For Biotechnology in 2010, it’s Déjà vu All over Again

“It’s déjà vu all over again” – Yogi Berra
With Opening Day less than a month away, it seems only fitting to reference one of the most quoted personalities of our time to describe our analysis of the biotechnology sector in 2010.  In this article, we review our favorable outlook for the industry, draw comparisons with [...]

Gut Check Time for GVHD Companies: BMT Tandem Meetings Review

The 2010 BMT Tandem Meetings were held in Orlando, Florida this past week [February 24-28, 2010].  Considered the premier event for hematopoietic cell transplantation [HCT] and cellular therapy, the annual event attracts more than 2,500 clinicians, transplant nurses, clinical research professionals, data managers, pharmacists, center administrators and mid-level practitioners.
With more than 200 abstracts being presented [...]

Iron Safety Hits AMAG Pharmaceuticals

Shares of AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AMAG) traded as low as $37.70 today, down nearly 17% from the prior close of $45.25 due to purported safety concerns regarding Feraheme® [ferumoxytol], the company’s marketed product for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia [IDA] in adult patients with chronic kidney disease [CKD].
Despite the use of recombinant erythropoietin, anemia [...]

Biotech Deal Activity Declines…The Pause that Refreshes?

* MD Becker Partners reporting live from the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference
This week, nearly 6,500 registrants gathered in San Francisco, California for the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference to hear 25-minute presentations from 338 life science companies.  For industry executives and investors, the annual event serves as a good barometer for the rest of the year.
We [...]

2009: Biotech’s Stealth Small Cap Rally

On the heels of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) logging its worst annual performance since 1931 and the NASDAQ Composite (COMP) having its worst year since inception in 1971, it may have seemed counter intuitive to provide a bullish outlook for the biotechnology industry in 2009.  Nonetheless, at the start of the year we [...]

Graft Versus Host Disease: Failures and Future Opportunities

In September 2009, Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. (OSIR) reported preliminary results from two Phase III trials evaluating its Prochymal product candidate for the treatment of acute Graft-versus-Host disease [GVHD].  Unfortunately, neither trial reached its primary endpoint, sending shares from $14 to a 52-week low of $5.35 by November 2009.  The results were the latest in a [...]

Buyout Buzz at ASH Hematology Confab

Scientific and medical advances weren’t the only topic of discussion at the 51st American Society of Hematology [ASH] Annual Meeting that began over the weekend in New Orleans, LA, as merger and acquisition activity took center stage.
Early this morning, Celgene Corporation (CELG) announced the acquisition of privately-held Gloucester Pharmaceuticals for $340 million in cash plus [...]

Biotech Baker’s Dozen to Watch at Hematology Meeting

The 51st American Society of Hematology [ASH] Annual Meeting will take place December 5-8, 2009, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA.  This is the premier event for the hematology industry, attracting more than 20,000 hematologists and other health-care professionals.
In this regard, Celgene Corporation (CELG) recently announced that data from more [...]

Developments for Parkinson’s Disease Ignite Investor Enthusiasm

In our August 2009 article titled “Treating Parkinson’s Disease: Investment Opportunities and Challenges,” we reviewed some of the historical challenges associated with developing treatments for Parkinson’s disease [PD] and cited reasons for optimism going forward in addition to highlighting several promising companies making progress. Since that time, many of the companies we featured have reported [...]

Ache-free Investment Opportunities in Neuropathic Pain

In the United States, up to 50 million people live with chronic pain, with the majority of these patients not satisfied with their current pain treatments.  Pain is defined clinically as an unpleasant emotional experience resulting from real or potential tissue damage and is generally divided into two categories based on cause:

Nociceptive pain, which is [...]

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