Monday, July 28, 2014

Top 10 Medical Companies To Own For 2014

Alamy Sorry, recent college grads: That mountain of student loan debt you have to scale is going to delay your retirement by more than a decade. That's the conclusion of an analysis by personal finance site NerdWallet, which looked at the dismal financial state of today's average college graduate. With a median debt load of $23,300, a 10-year repayment plan and an unemployment rate of 18 percent upon graduation, new grads aren't exactly set up to start socking away retirement funds. It all translates to about $115,000 less in your retirement fund by the time you hit the typical retirement age. So how does $23,000 in college debt now wind up costing you $115,000 later? It's partly a matter of interest on the loan, which winds up costing the typical grad an additional $5,000 or so by the time the debt is repaid. But the real issue is opportunity cost. "[A]lthough the median college graduate leaves with a seemingly manageable $23,300 debt load, 7% of a student's earnings go toward yearly loan payments of $2,858 for the first ten years of his or her career," writes NerdWallet analyst Joseph Egoian. "This prevents any meaningful contributions toward retirement." Now, if that $28,580 being doled out in loan payments instead sat in a plain-vanilla retirement account averaging a 5 percent annual return for 33 years, it would become more than $143,000. But it won't, and as a result, the typical debt-laden college graduate won't be well-situated to retire until he or she is 73 -- a good 12 years later than the current average retirement age. Even with a projected life expectancy of 84, that's still only a decade of retirement to enjoy. Later retirements are somewhat inevitable, even in the absence of exploding student loan debt -- as medical science extends our lifespans, you'll have to work longer simple give yourself a shot at not outliving your money. That's why it's more important than ever to contribute as much as possible to your retirement accounts and take full advantage of any employer matching you can get on your 401(k). Even with tuition growth starting to slow, it's tough to avoid graduating college with a heavy debt load. But you don't have to follow the crowd into a seriously delayed retirement: Being smart about your education can help you get there right on schedule.

Top 10 Restaurant Companies To Invest In Right Now: Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp (TKMR)

Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company focused on advancing ribonucleic acid (RNA) interference (RNAi) therapeutics and providing its lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery technology to pharmaceutical partners. On March 1, 2012, it announced that the Company had secured a license from Alnylam to develop TKMALDH2, an RNAi therapeutic that utilizes Tekmira's LNP for the treatment of Alcohol Dependence (AD). Its lead oncology product candidate, TKM-PLK1, targets PLK1, a protein involved in tumor cell proliferation and a validated oncology target. On February 8, 2012, it announced that Phase I clinical trial for TKM-Ebola had been initiated. The Phase 1 TKM-Ebola clinical trial is a placebo-controlled, single-blind, single-ascending dose study with additional multiple-ascending dose cohorts in healthy human volunteers. In the field of RNAi therapeutics, the Company has licensed its LNP delivery technology to Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Merck & Co., Inc. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Lisa Levin]

    Tekmira Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: TKMR) shares climbed 34.11% to $13.25. The volume of Tekmira Pharmaceuticals shares traded was 2187% higher than normal. Tekmira signed a development agreement with Monsanto (NYSE: MON) on delivery technology for agricultural applications.

  • [By Markus Aarnio]

    Companies working on chemically synthesized siRNAs include Merck (MRK), through its subsidiary Sirna Therapeutics, Inc., Novartis (NVS), Takeda (TKPHF.PK), Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Marina Biotech, Inc., Arrowhead and its subsidiary, Calando, Quark, Silence Therapeutics plc, Tekmira (TKMR), Sylentis and Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Top 10 Medical Companies To Own For 2014: Chromadex Corp (CDXC)

Chromadex Corporation, incorporated on June 19, 2008, is a provider of research and quality-control products and services to the natural products industry. The Company�� products are used by customers worldwide in the dietary supplement, food and beverage, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. The Company together with its subsidiaries supplies phytochemical reference standards, which are small quantities of plant-based compounds used to research an array of potential attributes, and reference materials, related contract services, technical consulting and ingredients. On December 3, 2012, ChromaDex Inc. acquired Spherix Consulting Inc. The Company�� principal subsidiaries include ChromaDex, Inc., Chromadex Analytics, Inc. and Spherix Consulting, Inc (Spherix).

The Company provides its clients in the food, supplement and pharmaceutical industries with solutions to manage potential health and regulatory risks. Its science-based solutions are for both new and existing products that may be subject to product liability and/or exposed to changing scientific standards or public perceptions; literature evaluations, and design and assessment of pre-clinical and clinical safety testing. It specializes in regulatory submissions for food and dietary supplement ingredients. For its clients involved in drug development within the pharmaceutical industry, the Company provides similar services, as well as risk-based strategies, including intellectual property data and compliance gap identification, due diligence assessments and investigational new drug writing.

Products and Services

The Company offers bulk raw materials for inclusion in dietary supplements, food, beverage and cosmetic products. Through its catalog, it supplies a range of products necessary to conduct quality control of raw materials and consumer products. The Company through Chromadex Analytics, provides a range of contract services ranging from routine contract analysis for the production of dietary sup! plements, cosmetics, foods and other natural products to elaborate contract research for clients in these industries. The Company provides a range of consulting services in the areas of regulatory support, new ingredient or product development, risk management and litigation support. With an addition of Spherix, it provides regulatory approval and scientific advisory services.

The Company competes with Sigma-Aldrich, Phytolab, US Pharmacopoeia, Extrasynthese, Covance, Eurofins, and Silliker Canada Co.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Peter Graham]

    Small cap stocks Chromadex Corp (OTCMKTS: CDXC) and 22nd Century Group Inc (OTCBB: XXII) are, one way or the other, focused on natural products and have been getting some extra attention lately. Moreover, one of these stocks have been the subject of a disclosed investor awareness campaign. Keeping that in mind, are these two small cap stocks natural winners for investors? Here is a quick look:

Top 10 Medical Companies To Own For 2014: Elite Pharmaceuticals Inc (ELTP)

Elite Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Elite), incorporated on October 1, 1997, is a specialty pharmaceutical company principally engaged in the development and manufactures of oral, controlled-release products, using technology and the development and manufacture of generic pharmaceuticals. Elite has four products: Phentermine 37.5 milligram tablets, Methadone 10 milligram tablets, Lodrane D Immediate Release capsules and Hydromorphone Hydrochloride 8 milligram tablets. During the fiscal years ended March 31, 2012 (Fiscal 2011), the Company manufactured and sold Lodrane 24 and Lodrane 24D (the Lodrane Extended Release Products).

The Company has a pipeline of additional generic drug candidates under active development, including, without limitation, ELI-154, a once-a-day oxycodone product and ELI-216, an abuse resistant oxycodone product which utilizes the Company�� propriety formulation for abuse resistant products utilizing the pharmacological approach (Elite�� Abuse Resistant Technology). ECR Pharmaceuticals (ECR), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hi-Tech Pharmacal, Inc. and the owner and marketer of the Lodrane Extended Release Products. Elite also purchased from Mikah Pharma LLC, an approved Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Naltrexone 50 milligram tablets.

For ELI-154, Elite has developed a once-daily oxycodone formulation using its technology. An investigational new drug application (IND) has been filed and Elite has completed two pharmacokinetic studies in healthy subjects that compared blood levels of oxycodone from dosing ELI-154 and the twice-a-day product that is on the market, OxyContin marketed in the United States by Purdue Pharma LP. ELI-216 utilizes the Company's abuse-deterrent technology that is based on a pharmacological approach. ELI-216 is a combination of a narcotic agonist, oxycodone hydrochloride, in a sustained-release formulation intended for use in patients with moderate to severe chronic pain, and an antagonist, naltrexone hydrochloride, formulat! ed to deter abuse of the drug. Products utilizing the pharmacological approach to deter abuse such as Suboxone, a product marketed in the United States by Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Embeda, a product marketed in the United States by Pfizer, have been approved by the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA). ELI-216 demonstrates a euphoria-blocking effect when the product is crushed. Elite has developed ELI-154 and ELI-216 and retains the rights to these products.

The Company competes with Collegium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Purdue Pharma LP, Acura Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Durect Corporation, Mylan Laboratories, Inc., Par Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Alkermes, Inc., Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd., Aptalis Pharma, Impax Laboratories, Inc., and Watson Pharmaceuticals.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By James E. Brumley]

    Exactly one month ago today I penned some bullish thoughts on Elite Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OTCBB:ELTP). If you're familiar with the company - or a regular reader of this site - then you may know why that sounds a little "off." See, at the time, ELTP shares were falling rather quickly, giving up all the gains they had made just a few days before. Almost needless to say, my premise was not a well received one. Let's just say I received some "colorful disagreements" by being optimistic about the biopharma company.

  • [By CRWE]

    Today, ELTP has shed (-8.01%) down -0.009 at $.101 with 4,629,899 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 1:00PM EDT September 16, 2013).

    Elite Pharmaceuticals, Inc. previously reported the first quarter of fiscal year 2014 ended June 30, 2013. Manufacturing and profit split revenues comprised almost all of Elite’s quarterly revenues and totaled $717k for the quarter, an increase of 41% from the prior year. This growth is attributed to the launch of two new products during the quarter, Phentermine 15mg and 30mg capsules, combined with strong year-on-year growth of the Elite’s Hydromorphone 8mg tablets and contract manufactured Methadone 10mg product lines.

  • [By James E. Brumley]

    Judging from the company it's keeping Green Automotive Co. (OTCMKTS:GACR) may have just made its way into the upper echelon of small cap stock opportunities. The electric car company joins Elite Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OTCBB:ELTP), Amarantus Bioscience Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB:AMBS), and only three other companies as Wall-Street.com's "Best 6 Stocks" for January of 2014. As one of the top information resources for investors - particularly in terms of information regarding small and micro cap stocks - being named among the site's top pick is an accolade for AMBS, ELTP, and GACR. Even more impressive is that Green Automotive Co. was the only consumer-goods name among those six. Amarantus Bioscience Holdings and Elite Pharmaceuticals are biotechnology names... an industry that can and often does attract a lot of attention just by the nature of the business. The other three names making the "Best 6" list were an energy explorer, a power-management technology manufacturer, and prescription/medical food producer. For an electric car manufacturer to make the list speaks quite highly of GACR.

Top 10 Medical Companies To Own For 2014: Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Inc.(SPPI)

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a commercial-stage biotechnology company, primarily focuses on oncology and hematology. The company engages in acquiring, developing, and commercializing a broad and diverse pipeline of late-stage clinical and commercial products. It markets Zevalin, a prescribed form of cancer therapy, radioimmunotherapy; and Fusilev, a novel folate analog formulation and the pharmacologically active isomer of the racemic compound, calcium leucovorin. The company?s drugs in late stage development include Apaziquone, an anti-cancer agent; and Belinostat, a histone deacytelase inhibitor. Its drugs in development also include Ozarelix a luteinizing hormone releasing hormone antagonist, which is in Phase II clinical stage; SPI-1620, a peptide agonist of endothelin B receptors, which is in Phase I clinical stage; and RenaZorb, a lanthanum-based nanoparticle phosphate binding agent, which is in preclinical stage. The company was formerly known as NeoTherapeutics, Inc. and changed its name to Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in December 2002. Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is based in Henderson, Nevada.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Keith Speights]

    Biotech stocks are highly volatile. A good example of this is Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SPPI  ) . Spectrum rode a wave of generic leucovorin shortages in late 2010 and early 2011 to stock gains of more than 170%. Shares then plunged more than 30% from July through September 2011. But the ride wasn't over yet.

  • [By Rich Smith]

    Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SPPI  ) has found itself a new Executive Vice President, a new Chief Financial Officer, and a new Principal Accounting�Officer. They're all the same person.

  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SPPI) shares tumbled 9.77 percent to $8.18 after the company announced an offering of $100 million of convertible notes.

  • [By Keith Speights]

    Another prime case study for this comes from Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SPPI  ) . Spectrum's stock more than doubled from October 2011 through July 2012. However, shares plunged 55% from those highs because business dynamics changed since then. A shortage of a generic rival to Spectrum's lead drug Fusilev was alleviated, resulting in sales slowing down considerably.�

Top 10 Medical Companies To Own For 2014: Prima BioMed Ltd (PBMD)

Prima BioMed Ltd is a biotechnology company is engaged in the development and commercialization of medical therapies with a focus on oncology. Its product candidates in development include Cvac, an autologous dendritic cell vaccine for ovarian cancer, monoclonal antibodies for multiple tumour types, and an oral formulation for the human papilloma virus (HPV), vaccine. Its product candidate Cvac is a dendritic cell therapy, for which it is conducting a Phase IIb trial for the treatment of ovarian cancer. Cvac is designed to target the tumour antigen mucin-1, which is expressed at high levels on different tumour types. It also has two preclinical product development programs. In May 2011, Prima BioMed GmbH, a 100 % owned subsidiary of Prima BioMed Ltd, was incorporated in Germany. In May 2011, Prima BioMed Middle East FZLLC, a 100 % owned subsidiary of Prima BioMed Ltd, was incorporated in the United Arab Emirates. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Prima Biomed (NASDAQ: PBMD) shares dipped 38.59% to touch a new 52-week low of $1.44 after the company reported top-line analysis of CVac Phase 2 trial.

  • [By Bryan Murphy]

    Were it the first time, or even the second time, it happened, it might be dismissible. A third time though? As they say, the third time is the charm. If the old saying applies in the worlds of small cap stocks (and it usually does), then Prima Biomed Ltd. (NASDAQ:PBMD) just kick-started what could be a trade-worthy rally.

Top 10 Medical Companies To Own For 2014: CareFusion Corp (CFN)

CareFusion Corporation (CareFusion), incorporated on January 14, 2009, is a global medical technology company. The Company operates in two segments: Medical Systems and Procedural Solutions. The Medical Systems segment is organized around its medical equipment businesses. The Company�� Medical Systems segment�� business units and product lines include Infusion Systems, Dispensing Technologies, and Respiratory Technologies. The Procedural Solutions segment is organized around the Company�� disposable products and reusable surgical instruments businesses. The Company�� Procedural Solutions segment�� business units and product lines include Infection Prevention, Medical Specialties and Specialty Disposables. In August 2011, the Company acquired Rowa. In June 2012, the Company acquired U.K. Medical Limited. In July 2012, Natus Medical, Inc. acquired the Nicolet neurodiagnostic business from CareFusion. Effective December 31, 2013, CareFusion Corp acquired Vital Signs Inc from GE Healthcare, a unit of General Electric Co.

Medical Systems Segment

The Company�� develops, manufactures and markets capital equipment and related supplies for medication management, which includes its infusion and medication dispensing technologies, supply dispensing technologies and respiratory technologies. Its products are designed to enable healthcare professionals to improve patient safety by reducing medication errors and improving administrative controls, while simultaneously improving workflow and increasing operational efficiency. The Company sells these products primarily through its direct sales force, but use third-party distributors as well, particularly outside the United States. Many of its products in this segment are integrated with other information systems within the hospital, including financial and business systems that support patient admissions, discharges and transfers, operational systems that include inventory management and clinical systems that include pharmacy inf! ormation and electronic medical records.

The Company offers value-added services and programs, software technical services and clinical education, which are designed to enhance its customers��utilization of its medical equipment products. The Company�� project management, field service organization and customer call centers support its customers before, during and after product installation. The Company�� project management teams assist customers with the development of project implementation plans, which are designed to ensure rapid, seamless implementation of its products. The Company�� field service organization provides on-site expertise to resolve customers��service issues. The Company�� customer call centers provide additional support to its customers.

The Company is engaged in designing, developing and marketing of IV infusion systems that deliver medications and other fluids directly into a patient�� veins in precise, measured quantities over a range of infusion rates. The Company is provider of point-of-care systems that automate the dispensing of medications and supplies in hospitals and other healthcare facilities in the United States. The Company develops, manufactures, markets and services mechanical ventilators and associated consumables for patients with respiratory disorders.

The Company competes with Baxter International, B. Braun, Fresenius Kabi, Hospira, Omnicell, McKesson; Drager, and MAQUET.

Procedural Solutions Segment

The Procedural Solutions segment is organized around its disposable products and reusable surgical instruments businesses. In its Procedural Solutions segment, the Company develops, manufactures and markets single-use skin antiseptic and other patient-preparation products, non-dedicated IV infusion administration sets and accessories, reusable surgical instruments and non-dedicated ventilator circuits and other disposables used for providing respiratory therapy. The products in this segm! ent are u! sed in the operating room, interventional suites, and in the critical care departments of hospitals. The Company sells these products and services through a combination of direct sales representatives and third-party distributors.

The Company�� Infection Prevention business unit consists mainly of single-use medical products used in surgical and vascular access procedures, including skin preparation products and disposable IV infusion administration sets and accessories. The Company�� Medical Specialties business unit consists mainly of specialty medical devices used in delivering interventional care and reusable surgical instrumentation products. The Company�� Specialty Disposables business unit focuses on providing clinicians with respiratory consumable products that work either independently or in conjunction with its range of ventilators.

The Company competes with 3M, ICU Medical, Becton, Dickinson, Baxter International, B. Braun; Hospira; Smiths Medical; CR Bard, Integra Life Sciences, and Teleflex.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Seth Jayson]

    Calling all cash flows
    When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on CareFusion (NYSE: CFN  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

  • [By Sean Williams]

    Heading notably higher as well, up 5.5%, was medical-products supplier CareFusion (NYSE: CFN  ) which is said to be in talks as a possible acquirer of Britain-based Smiths Group's medical division. Although neither company would comment on a potential sale it would clearly be a positive for CareFusion since its revenue growth has stagnated in recent years. We should hopefully know more about these developments over the coming weeks.

Top 10 Medical Companies To Own For 2014: Stemline Therapeutics Inc (STML)

Stemline Therapeutics, Inc. (Stemline), incorporated on August 8, 2003, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, acquiring, developing and commercializing therapeutics that target both cancer stem cells (CSCs) and tumor bulk. The Company is developing two clinical-stage product candidates, SL-401 and SL-701, for which it holds global marketing rights. The indication for SL-401, a biologic-drug conjugate, is acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The indications for SL-701, a synthetic peptide vaccine, are pediatric and adult brain cancer. It has a platform, StemScreen, for the discovery of CSC-targeted compounds, from which it has discovered or validated several of its clinical and preclinical product candidates. Stemline�� StemScreen consists of StemScreen-1 and StemScreen-2 for the identification of CSC-directed compounds.

SL-301 is a small molecule gamma-secretase inhibitor that inhibits Notch, a pathway expressed by CSCs and tumor bulk of multiple cancer types. SL-101 is a monoclonal antibody-based (mAb -based) compound that targets CD123 and has shown in vitro activity against certain hematologic cancers. SL-201 is a small molecule active against certain hematologic and solid tumor types. SL-601 is a mAb-based compound that targets a cell surface marker on bladder CSCs, which is also expressed on a variety of other solid tumor types. It has also in-licensed certain intellectual property directed to mAb-based therapeutics to validated oncology targets, including Glypican-3, Tie-1, CD133, Frizzled, Smoothened and Patched.

SL-401 - An IL-3R-Directed Compound Targeting Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Bulk

SL-401 is a clinically active biologic-drug conjugate consisting of human interleukin-3 (IL-3) genetically linked to a truncated version of diphtheria toxin. SL-401 targets the IL-3 receptor (IL-3R), which is overexpressed on both the CSCs and tumor bulk of multiple hematologic cancers, including AML. SL-401 has demonstrated preclinical in vit! ro and in vivo activity against both leukemia blasts (which includes tumor bulk) and CSCs of a range of human leukemia cell lines and primary leukemia cells from patients.

SL-701

SL-701 is a clinically active synthetic peptide vaccine that targets several epitopes on CSCs and tumor bulk of brain cancer. In two completed Phase 1/2 clinical trials, SL-701 demonstrated single agent anti-tumor activity in pediatric patients with newly diagnosed brainstem glioma (BSG) and other high-grade gliomas (HGGs) and in adult patients with refractory or recurrent GBM, and other HGGs.

StemScreen-1

StemScreen-1 is a drug discovery platform designed to identify CSC-targeted compounds based on the isolation of CSCs and evaluation of CSC gene expression profiles. CSCs are isolated from primary tumor tissue or cell lines, and then subjected to gene expression analysis using a variety of technologies, including microarray. A control tissue, such as normal bone marrow is analyzed as a comparator against the gene expression profile of the isolated CSCs. These data are then interfaced with an information base of compounds and their mechanisms of action (that is which gene products and pathways they impact). It has utilized StemScreen-1 to discover a number of its preclinical drug candidates. These include SL-201, SL-301, and SL-601. In addition, SL-401 demonstrated activity against CSCs as determined by both an in vitro colony formation and in vivo animal implantation assay, thereby validating certain StemScreen-1 anti-CSC assays.

StemScreen-2

StemScreen-2 is a high throughput drug discovery platform it is developing to discover anti-CSC compounds. StemScreen-2 utilizes a cell-based assay that can track and follow CSCs in their natural state during high throughput screening. In particular, StemScreen-2 utilizes a CSC-specific promoter linked to a reporter as a method for identifying and following CSCs in their native environment of surrounding tumor b! ulk. In t! his way, StemScreen-2 enables the identification of compound hits, in a high throughput manner, with anti-CSC activity.

The Company competes with Boston Biomedical, Inc., Eclipse Therapeutics, Inc., OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Verastem, Inc., Astellas Pharma US, Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co. Ltd., Geron Corp., GlaxoSmithKline plc, ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd, Macrogenics Inc., Amgen, Inc., Pfizer Inc., Roche Holding AG, Sanofi U.S. LLC., Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Sunesis Pharmaceuticals Inc., Clavis Pharma ASA, Ambit Biosciences Corporation, Celgene Corporation, Eisai Co. Ltd., Celator Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Eisai Co., Inc., Roche Holding AG, Novartis AG and Celldex Therapeutics, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Keith Speights]

    Best-performing biotech IPO
    Stemline Therapeutics� (NASDAQ: STML  ) has only traded publicly this year, but what a year it's been. The stock's performance ranks Stemline as the best-performing biotech IPO so far in 2013. This week has been pretty good also, with shares moving up by 28%.

  • [By David Zeiler]

    3. Stemline Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: STML): This biotech develops drugs that target cancer stem cells and tumors. Stemline went public January 29 at $10 a share and rose just 11.78% on its first day. But STML has climbed steadily since, and currently trades at $37.46, up 274.6% from its IPO price.

  • [By Jay Silverman]

    Some of the biggest leaders in that field, and there have been dozens in fields, if not more this year, such as Bluebird (BLUE) and Stemline Therapeutics (STML) and have all pulled back to significantly lower levels; even below, in Bluebird's case, the price that had actually opened up as an IPO, even though it's above its IPO price.

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