Significant Options Trading on Wednesday: AMGN, SD, JNJ
SandRidge Energy Options Activity: SandRidge Energy Inc (SD) has seen a trading volume of 1,383 options contracts today, equating to about 138,300 underlying shares, which is 51.6% of its average daily trading volume over the past month.
High Volume Call Option for SandRidge: The $15 strike call option expiring on April 17, 2026, has particularly high activity with 764 contracts traded, representing approximately 76,400 underlying shares.
Johnson & Johnson Options Activity: Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) reported an options trading volume of 38,997 contracts today, which corresponds to around 3.9 million underlying shares, or 51% of its average daily trading volume over the past month.
High Volume Call Option for Johnson & Johnson: The $175 strike call option expiring on November 21, 2025, has seen significant trading with 3,133 contracts, representing about 313,300 underlying shares.
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Analyst Views on AMGN
About AMGN
About the author

- AbbVie's Growth Potential: AbbVie expects combined sales of its immunology drugs Skyrizi and Rinvoq to exceed $31 billion by 2026, a year ahead of schedule, demonstrating the company's strong resilience during economic downturns and long-term growth potential.
- Botox's Market Position: AbbVie's Botox product is anticipated to continue generating stable revenue due to its complex molecular structure and strong brand influence, further solidifying its leadership position in the market.
- Amgen's Product Diversity: Despite facing patent expiration challenges, Amgen's products like Tezspire and Repatha continue to drive sales growth, showcasing the company's stability during tough economic times.
- New Drug Development Outlook: Amgen's MariTide, currently in phase 3 trials, could capture a significant share of the rapidly growing weight loss market if successful, enhancing the attractiveness of its product portfolio.
- Market Volatility: On April 2, 2026, U.S. stocks opened lower before recovering slightly, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average struggling to find direction for most of the morning, reflecting market uncertainty.
- Tesla Delivery Miss: Tesla reported first-quarter deliveries of 358,023 vehicles, falling short of Wall Street's expectation of 366,000, resulting in a more than 5% drop in its stock price, which negatively impacted overall market sentiment.
- Surge in Oil Prices: Crude oil prices surged approximately 10% on Thursday due to ongoing tensions in Iran, with market participants anxious about supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, although reports indicated Iran and Oman are working to restore traffic through the strait.
- Healthcare Stocks React: The Trump administration's plans to impose tariffs of up to 100% on certain imported pharmaceuticals led to a roughly 2% decline in healthcare stocks, including major players like Eli Lilly and Amgen, highlighting the market's sensitivity to policy changes.
- Oil Price Surge: On Thursday, U.S. oil prices jumped approximately 10%, primarily due to President Trump's speech failing to provide a clear exit strategy from the Iran conflict, which left investors anxious about the trajectory of oil prices and significantly impacted overall market sentiment.
- Increased Market Volatility: Although all three major indexes recovered to near breakeven after sharp morning losses, Tesla's first-quarter delivery of 358,023 vehicles fell short of the expected 366,000, indicating pressure in the electric vehicle market and further exacerbating investor uncertainty.
- Iran-Oman Protocol Progress: Reports surfaced that Iran and Oman are drafting a protocol to restore some traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which helped stocks rebound from early lows, although the lack of a clear resolution path for the conflict limited the overall rebound strength.
- Caution for Long-term Investors: The current market faces dual pressures from elevated oil prices and rising mortgage rates for five consecutive weeks, with analysts revisiting the uncomfortable term
- Tariff Policy Shift: The Trump administration is preparing to impose tariffs of up to 100% on branded drugs from companies that have not negotiated price reductions, potentially impacting major pharmaceutical firms like Eli Lilly, Pfizer, and Novo Nordisk, thereby increasing price volatility in the drug market.
- Manufacturing Incentives: Drugmakers can reduce or avoid tariffs by relocating production to the U.S. or negotiating deals with the administration, aiming to stimulate domestic manufacturing and potentially leading to a resurgence of investments in the pharmaceutical sector.
- Tariff Implementation Details: The draft proposal includes a 20% tariff for companies planning to onshore production, escalating to 100% in four years, which could significantly influence the long-term strategic positioning of the pharmaceutical industry.
- National Security Considerations: The tariff proposal stems from a Commerce Department investigation that identified certain pharmaceutical imports as a national security risk, highlighting the government's heightened focus on the security of drug supply chains.
- Global Clinical Trial Collaboration: Zai Lab announced a collaboration with Amgen to conduct a global clinical trial studying its antibody-drug conjugate zocilurtatug pelitecan in combination with Amgen's bispecific T-cell engager Imdelltra, marking a strategic move in the small cell lung cancer space.
- Clinical Trial Phase: Amgen will sponsor a global Phase 1b study to evaluate the drug combination in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, which accounts for about two-thirds of SCLC cases, indicating the potential market size of this collaboration.
- Ownership and Supply of Drug: Zai Lab will retain full ownership of zocilurtatug pelitecan and supply the experimental therapy for the Amgen-led study, ensuring control over the development process while potentially enhancing its market competitiveness.
- Market Outlook for SCLC: Small cell lung cancer accounts for 15% of nearly 2.5 million lung cancer cases diagnosed globally each year, with extensive-stage SCLC having high relapse rates and poor prognosis, highlighting the urgent need for new therapies, and Zai Lab's collaboration aims to address this market gap.
- Clinical Collaboration Agreement: Zai Lab has entered into a global clinical trial collaboration with Amgen to evaluate the safety and efficacy of DLL3-targeting antibody-drug conjugate zocilurtatug pelitecan in combination with IMDELLTRA®, marking a strategic move in the treatment of small cell lung cancer.
- Global Study Launch: Amgen will sponsor a global Phase 1b study while Zai Lab retains full ownership of zocilurtatug pelitecan, which is expected to drive the development of new therapies and enhance the company's competitiveness in the oncology market.
- Efficacy Potential: Zocilurtatug pelitecan has demonstrated a high response rate at the EORTC-NCI-AACR and ASCO meetings, particularly showing significant intracranial activity in heavily pretreated small cell lung cancer patients, potentially offering new treatment options for this challenging disease.
- Market Outlook: With poor prognosis for small cell lung cancer patients, and IMDELLTRA® already FDA-approved, the combination of zocilurtatug pelitecan and IMDELLTRA® is poised to further improve efficacy, addressing the urgent market demand for new therapies.











