A Scientist Finds Treasure Researching Oncology Drugs
Source: George S. Mack, The Life Sciences Report  (3/22/12)
I love finding out how people move from point A to point B in their careers. It was an incremental process for George Zavoico, who is today a senior equity analyst at New York City-based MLV & Co., a boutique investment bank focusing on the small cap space. Armed with his doctorate in physiology, Zavoico loves the research model, in both science and finance, and he wants to get as close as possible to the drugs and their targets inside the companies he covers. His current small company niche seems to suit his trained curiosity just perfectly. "I find that I can approach the science, the investigators and the academic researchers developing innovative drugs mainly through smaller-cap companies," he told me in a telephone conversation. . . More >

MedTech Industry Stock Outlook
Source: Zacks Equity Research  (3/6/12)
"Although still saddled with an unfavorable macro environment, the medtech indyustry is expected to fare better in 2012 thanks to attractive growth opportunities and healthy tailwinds including improving hospital spending, emerging markets and pent-up demand." More >

Looking for Solid Science in Biotech
Source: George S. Mack, The Life Sciences Report  (3/5/12)
Solid ideas in biotech come from solid research. I first spoke with analyst Carol Werther in early 1999 when I was preparing to write about Immunex, which had developed Enbrel (etanercept) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The product had just been approved by the FDA in November 1998, and it held the distinction of being the first in a new class of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents that would treat autoimmune disorders, not just symptomatically but truly as a disease-modifying agent. Along would come others in this innovative category of anti-TNFs that now total approximately $15 billion (B) in annual sales and include the familiar names Remicade (infliximab) and Humira (adalimumab). . . More >

Being Selective in Biotech: Carol Werther
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report  (3/1/12)
In an industry steeped in complex research and speculative drug development, successful biotech investing requires real sophistication. Senior Biotechnology Analyst Carol Werther of Boston-based Summer Street Research Partners brings her experience to bear on the trinity of unmet needs, reimbursement and what physicians are willing to support with their prescription pads. In this exclusive interview with The Life Sciences Report, Werther shares her high-percentage picks that present opportunities for significant returns. More >

Biotech Platform Technologies Make Big Promises
Source: George S. Mack, The Life Sciences Report  (2/28/12)
Words to Invest By: Make sure you see a lead development product that big pharma is willing to bet on. I love the idea of a smart technology platform that could feed multiple product candidates into a biotech pipeline. The notion is exhilarating because that's where those rare 10- and 20-baggers come from. . . More >

Biotech Stocks Start Strong in 2012: John McCamant
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report  (2/23/12)
After a three-and-one-half year slide, biotechnology stocks started 2012 with a powerful move to the upside. Is this an arms-acquisition race for products in development, or is it about excellent fundamentals that are just getting noticed? Medical Technology Stock Letter Editor John McCamant sees a bit of both, and in this exclusive interview with The Life Sciences Report, he has selected a few names that he believes will rise to the top. More >

Infectious Disease Technologies Could Open Investment Opportunities in 2012: Stephen Dunn
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report  (2/16/12)
Investors have avoided infectious disease companies like the plague, but LifeTech Capital President and Senior Managing Director of Research Stephen Dunn doesn't agree, and he has staked out some ideas in this space that could make you financially better off. In this exclusive interview with The Life Sciences Report, Dunn explains the rationale and delivers the names of bug-fighting companies that use the newest technologies to overcome old barriers to success. More >

Hepatitis C and Orphan Diseases Driving Big Biotech Potential: Geoff Meacham
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report   (1/31/12)
It may seem counterintuitive that rare diseases might actually be biotech growth drivers, but Senior Analyst and Managing Director Geoff Meacham of JPMorgan Chase makes just that case. In this exclusive interview with The Life Sciences Report, Meacham lays out his premise that hepatitis C and orphan disease drugs can cure the woes of growth-starved investors. More >

Five Biotechs to Consider: Mara Goldstein
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report
The complexity of the mammalian immune system is daunting for molecular biologists and drug developers, but incremental progress has brought biotech and biopharma to the point where small molecules and biologics are being developed with some predictability and with some real successes. Clearly, the advantage of leveraging the immune system is that it can apply broadly to so many different systems, organs and disease indications ranging from mild skin disease to brain tumors. For a recent Life Sciences Report interview, I spoke with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. Senior Biotechnology Analyst Mara Goldstein, who has chosen to follow companies developing immunotherapeutics to treat cancers. In a nutshell, she decided on immunotherapy because she believes it is underappreciated by investors, and she opted to follow oncology because the market is huge. More >