| Industry Best Biotech Companies To Own In Right Now: Celsion Corporation(CLSN) Celsion Corporation, an oncology drug development company, develops and commercializes targeted chemotherapeutic oncology drugs based on its proprietary heat-activated liposomal technology. The company is developing its lead product, ThermoDox that is in Phase III clinical trial for primary liver cancer; and in phase II clinical trial for treatment of recurrent chest wall breast cancer. It has a license agreement with Yakult Honsha to commercialize and market ThermoDox for the Japanese market. The company also has a license agreement with Duke University under which it received exclusive rights to commercialize and use Duke's thermo-liposome technology. In addition, Celsion Corporation has a joint research agreement with Royal Phillips Electronics to evaluate the combination of Phillips' high intensity focused ultrasound with its ThermoDox to determine the potential of this combination to treat a range of cancers. The company was founded in 1982 and is based in Columbia, M aryland. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Putnam]
This is another play on clinical trial progress as a catalyst for higher share prices. This micro-cap stock uses heat-sensitive nano-particles to precisely place cancer-treatment drugs within specific tumors. A number of approaches are currently being tested. The first approach uses its ThermoDox technology in conjunction with radio frequency (RF) ablation for primary liver cancer. ThermoDox is being evaluated under a special protocol assessment with the FDA in a pivotal 600-patient Phase III trial. Results from this study are expected to be released in the next few months.
Celsion shares weakened in the first quarter, as the company has sold new stock on a pair of occasions to keep the balance sheet healthy. Further equity offerings appear likely, but with positive feedback from the FDA, shares could pop nicely higher before that happens.
Best Biotech Companies To Own In Right Now: Cell Therapeutics Inc (CTIC) Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (CTI), incorporated in 1991, develops, acquires and commercializes treatments for cancer. The Company�� research, development, acquisition and in-licensing activities concentrate on identifying and developing new ways to treat cancer. As of December 31, 2011, CTI focused its efforts on Pixuvri (pixantrone dimaleate) (Pixuvri), OPAXIO (paclitaxel poliglumex) (OPAXIO), tosedostat, brostallicin and bisplatinates. As of December 31, 2011, it developed Pixuvri, an anthracycline derivative for the treatment of hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. Another late-stage drug candidate of the Company, OPAXIO, is being studied as a potential maintenance therapy for women with advanced stage ovarian cancer, who achieve a complete remission following first-line therapy with paclitaxel and carboplatin. As of December 31, 2011, it also developed tosedostat in collaboration with Chroma Therapeutics, Ltd. (Chroma). On May 31, 2012, CTI completed its acquisition gaining worldwide rights to S*BIO Pte Ltd.'s (S*BIO) pacritinib. Pixuvri As of December 31, 2011, the Company developed Pixuvri, an aza-anthracenedione derivative, for the treatment of non-Hodgkin�� lymphoma (NHL), and various other hematologic malignancies, and solid tumors. Pixuvri was studied in the Company�� EXTEND, or PIX301, clinical trial, which was a phase III single-agent trial of Pixuvri for patients with relapsed, refractory aggressive NHL who received two or more prior therapies and who were sensitive to treatment with anthracyclines. On September 28, 2011, CTI announced that a second independent radiology assessment of response and progression endpoint data from its PIX301 clinical trial of Pixuvri was achieved with statistical significance. The results of the EXTEND trial met its primary endpoint and showed that patients randomized to treatment with Pixuvri achieved a significantly higher rate of confirmed and unconfirmed complete response compared to patients treated with standard chem! otherapy had a significantly increased overall response rate and experienced a statistically significant improvement in median progression free survival. Pixuvri had predictable and manageable toxicities when administered at the proposed dose and schedule in the EXTEND clinical trial in heavily pre-treated patients. In March 2011, the Company initiated the PIX-R trial to study Pixuvri in combination with rituximab in patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Pixuvri has also been studied in patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer who have tumor progression after at least two, but not more than three, prior chemotherapy regimens. In the second quarter of 2010, the NCCTG opened this phase II study for enrollment. The study is closed to accrual and results are expected to be reported by the NCCTG later in 2012. OPAXIO OPAXIO is the Company�� biologically-enhanced chemotherapeutic agent that links paclitaxel to a biodegradable polyglutamate polymer, resulting in a new chemical entity. As of December 31, 2011, the Company focused its development of OPAXIO on ovarian, brain, esophageal, head and neck cancer. OPAXIO was designed to improve the delivery of paclitaxel to tumor tissue while protecting normal tissue from toxic side effects. In November 2010, results were presented by the Brown University Oncology Group from a phase II trial of OPAXIO combined with temozolomide (TMZ), and radiotherapy in patients with newly-diagnosed, high-grade gliomas, a type of brain cancer. The trial demonstrated a high rate of complete and partial responses and a high rate of six month progression free survival (PFS). Based on these results, the Brown University Oncology Group has initiated a randomized, multicenter, phase II study of OPAXIO and standard radiotherapy versus TMZ and radiotherapy for newly diagnosed patients with glioblastoma with an active gene termed MGMT that reduces responsiveness to TMZ. A phase I/II study of OPAXIO combined with radi! otherapy ! and cisplatin was initiated by SUNY Upstate Medical University, in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer. Tosedostat In March 2011, the Company entered into a co-development and license agreement with Chroma Therapeutics, Ltd. (Chroma), providing the Company with marketing and co-development rights to Chroma�� drug candidate, tosedostat, in North, Central and South America. Tosedostat is an oral, aminopeptidase inhibitor that has demonstrated anti-tumor responses in blood related cancers and solid tumors in phase I-II clinical trials. Interim results from the phase II OPAL study of tosedostat in elderly patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) showed that once-daily, oral doses of tosedostat had predictable and manageable toxicities and results demonstrated response rates, including a high-response rate among patients who received prior hypomethylating agents, which are used to treat myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a precursor of AML. Brostallicin As of December 31, 2011, the Company developed brostallicin through its wholly owned subsidiary, Systems Medicine LLC, which holds rights to use, develop, import and export brostallicin. Brostallicin is a synthetic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) minor groove binding agent that has demonstrated anti-tumor activity and a favorable safety profile in clinical trials, in which more than 230 patients have been treated as of December 31, 2011. The Company uses a genomic-based platform to guide the development of brostallicin. A phase II study of brostallicin in relapsed, refractory soft tissue sarcoma met its predefined activity and safety hurdles and resulted in a first-line phase II clinical trial study that was conducted by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC). The Company competes with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Sanofi-Aventis, Pfizer, Roche Group, Genentech, Inc., Astellas Pharma, Eli Lilly and Company, Celgene, Telik, I! nc., TEVA! Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd. and PharmaMar. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. (Hemispherx) is a specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in the clinical development of new drugs therapies based on natural immune system enhancing technologies for the treatment of viral and immune based chronic disorders. Hemispherx focuses on two core pharmaceutical technology platforms Ampligen and Alferon N Injection.The commercial focus for Ampligen includes application as a treatment for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and as an influenza vaccine enhancer (adjuvant) for both therapeutic and preventative vaccine development. Alferon N Injection is a United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved product with an indication for refractory or recurring genital warts. Alferon LDO (Low Dose Oral) is a formulation under development targeting influenza. It has three subsidiaries BioPro Corp., BioAegean Corp., and Core BioTech Corp. The Company's foreign subsidiary is Hemispherx Biopharma Europe N.V./S.A. Ampligen Ampligen is an experimental drug, which is undergoing clinical development for the treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). Over 1,000 patients have participated in the Ampligen clinical trials representing the administration of more than 90,000 doses of this drug. The Company is also engaged in ongoing, experimental studies assessing the efficacy of Ampligen against influenza viruses. Alferon N Injection Alferon N Injection is the registered trademark for the Company's injectable formulation of natural alpha interferon. Interferons are a group of proteins produced and secreted by cells to combat diseases. The Company's natural alpha interferon is produced from human white blood cells. Alferon N Injection [Interferon alfa-n3 (human leukocyte derived)] is a highly purified, natural-source, glycosylated, multi-species alpha interferon product. Alferon LDO (Low Dose Oral) Alferon LDO [Low Dose Oral Interferon Alfa-n3 (Human Leukocyte Derived)]! is an experimental low-dose, oral liquid formulation of Natural Alpha Interferon and like Alferon N Injection should not cause antibody formation, which is a problem with recombinant interferon. It is an experimental immunotherapeutic that works by stimulating an immune cascade response in the cells of the mouth and throat, enabling it to bolster systemic immune response through the entire body by absorption through the oral mucosa. The Company competes with Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, AstraZeneca, Baxter International, Fletcher/CSI, AVANT Immunotherapeutics, AVI BioPharma and Genta. Best Biotech Companies To Own In Right Now: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated(VRTX) Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated engages in discovering, developing, manufacturing, and commercializing small molecule drugs for the treatment of serious diseases worldwide. Its products include telaprevir, a prescription medicine used for the treatment of patients with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection; and Ivacaftor, a prescription medicine used for the treatment of cystic fibrosis. The company markets its products under the INCIVEK brand name in the United States and Canada; INCIVO brand in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Sweden, Austria, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, and Norway; KALYDECO brand in the United States; and TELAVIC brand in Japan. Its drug candidates comprise VX-222, a Phase II clinical trial drug candidate, and ALS-2200 and ALS-2158, a Phase I clinical trial drug candidates that are designed to inhibit the replication of HCV; VX-809 and VX-661, a Phase II clinical trial drug candidates that improve the function of defective cystic fibro sis; VX-509, a Phase II clinical trial drug candidate for the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and other immune-mediated inflammatory diseases; VX-765, a Phase II clinical trial drug for the treatment of epilepsy; and VX-787, an investigational drug candidate for the treatment of influenza A. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Advisors' Opinion: - [By Melly Alazraki]
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX)topped the list with a 38.4% return as of Wednesday's close of $48.48. This $9.8 billion market capnon-profitablecompany is all promise. It is itspipelinethat's drawing investors, especially thehepatitis C treatment telaprevirandpotential cystic fibrosis drug VX-770.
Both diseases present large market opportunities: Liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virusaffects 3.2 million individualsin the U.S. and as many as 100 million people worldwide. Cystic fibrosis is an inherited genetic disease that affects about 30,000 people in the U.S. and has few treatment options.
Analysts ! have favored the stock, with aconsensus buy recommendation. However, just on Thursday, Vertex announcedtwomore telaprevir studyresultsthat did not impress investors and the stock declined 2% to $47.50. Also, Vertex is not without competitors and is in a race with Merck (MRK) and its experime ntal Hep C drug boceprevir to be the first to reach the market.
The stock's 52-week high of $52.13 was set on March 7, up from a low of $31.25 set on July 1, 2011. - [By Dug]
Vertex Pharmaceuticals is a discovery and development company focused on small molecule drugs for viral diseases such as Hepatitis C, cancer, autoimmune diseases and more. Their HCV (HepC virus) protease inhibitor drug, Telaprevir, is in Phase III trials, but the company also has a huge pipeline of additional candidates and collaborates with the likes of GlaxoSmithKline and Merck. Vertex shares were worth just under $25 in January 2012, peaked at nearly $35 in July and have held value showing a strong finish at just under $30 in December. - [By TheStreet Staff]
Vertex Pharma's (VRTX ) cystic fibrosis drug Kalydeco will be approved. More importantly, studies testing Kalydeco combined with other Vertex's cystic fibrosis drugs will show strong benefit in a larger swath of patients. Vertex becomes a cystic fibrosis company. Hepatitis C? What's that?
Correct. Kalydeco was approved in January -- in my opinion, the most important drug approval in 2012. The Kalydeco-VX-809 combination study was successful, even though the Street is still debating the magnitude of the regimen's benefit to cystic fibrosis patients
Maybe Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC ) should have quit while it was ahead. Last week, on July 10, the defense contractor made history when its X-47B prototype robotic fighter jet executed a flawless landing aboard the nuclear aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush off the Virginia coast. Turns out, the Navy thought the landing went so nice, they'd try it twice -- so the X-47B took off and landed on the Bush again. And that's where things went wrong. Perhaps feeling their oats, the Navy then decided to try going 3-for-3 with the test jet, designated "Salty Dog 502." So off the plane took, circled, and tried to land a third and final time -- but this time the plane detected a "navigation computer anomaly," aborted the carrier landing, and went back to shore to land at Wallops Island Air Field in Virginia. Five days later, the Navy tried to get another Northrop X-47B, this one dubbed "Salty Dog 501," to put itself down on deck. Unfortunately, this attempt, too, failed. Navy officials blamed "a minor test instrumentation issue" for the scrubbed landing. Result: The Navy, and Northrop, turned a record of 2-for-2 successful landings into 2-for-4.
Honeywell (NYSE: HON ) will release its quarterly report on Friday, as the company seeks to prove that the optimism that investors have shown in bidding shares to all-time highs is justified. With promising conditions for many of its business segments, Honeywell earnings have the capacity to grow substantially both now and for years to come. Honeywell makes a variety of products, ranging from aircraft engines, communications, safety, and lighting systems for planes of all sizes to environmental controls and brake systems for commercial and passenger vehicles. All of those areas have seen recent strength, and the company is doing its best to capitalize on its opportunity in all of them. Let's take an early look at what's been happening with Honeywell over the past quarter and what we're likely to see in its quarterly report. Stats on Honeywell | Analyst EPS Estimate | $1.21 | | Change From Year-Ago EPS | 6.1% | | Revenue Estimate | $9.70 billion | | Change From Year-Ago Revenue | 2.8% | | Earnings Beats in Past Four Quarters | 4 | Source: Yahoo! Finance. How Honeywell earnings are vital to the stock's future
Analysts have had mixed views about Honeywell earnings in recent months, cutting a penny per share from their June-quarter estimates but adding that penny to their full-year 2013 expectations. The stock, though, has been unequivocally positive, rising 11% since mid-April. Honeywell got the quarter started with strong results in its April earnings report, managing to boost its earnings by 17% despite sporting only the tiniest of revenue gains. More optimistically, the company increased its earnings guidance for the year, hiking the lower end of its previous range by a nickel per share, although it cut its sales expectations by $200 million, or about half a percent. Yet the company continues to face macroeconomic uncertainties. Rival Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI ) reported extreme weakness in Europe in the first quarter, as automakers there have seen poor vehicle sales and generally weak industrial activity contribute to sluggish earnings growth. Honeywell has done its best to restructure its operations to turn its attention to higher-growth markets, but Europe could continue to hold back Honeywell from its full potential. Arguably the biggest opportunity Honeywell has is in the aerospace industry. Boeing (NYSE: BA ) expects industrywide demand for 35,000 aircraft over the next two decades, translating to revenue of $4.8 trillion. As a major supplier to Boeing and other aircraft manufacturers, Honeywell should be able to get its share of that pie. Honeywell is also looking for growth beyond aerospace. In June, the company completed its acquisition of RAE Systems, which specializes in making systems and software to help detect gases and radiation. The move will boost Honeywell's existing lines of hand-held sensors and detection devices and help it serve its government, corporate, and public-safety clients with more comprehensive offerings. In the Honeywell earnings report, look for management to comment on the recent investigation of a fire in a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Investigators are looking at a Honeywell emergency-locator transmitter as a potential source of last week's fire, and given the notoriety of the Dreamliner's recent woes, any news will get a lot of attention. In the long run, though, Honeywell appears poised to keep growing no matter what comes of the investigation. Manufacturing is going through a huge change, with technological advances potentially transforming the way everything from simple consumer goods to sophisticated system components are made. Read all about the biggest industry disruptor since the personal computer in our latest free report, "3 Stocks to Own for the New Industrial Revolution". Just click here to learn more. Click here to add Honeywell to My Watchlist, which can find all of our Foolish analysis on it and all your other stocks.
My relationship with this 90-plus-year powerhouse began in the '90s with Toy Story and 101 Dalmatians, and has continued more recently with the releases of Iron Man 3 and Monsters University. The Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS ) empire has consistently been producing blockbuster films throughout my entire life. Disney's ubiquitous presence is not limited to solely the big screen; its involvement in television, electronics, and theme parks as well establishes the company as the go-to media content provider, and has solidified it as No. 66 on the most recent Fortune 500 list. As we pass the halfway point of the year, let's take a look at how Disney has done in the first six months of 2013, and how I think it will do in the following years. As the No. 3 highest-grossing movie distributor in 2012, releasing 18 films and generating more than 1.5 billion domestically in revenue, Disney's appeal to all ages generates it a market share of over 14%. After its Marvel acquisition in 2009, Disney widened its audience viewer age range, with the likes of The Avengers, which generated more than $620 million in the U.S. alone. On May 3, Disney released Marvel's Iron Man 3, which has generated $406 million domestically. And in mere weeks since its release on June 21, Monsters University has generated over $400 million at the box office, $184.4 million from overseas. Though things appear to be going extremely well, there have been minor setbacks in the success of some of Disney's movies. Disney's release of The Lone Ranger flopped, taking in a mere $48.7 million domestically, while Despicable Me 2, released by Comcast's Universal, generated $141 million within a week. Despite the failure of The Lone Ranger, looking ahead, Disney has a strong pipeline of blockbuster sequels that the company plans on releasing in subsequent years, such as Finding Dory, the sequel to the highly successful Finding Nemo, in 2015 and Star Wars Episode VII, also in 2015, which analysts predict to gross $1.2 billion. While Disney has proven itself time and time again in the movie business, its foray into the video game market has yet to live up to the success that accompanies its name. Disney's video game business model has always been that a recognizable character base takes precedence over any other gaming aspect, such as game play interface, graphics, or plot line. Whereas Disney previously marketed to the teenage demographic with the likes of Kingdom Hearts, its most recent focus is the preteen and younger age classification with the company's newest product, Disney Infinity. With Disney Infinity, the consumer purchases toys that are then synthesized with the video game on any recent-generation console. The first-generation character base includes various Disney characters from its newest releases, such as from The Lone Ranger, The Incredibles, Monsters University, and Cars 2. Disney Infinity will be released in August, and hopes to rival the likes of the $1 billion industry of Activision Blizzard's (NASDAQ: ATVI ) Skylanders, which has more or less the same structure as Disney Infinity but without the famous characters Disney brings to the table. Investors should keep in mind that Skylanders has been in existence for the past two years, and has a strong marketing campaign; Activision Blizzard, moreover, may have already captured the majority of the market share in this field. You can read more of my analysis of the Skylanders versus Disney Infinity debate in my most recent article. Although the success of Skylanders could hold back Disney initially, the popularity of Disney's movies only helps to market the physical toys that are essential to the game.  Source: Infinity.Disney.com. Growing up in the Washington, D.C., area and traveling the interstate highway, better known as the Beltway, up until the age of about 7, I was convinced that the Mormon Temple was in fact the famous castle that is trademark to the one and only Disney World. I later learned, disappointingly, that I lived almost 800 miles from the world's most visited theme park, which had more than 17 million visitors in 2012. And what was the second-most-visited theme park in the world? Disneyland in California, which had more than 15 million visitors in 2012. How about the next six most-visited theme parks? All owned by Disney. According to its 2012 annual report, Disney generated $12.9 billion in revenue from Parks and Resorts, up 10% from the previous year. As for 2013, things are looking even better. The percentage of visitors to Disney's domestic parks rose 7% in its second quarter. As for the number of visitors this summer, a recent TripAdvisor survey indicated that 86% of respondents are planning a leisure trip this summer, which is up 7% compared to last year's travelers. With the success of all the Disney-related parks, and the projected summer traveling, Disney's parks and resorts revenue will only grow. Through its blockbuster pictures, expanding presence in the video game industry, and dominance in the Parks and Resorts field, Disney is a company that I see prospering in the near, and far, future. If you don't take my inexperienced advice, listen to fellow Fools Tim Beyers' and Jon Friedman's takes on Disney. The future of television begins now... with an all-out $2.2 trillion media war that pits the cable companies against the technology giants. The Motley Fool's shocking video presentation reveals the secret Steve Jobs took to his grave, and explains why the only real winners are these three lesser-known power players that film your favorite shows. Click here to watch today!
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