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CureVac is a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Germany that is developing vaccines and therapies using messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA). The company was founded in 2000 and had its initial public offering in August 2020. CureVac is collaborating with GSK to develop a second-generation covid vaccine. CureVac’s first attempt to develop a covid vaccine did not have sufficient efficacy data, and its trials were discontinued in October 2021. The company’s other pipeline candidates include mRNA vaccines for influenza, rabies, and malaria. Additionally, CureVac is in the early stages of development for oncology and molecular therapies spanning tumors, liver, ocular, and lung diseases.

Exelixis is a biopharmaceutical firm that discovers, develops, and commercializes treatments for cancer. Its lead molecule, cabozantinib, is indicated for the treatment of patients with metastatic medullary thyroid cancer under the name Cometriq and for the treatment of kidney and liver cancer under the name Cabometyx. Exelixis and its partner Roche have also brought Cotellic to market for the treatment of melanoma.

Perrigo, founded in 1887, is a leading manufacturer of generic over-the-counter healthcare products and supplier of infant formulas for the store-brand market. Perrigo's private-label consumer products encompass a variety of cold/allergy, gastrointestinal, first aid, motion sickness, vitamin, smoking cessation, and other remedies. The company has a market cap of approximately $4 billion after divesting its RX pharmaceutical business in 2021. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, Perrigo has over 9,000 employees.

Stocks rose on Thursday as investors digested new data. Initial jobless claims were 221,000 for the week ending March 30, up from last week's revised 212,000 and above expectations. Ongoing unemployment declined to 1,791,000 from the previous week's revised 1,810,000. The U.S. trade deficit was $68.9 billion in February, an increase of 1.9% from January. Exports of goods increased $5.0 billion, led by aircraft (+$1.4 billion) and crude oil (+$1.1 billion), while exports of passenger vehicles declined $0.9 billion. Imports of goods rose $4.7 billion, led by cell phones and household goods (+1.4 billion) foods, feeds and beverages ($1.3 billion), and automobiles and parts (+1.1 billion). The Dow was up 0.4%, the S&P 500 rose 0.7% and the Nasdaq gained 0.9%. Crude oil traded above $85 per barrel, while gold traded near $2313 per ounce.