Why Is ImmunityBio (IBRX) Stock Jumping Today? ANKTIVA Gains NCCN Backing

Shares of ImmunityBio, Inc. (NASDAQ: IBRX) surged in premarket trading on March 17, 2026, after the company announced a significant regulatory milestone for its flagship immunotherapy ANKTIVA. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) updated its 2026 Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for Bladder Cancer to include ANKTIVA (nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln) in combination with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) for patients with BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with papillary-only disease.

The news sent IBRX shares up 6.82% in premarket to $8.77, building on a stock that has already delivered a remarkable 314.65% year-to-date return. This latest guideline update further cements ANKTIVA’s growing role in the bladder cancer treatment landscape and expands its clinical reach beyond its current FDA-approved indication.

What the NCCN Update Means for ANKTIVA

The updated NCCN guidelines now carry a Category 2A recommendation for ANKTIVA plus BCG in BCG-unresponsive NMIBC patients with papillary-only disease, expanding on previous guidance that had covered patients with carcinoma in situ (CIS) with or without papillary tumors.

The update is grounded in clinical data from ImmunityBio’s QUILT-3.032 study (Cohort B), which evaluated ANKTIVA plus BCG specifically in the papillary-only NMIBC population and demonstrated durable responses. NCCN guidelines are developed by multidisciplinary expert panels and are widely referenced by physicians, patients, and payers to guide treatment decisions and coverage policies.

It is important to note that this new guideline reference covers a use not currently included in ANKTIVA’s FDA-approved indication, which remains limited to BCG-unresponsive NMIBC with carcinoma in situ with or without papillary tumors following its April 2024 approval. ImmunityBio stated it is awaiting the FDA’s review of ANKTIVA plus BCG for the papillary-only indication.

The company’s founder and Executive Chairman, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, described the update as “an important milestone for patients with BCG-unresponsive NMIBC papillary-only disease who have exhausted standard BCG therapy.”

Commercially, ANKTIVA already holds a permanent J-code (J9028) assigned by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in January 2025, and currently has insurance coverage for more than 100 million insured patients in the United States. ImmunityBio indicated it will continue to engage with payers and healthcare institutions to support education and patient access consistent with approved labeling and applicable regulations. Coverage and reimbursement for the newly referenced papillary-only indication will ultimately be determined independently by individual payers.

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IBRX Stock Brief: Price, Trends, and Key Metrics

As of the close on March 16, 2026, IBRX shares sat at $8.21, down 2.15% on the day, before the premarket surge of +6.82% to $8.77 following the NCCN announcement on the morning of March 17. The stock has traded in a 52-week range of $1.83 to $12.43, reflecting the high volatility typical of clinical-stage biotech names, and carries an intraday market capitalization of approximately $8.44 billion. Average daily volume stands at roughly 36.97 million shares, though the March 16 session saw lighter-than-average volume of 16.48 million shares.

From a performance standpoint, IBRX has been one of the standout biotech stories of 2026, posting a year-to-date return of +314.65% compared to the S&P 500’s -2.13% over the same period. On a one-year basis, IBRX has returned +186.06%, and over three years the stock is up +482.27%, though it remains down 74.64% over the trailing five-year window.

Recent positive catalysts have included the completion of a scalable manufacturing pathway for the company’s M-ceNK cell therapy and continued progress in NK cell therapy production, which Zacks highlighted as a driver of recent stock momentum.

Financially, ImmunityBio reported trailing twelve-month revenue of $113.29 million against a net loss of $351.4 million, with a diluted EPS of -$0.38. The company holds $242.82 million in cash as of the most recent quarter, and its levered free cash flow stands at -$213.36 million, underscoring that the company remains in an investment phase.

The most recent analyst rating comes from D. Boral Capital, which maintained a Buy rating with a $23 price target on March 9, 2026 — implying significant upside from current levels. The consensus 1-year price target sits at $14.80.

Disclaimer: The author does not hold or have a position in any securities discussed in the article. All stock prices were quoted at the time of writing.