Nexell Product Gets FDA Go-Ahead

Shares of Nexell Therapeutics Inc. got a boost Monday after the Food and Drug Administration cleared for sale an enhanced version of one of the company’s main revenue drivers.

The FDA approved an upgraded version of Nexell’s Isolex 300i magnetic cell selection system, a device that lets laboratories take blood from patients and select specific cells that can later be placed back into their bloodstream to replenish the supply lost after chemotherapy treatments.

The company’s stock rose 27%, or $1.09 a share, to close at $5.13 a share Monday, making Nexell the second-biggest gainer, by percent, on the Nasdaq Biotech Index of 202 issues.

Nexell plans to begin selling the enhanced system in July.