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 [...]

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 [...]

Letter from the Editors – Oct 12, 2009

Our prior e-newsletter coincided with Independence Day and it’s hard to believe that Halloween is now just around the corner.  Soon it will be time for popular Halloween activities, such as trick-or-treating, wearing disguises, playing pranks, and telling scary tales.  Of course, all of this may sound more like an average day in Washington, DC.
On that [...]

Innovative New Medicines are Key to Economic Growth

The life sciences industry [herein includes pharmaceutical, biotechnology, diagnostic and medical device companies] plays a critical role in the United States [US] economy.  Innovative new medicines developed by life sciences companies provide better patient outcomes, improved quality of care, increased life expectancy, and lead to economic gains.
Currently, the strengths [e.g. innovation, quality of care] and [...]

Three Recent Biotechnology Activist Wins by Carl Icahn

Although a controversial topic, activist hedge funds and private equity firms typically use a small equity stake in an underperforming company to put public pressure on its management and board of directors with the goal of increasing stakeholder value through cost cutting, changes in corporate strategy or management, capital restructuring, asset divestiture and other tactics.  [...]

Genzyme’s Manufacturing Disruption Highlights Investment Opportunities in Lysosomal Storage Disorders

Proteins are essential components of the human body.  They perform specific biological functions within a cell and each type of protein has a unique function. For example, enzymes are proteins that help biochemical reactions to occur within the body.  But before they can carry out these important functions, proteins must assemble into precise three-dimensional shapes [...]

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals to Benefit from FDA Action on Zevalin?

According to the American Cancer Society [ACS], non-Hodgkin lymphoma [also known as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, NHL, or sometimes just lymphoma] is a cancer that starts in cells of the lymph system, which is part of the body’s immune system.  NHL is the fifth most common cancer in both men and women in the United States [not [...]

Much Ado About Medarex

According to their website, Discovery’s Edge is the Mayo Clinic’s online research magazine that is designed to communicate the story of scientists and researchers who are bringing treatments and improved care to patients and also reports on “works–in–progress.”  Through this publication, Mayo investigators studying immunotherapy for aggressive prostate cancer reported over the past weekend that [...]

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