New York, May 29, 2026, 18:04 (EDT)
Cybin Inc., which trades as Helus Pharma, ticked up Friday. HELP shares on Nasdaq were last seen at $4.55, up 6 cents, or 1.3%. The stock moved between $4.42 and $4.58. Around 385,000 shares traded.
Helus Pharma shares barely budged in light trading. With nothing new since the April 30 update on the investor page, the stock traded off sector interest and speculation around the company’s next move instead of reacting to a Friday headline.
Helus is telling investors to watch for topline results from the APPROACH trial in the fourth quarter. That’s the first public data on whether the Phase 3 study of HLP003 as an add-on for major depressive disorder meets its main goals. Interim CEO Eric So in April said, “Our priorities remain clear,” and also flagged the upcoming APPROACH data. Helus Pharma
Ticker moves can still trip up investors looking for the old symbol. Cybin said in December it would leave NYSE American for Nasdaq, with trading under CYBN stopping and HELP starting on Jan. 5. The company also switched to HELP on Cboe Canada.
HLP003 has won FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation, but that is not the same as approval. The FDA says this designation is to help speed up development and review for drugs aimed at serious diseases when there’s early data the drug could be a big step up over current treatments.
HLP004 is the second asset Helus is working on, tested for generalized anxiety disorder. In March, Helus reported its Phase 2 signal-detection trial saw a 10.4-point average drop at six weeks on the HAM-A anxiety scale. No drug-related serious adverse events turned up, according to the company. Dr. Andrew Cutler, a psychiatry professor at SUNY Upstate and senior adviser to Helus, pointed to the “magnitude of improvement observed.” Helus Pharma
Policy has played a part in the trade, but it’s not the whole story. An April White House order focused on psychedelic research and regulation offered a boost, So said. “Policy momentum is meaningful,” he said, but argued that what will really matter is clinical evidence and the ability to deliver safe treatments at scale. Helus Pharma
Psychedelic and neuropsychiatry drug stocks traded firmer on Friday. Compass Pathways was up 9.7%. GH Research climbed 7.7%, and AtaiBeckley added 2.7%. The QQQ ETF, which tracks big Nasdaq stocks, traded 0.4% higher.
Risks stand out for a clinical-stage drugmaker. Any trial setback, regulatory holdup or need to raise money can hit harder than a small stock gain. Helus finished the year with $195.1 million in cash, but its net loss for the quarter grew to $42.7 million and cash-based operating costs climbed to $36.7 million. The company also warned it might not meet clinical deadlines, and said regulators have not cleared HLP003 or HLP004.
Cybin’s HELP is still moving more on clinical news than on earnings. The pop on Friday didn’t shift the focus for shareholders, who are watching to see if early and mid-stage results will translate into late-stage data that could back a future regulatory filing.
