Martin Shkreli Takes Aim At Capricor — Stock Sinks

Core Viewpoint - Capricor Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CAPR) experienced a significant decline in stock price following negative commentary from former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli, who publicly identified the company as a short target and expressed skepticism about its clinical trial data and cell therapy approach [1][2][3]. Company Analysis - Shkreli criticized Capricor's lead candidate, deramiocel, and predicted that the upcoming HOPE-3 (COPE-3) study would report unfavorable data, stating that it is the company's only asset [2][3]. - He raised concerns regarding challenges with cell trafficking and potential safety issues related to donor heart-derived cells [3]. - Following Shkreli's comments, Capricor's stock price dropped over 17%, settling at approximately $4.75 per share [4][5]. Recent Developments - On the same day, Capricor announced a scalable framework for loading therapeutic oligonucleotides into exosomes, which management believes could facilitate the manufacturing of clinically relevant quantities of loaded exosomes, a critical step for advancing their platform into later-stage trials [4][5]. - CEO Linda Marbán emphasized the strength and versatility of Capricor's exosome technology and its potential applications across a broad range of diseases [5].