experimental drugs for Ebola have seen their shares pop much higher on this news development. Again, details are still incomplete so we will update this story when we know more.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: BCRX) was up 5% at $9.78 in the after-hours, but that was after a 6.7% drop to $9.78 in regular trading. The 52-week range here is $4.55 to $14.62. J.P. Morgan gave this an Overweight rating and $20 price target on August 8. UPDATE at 5:30 p.m.: Shares were up 12.5% at $11.00 in after-hours trading.

Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: SRPT) was up 8% at 22.80 in the after-hours, but that was after a 1.8% drop to $21.10 in regular trading. The 52-week range is $12.12 to $55.61. One analyst said on September 24 that there could be as much as 75% upside in Sarepta shares (again, analyst report). UPDATE at 5:30 p.m.: Shares were up almost 6% at $22.50, and CEO was on CNBC call-in report.

Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp. (NASDAQ: TKMR) rose by 2.2% on Tuesday in regular trading to $21.14. Tekmira shares were up 20% at $25.50 in the after-hours trading session on Tuesday evening, and this stock has a 52-week trading range of $6.93 to $31.48. From August 11: Can Tekmira make much from its Ebola treatment? UPDATE at 5:30 p.m.: Shares were up 22% at $25.80 in after-hours trading.

Background from August 4: Should investors really be chasing potential Ebola treatments?

Stay tuned.

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