Sunday, May 24, 2015

Hot Life Sciences Companies To Invest In 2015

No sooner had Life Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ: LIFE  ) announced its successful purchase of KDR Biotech last week, then out came Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE: TMO  ) with a $13.6 billion bid to buy Life Technologies itself.

This morning, Life Technologies announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell itself to Thermo Fisher for $76 per share, or about $13.6 billion in total plus assumption of $2.2 billion in net debt. That assumption raises the deal value to $15.8 billion in total, easily trumping what was being reported last week as an estimated $11 billion bid for Life Technologies from private equity powerhouses Blackstone, Carlyle Group, and KKR.

The deal must be approved by shareholders and needs regulatory approval.

Thermo Fisher CEO Marc N. Casper was quoted in the company press release as saying that "Life Technologies enhances all three elements of our growth strategy: technological innovation, a unique customer value proposition and expansion in emerging markets." Life Technologies and Thermo Fisher say the deal will build on their "technological strengths to accelerate results for life sciences customers working in proteomics, genomics and cell biology."

Best Long Term Stocks For 2016: Pain Therapeutics Inc (PTIE)

Pain Therapeutics, Inc., incorporated in May 1998, is a biopharmaceutical company that develops drugs. The Company has four drug candidates in clinical programs, including REMOXY, abuse-resistant hydromorphone, abuse-resistant hydrocodone and a radio-labeled monoclonal antibody to treat metastatic melanoma. It is also working on a new treatment for patients with hemophilia. The Company�� lead drug candidate is REMOXY, which is a painkiller. It has collaboration agreement with King Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (King) develops and commercializes REMOXY and other opioid painkillers. The Company and King jointly managed a Phase III clinical program and New Drug Application (NDA) submission for REMOXY. It is also developing a pipeline of drug candidates in the area of oncology and hematology. It owns all commercial rights to its pipeline of drug candidates in oncology and hematology. As of December 31, 2010, the Company leased approximately 30,700 square feet of space in San Mateo, California and all of its operations are located in San Mateo.

REMOXY

REMOXY is a controlled-release oral capsule form of oxycodone in a highly viscous liquid formulation matrix that includes excipients. It is formulated to help address issues of abuse and misuse of time-release oxycodone tablets. REMOXY�� capsule dosage form provides therapeutic drug levels of oxycodone on a twice-daily dosing schedule, while resisting the rapid increases in plasma levels of oxycodone associated with common methods of abuse and misuse. Its formulation also resists delivery by unapproved routes of administration, such as injection, snorting or inhalation.

Metastatic Melanoma

The Company is developing a drug candidate called PTI-188 to treat metastatic melanoma, a form of skin cancer. PTI-188 is a monoclonal antibody linked to a radioisotope, intended to deliver doses of radiation lethal to melanoma tumors without harming normal tissue. In March 2010, the Company announced data from two open-label! , dose-escalating Phase I studies conducted in Israel to assess the safety, pharmacokinetics, dosimetry and anti-tumor activity of PTI-188. During the year ended December 31, 2010, the second study was completed. The technology used in this program was developed at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (AECOM). It had licensed worldwide commercial rights to this technology from AECOM.

Hemophilia

The Company has a gene transfer program, initially developed at Stanford University, focused at correcting a genetic disorder in which patients are unable to stop bleeding. During 2010, it conducted a variety of pre-clinical studies with this technology. The Company has licensed worldwide commercial rights to the technology used in this program from Poetic Genetics, LLC (Poetic).

Other product candidates

The Company�� alliance with King includes development of three other abuse-resistant opioid product candidates: hydromorphone, hydrocodone and oxymorphone. Its abuse-resistant formulations of hydromorphone and hydrocodone have completed Phase I clinical trials. In January 2011, the Company announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had accepted its investigational IND, for abuse-resistant oxymorphone.

The Company competes with Roxane Laboratories, Purdue Pharma, King Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Cephalon, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Elkins-Sinn, Watson Laboratories, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical and Forest Pharmaceuticals.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jessica Alling]

    Elsewhere, Pfizer is evaluating its continued partnership on an experimental oxycodone capsule, Remoxy. The drug is an extended-release formula that is targeted at reducing abuse of the painkiller. After years of setbacks and postponements for FDA approval, Pfizer is weighing its options. Its partners for the drug, Pain Therapeutics (NASDAQ: PTIE  ) and Durect, have both fallen heavily due to the news, with Pain Therapeutics falling more than 50% -- its largest decline ever.

  • [By Sean Williams]

    However, all isn't well when it comes to the future of abuse-resistant painkiller Remoxy, which was developed by Pain Therapeutics (NASDAQ: PTIE  ) , using Durect's�special technology-based gel capsule to prevent abuse, and is licensed by Pfizer (NYSE: PFE  ) . Remoxy has been rejected twice by the FDA -- the most recent coming in mid-2011 -- and Pfizer commented this morning that if it were to seek reapproval for the drug it wouldn't be for at least two more years. Given Pfizer's extensive product pipeline, losing Remoxy wouldn't be a big deal. For micro-cap clinical-stage companies like Pain Therapeutics and Durect, it'd be a gigantic blow. Fittingly, Pain Therapeutics and Durect shares imploded by 50% and 34%, respectively, on Friday.

Hot Life Sciences Companies To Invest In 2015: Financial Institutions Inc.(FISI)

Financial Institutions, Inc. operates as the holding company for Five Star Bank that provides consumer and commercial banking, and financial services to individuals, municipalities, and businesses in central and western New York. Its deposit accounts consist of noninterest-bearing demand, interest-bearing demand, savings, money market, club, individual retirement, and other qualified plan accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company?s loan portfolio comprises commercial loans, commercial real estate loans, one-to-four family residential mortgages, consumer automobile loans, recreational vehicle loans, boat loans, home improvement loans, closed-end home equity loans, home equity lines of credit, collateralized and uncollateralized personal loans, deposit account collateralized loans, commercial and agricultural working capital and revolving lines of credit, commercial and agricultural mortgages, equipment loans, and crop and livestock loans. It operates throug h a network of approximately 51 offices and 70 ATMs in 14 contiguous counties of western and central New York. The company, through its other subsidiary, Five Star Investment Services, Inc., provides brokerage services. Financial Institutions, Inc. was founded in 1931 and is based in Warsaw, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By GURUFOCUS]

    Financial Institutions Inc. (FISI) operates as the holding company for Five Star Bank that provides various banking and financial services to individuals, municipalities, and businesses. Aug. 21, the company increased its quarterly dividend 6% to $0.19 per share. The dividend is payable payable Oct. 2, 2013 to shareholders of record as of Sept. 12, 2013. The yield based on the new payout is 3.9%.

Hot Life Sciences Companies To Invest In 2015: Hang Seng Bank Ltd (0011.HK)

Hang Seng Bank Limited and its subsidiaries and associates are engaged in the provision of banking and related financial services. It operates in five segments. The Hong Kong and other business segment includes: Retail Banking and Wealth Management activities, which offer personal banking, consumer lending and wealth management services to individual customers, including current and savings accounts, mortgages and personal loans and others; Corporate and Commercial Banking activities, which include the provision of financial services, payments and cash management and others to corporate and commercial customers; Treasury activities, which are mainly the provision of treasury services in credit, interest rates, foreign exchanges and others, and Other, which mainly refers to the management of shareholders' funds. The Mainland China business segment comprises the business of Hang Seng Bank (China) Limited and the Company's share of profit from Mainland associates.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Steven Russolillo]

    MARKET SNAP: At 6:05 a.m. ET, S&P 500 futures up 0.1%. 10-Year Treasury yield lower at 2.20%. Nymex down 92 cents at $84.82. Gold 0.2% higher at $1233. In Europe, FTSE 100 down 0.5%, DAX down 0.7% and CAC 40 down 0.9%. In Asia, Nikkei 225 down 2.4% and Hang Seng (0011.HK) down 0.4%.

  • [By Steven Russolillo]

    MARKET SNAP: At 6:20 a.m. ET, S&P 500 futures up 0.2%. 10-Year Treasury yield flat at 2.46%. Nymex up 6 cents at $102.45. Gold 0.2% higher at $1310.40. In Europe, FTSE 100 up 0.4%, DAX up 0.7% and CAC 40 up 0.6%. In Asia, Nikkei 225 down 0.1% and Hang Seng (0011.HK) up 0.8%.

Hot Life Sciences Companies To Invest In 2015: Westlake Chemical Corporation(WLK)

Westlake Chemical Corporation manufactures and markets basic chemicals, vinyls, polymers, and fabricated building products. It operates in two segments, Olefins and Vinyls. The Olefins segment provides ethylene, polyethylene, styrene monomer, and various ethylene co-products, such as chemical grade propylene, crude butadiene, pyrolysis gasoline, and hydrogen. The Vinyls segment offers polyvinyl chloride (PVC), vinyl chloride monomer, ethylene dichloride, chlorine, caustic soda, and ethylene. This segment also manufactures and sells products fabricated from PVC, including water, sewer, irrigation, and conduit pipes; window and door profiles; and fences. The company?s products are used in various applications, such as consumer and industrial markets comprising flexible and rigid packaging, automotive products, coatings, and residential and commercial construction, as well as in other durable and non-durable goods. Westlake Chemical Corporation provides its products for chem ical processors, plastics fabricators, construction contractors, municipalities, and supply warehouses in the United States, Canada, Singapore, and internationally. The company was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Neil Macneale]

    We also considered Westlake Chemical (WLK). Based in Houston, Texas, the company produces basic chemicals such as ethylene and styrene from oil and gas feed stocks.

  • [By Rich Duprey]

    Specialty chemicals producer�Westlake Chemical� (NYSE: WLK  ) �has acquired�the PVC pipe, fittings, profiles, and foundation business of CertainTeed now that�all the closing conditions, including a regulatory review, have been met.

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