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An Early Look at 2012 ASCO Biotech Cancer Stocks (DNDN, LLY, AMGN, ARIA, ARQL, ARRY, AVEO, BVTI, ABPI, BMY, CLDX, CYTR, CYCC, GALE, EXEL, GNBT, GHDX, IMGN, MYGN, NKTR, NLNK, ONXX, OPTR, PCYC, SGEN, SNSS, SNTA)

Administrator — Fri, 18 May 2012 11:47:56 +0000

We are now just about two weeks away from the king of biotech and pharma events in cancer treatments. The 2012 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is set to take place from June 1 to June 5 in Chicago. This has been a make or break event for many cancer treatment and identification efforts. Some of the exhibitors being featured by ASCO are Dendreon, Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE: LLY), Genentech, Helsinn, Eisai, and Montefiore/Einstein.

24/7 Wall St. has compiled a log of companies which have already signaled in press releases that they will be presenting data or that data will be presented on their behalf at the 2012 ASCO Annual Meeting. We have previewed more than 25 companies so far and that is not even including Big Pharma names. As of May 18, the total abstracts submitted were 5,264 and of those there have been 2,744 which have been accepted for presentation at ASCO. Of those accepted for presentation, some 1,859 are going to be ‘ePublication only’ for viewers. The breakdown for the Abstracts shows that the oral presentation is currently 257 presentations and 2,487 are listed as poster presentation only.

The most presentations accepted (203) so far are focused on Genitourinary Cancer, which covers urinary tract and male genital tract as follows: Prostate cancer; Bladder cancer; Kidney cancer; Testicular cancer; Penile cancer; Nonmalignant tumors of the urinary tract and male reproductive system; and Von Hippel Lindau disease. As of today, the fewest accepted presentations (93) cover Pediatric oncology.

Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN), the largest independent biotech that there is, recently showed updated results from a Phase 2 study showing that treatment with blinatumomab helped achieve a high-rate of complete response in 72% of adult patients with relapsed or refractory B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated in the study. This blinatumomab is the first of a new class of agents called bi-specific T cell engagers antibodies, which are designed to harness the body’s cell-destroying T cells to kill cancer cells. Blinatumomab targets cells expressing CD19, a protein found on the surface of B-cell derived leukemias and lymphomas, such as ALL. Full results of the study will be presented during an oral abstract session on June 4 at the ASCO Annual Meeting.

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARIA) recently sold off but will will have updated clinical data from the pivotal PACE trial of ponatinib, its investigational pan-BCR-ABL inhibitor in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) on June 4. The company said that the data will form the basis of its regulatory filings for marketing approval of Ponatinib for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia and Philadelphia-chromosome positive acute lymphoblasatic leukemia.

ArQule, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARQL) and Daiichi Sankyo, Co., Ltd. (Japan) will have an oral presentation at the ASCO Annual Meeting featuring Phase 2 trial data with tivantinib as a single agent investigational second-line treatment in hepatocellular carcinoma. ArQule announced that this randomized, double-blind study met its primary endpoint in January and will now present the full results from this trial, including positive data in the pre-defined c-MET high population. Additional clinical data with tivantinib will be featured in two poster discussions and two general poster sessions.

Array BioPharma Inc. (NASDAQ: ARRY) has recently risen on its lung cancer and melanoma results. The company has three oral presentations at the annual meeting after having already presented Phase 1 data on MEK162 in 28 patients with biliary tract cancer at the ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium in January 2012 showing that it was well tolerated and showed evidence of clinical efficacy in this patient population, including a complete response and a partial response. Stable disease was observed in 12 patients. The company has licensed selumetinib to AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) and licensed MEK162 to Novartis (NYSE: NVS).

Filed under: Biotech, Calendar, Cult Stock, Drug companies, Editor's Picks, Healthcare, Medical Tagged: ABPI, AMGN, ARIA, ARQL, ARRY, AVEO, BMY, BVTI, CLDX, CYCC, CYTR, DNDN, EXEL, GALE, GHDX, GNBT, IMGN, LLY, MYGN, NKTR, NLNK, ONXX, OPTR, PCYC, SGEN, SNSS, SNTA

Taking An Early Look at 2012 ASCO Biotech/Cancer Stocks (DNDN, LLY, ARIA, ARRY, BVTI, ABPI, CLDX, CYTR, GALE, EXEL, GNBT, GHDX, IMGN, NKTR, NLNK, PCYC, SGEN)

Administrator — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:02:43 +0000

It is now getting close to the middle of May, and that means one thing for biotech investors. The king of biotech and pharma events is about to take place. The 2012 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is set to take place from June 1 to June 5 in Chicago. Some of the exhibitors being featured by ASCO are Dendreon Corporation (NASDAQ: DNDN), Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE: LLY), Genentech, Helsinn, Eisai, and Montefiore/Einstein.

24/7 Wall St. wanted to make a log of companies which have already signaled that they will be presenting data or that data will be presented on their behalf at the 2012 ASCO Annual Meeting. The data below is as follows:

As of May 10, the total abstracts submitted were 5,264 and of those there have been 2,744 which have been accepted for presentation at ASCO. Of those accepted for presentation, some 1,859 are going to be ‘ePublication only’ for viewers. The breakdown for the Abstracts shows that the oral presentation is currently 257 presentations and 2,487 are listed as poster presentation only.

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARIA) will have updated clinical data from the pivotal PACE trial of ponatinib, our investigational pan-BCR-ABL inhibitor in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

Array BioPharma Inc. (NASDAQ: ARRY) recently noted that it “presented Phase 1 data on MEK162 in 28 patients with biliary tract cancer at the ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium in January 2012. MEK162 was well tolerated and showed evidence of clinical efficacy in this patient population, including a complete response and a partial response. Stable disease was observed in 12 patients.”

Biovest International, Inc. (OTCQB: BVTI), a majority-owned subsidiary of Accentia Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTCQB: ABPI) announced in early May that the new data from the BiovaxID® Phase II mantle cell lymphoma clinical trial conducted by the U.S. National Cancer Institute will be presented by the NCI at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.

Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLDX) previously noted that interim topline results of the Phase 2b EMERGE study of CDX-011 in patients with advanced breast cancer will be presented in a webcast on May 23, 2012 but it is not going to get in at ASCO as it noted, “Celldex anticipated presenting these topline results at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2012 Annual Meeting. Due to a clerical error in which the incorrect submission category was inadvertently selected in the on-line ASCO submission form, the abstract for the EMERGE study was not considered for acceptance. Celldex attempted to rectify this clerical error but was informed that no exceptions are made to the submission policy.” Call this the “ASCO-less ASCO presentation.”

CytRx Corporation (NASDAQ: CYTR) will present data from its Phase 1b/2 clinical trial in patients with advanced solid tumors, primarily soft tissue sarcomas.

Exelixis, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXEL) recently announced that cabozantinib will be the subject of nine presentations at the upcoming Annual Meeting… The company noted that cabozantinib encompasses phase 3 pivotal trials in medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) and metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).

Galena Biopharma (NASDAQ: GALE) will present “Safety and Long-Term Maintenance of Anti-HER2 Immunity Following Booster Inoculations of the E75 Breast Cancer Vaccine” and it will host a panel called “HER2 Targeted Cancer Therapies” which includes NeuVax update from the Phase 2 and current Phase 3 PRESENT trials.

Generex Biotechnology Corporation (OTCBB: GNBT) will be presenting data on its breast cancer treatment ambitions.

Genomic Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: GHDX) recently announced that 18 abstracts were accepted for presentation at ASCO which will be highlighting Breast, Colon and Prostate progress.

ImmunoGen, Inc. (Nasdaq: IMGN) noted in late-April “At the upcoming ASCO meeting in June, we expect to see not only EMILIA Phase III data and new SAR3419 Phase I data, but also data from the Phase II trial evaluating the safety of trastuzumab emtansine in the adjuvant/neoadjuvant setting.”

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ: NKTR) has two abstracts: one covering a Phase 3 study of NKTR-102 versus Treatment of Physician’s Choice in patients with locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer previously treated with an anthracycline, a taxane and capecitabine; a second will be NKTR-102 in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.

NewLink Genetics Corporation (NASDAQ: NLNK) announced in April that data from its HyperAcute(R) Pancreas immunotherapy and its HyperAcute(R) Lung immunotherapy as well as its D-1MT IDO pathway inhibitor will be presented at the annual meeting.

Pharmacyclics, Inc. (NASDAQ: PCYC) will have two oral presentations and one poster discussion session: two oral presentations will highlight the first reporting on data from the ibrutinib (formerly PCI-32765) Phase II CLL single agent trial in treatment naïve patients and the ibrutinib Phase Ib/II CLL combination trial with ofatumumab in relapsed or refractory patients; the poster discussion session will highlight data from the ibrutinib Phase Ib CLL combination trial with bendamustine and rituximab in relapsed or refractory patients.

Seattle Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: SGEN) will show updated information on ADCETRIS for patients with relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (sALCL).

Here was a recent list of other stocks to watch covered by an analyst in the Denver Post.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Annual Report, Biotech, Calendar, Drug companies, Economy, Healthcare, Medical Tagged: ABPI, ARIA, ARRY, BVTI, CLDX, CYTR, DNDN, EXEL, GALE, GHDX, GNBT, IMGN, LLY, NKTR, NLNK, PCYC, SGEN

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (COP, GILD, AMSC, MA, COH, LNKD, ATVI, CPST, GPRE, KONA, TRLG, LGF, MOVE, NBL, PCYC, ALU, FLIR, RUTH, FSLR, CIE, TBAC, RPXC, AMRS)

Paul Ausick — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:07:37 +0000

All three major US stock indexes opened lower this morning and the day was mostly a gentle slide for the rest of the trading session. The failed Greek debt deal weighed on futures this morning and nothing came along during the day to lift anyone’s spirits. US consumer sentiment fell slightly in January, the US trade deficit grew, and the federal budget deficit shrank, but now by enough to ignite buyers. Remarks by Fed chairman Bernanke on how to fix the housing mess didn’t offer anything new either. With equities and commodities all lower, the dollar index rose 0.523% today to 79.140. Crude oil is down today, with WTI down -1.04% at $98.80/barrel and Brent down -1.05% at $117.35/barrel. Gold settled down -0.9% at $1,725.30/ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down more than 89 points to 12,801.23 (-0.69%), the NASDAQ fell more than 23 points (-0.8%) to 2,903.88, and the S&P 500 fell -0.69% or more than 9 points to 1,342.64.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) raised to ‘buy’ at Deutsche Bank; Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD) started as ‘overweight’ at both Barclays and Morgan Stanley; American Superconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: AMSC) raised to ‘buy’ at Goldman Sachs; Mastercard Inc. (NYSE: MA) reiterated as ‘buy’ and target price raised to $450 at Argus; and Coach Inc. (NYSE: COH) started as ‘buy’ at Citigroup.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: LinkedIn Corp. (NASDAQ: LNKD) is up more than 18% at $90.44 (more coverage here); Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) is down -2.84% at $12.30; Capstone Turbine Corp. (NASDAQ: CPST) is down -9.8% at $1.26; Green Plains Renewable Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: GPRE) is down -3.5% at $11.20; Kona Grill Inc. (NASDAQ: KONA) is down -3.8% at $6.05; True Religion Apparel Inc. (NASDAQ: TRLG) is down more than -27% at $26.75; Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (NYSE: LGF) is up 6.5% at $11.73 after posting a new 52-week high of $12.24 earlier today; Move Inc. (NASDAQ: MOVE) is up 14% at $8.65; Noble Energy Inc. (NYSE: NBL) is down -2.7% at $100.70; Pharmacyclics Inc. (NASDAQ: PCYC) is up more than 14% at $22.65 after posting a new 52-week high of $23.57 earlier today; Alcatel Lucent (NYSE: ALU) is up more than 13% at $2.2 (more coverage here); FLIR Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) is down -3.3% at $24.90; and Ruth’s Hospitality Group Inc. (NASDAQ: RUTH) is up 3.2% at $6.19.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) is down more than -10% at $43.94. The thin-film solar panel maker is having trouble meeting a financing requirement related to the sale of one of its solar farms to Exelon Corp. (NYSE: EXC). More coverage here.

Tandy Brands Accessories Inc. (NASDAQ: TBAC) is up nearly 71% at $1.77. The clothing accessories maker announced strong earnings and two new brand licensing agreements today.

Cobalt International Energy Inc. (NYSE: CIE) is up 35% at $32.27 after posting a new 52-week high of $36.51 earlier today. The independent oil & gas producer reported significantly better-than-expected flows from a test well offshore of Angola.

RPX Corp. (NASDAQ: RPXC) is up more than 11% at $19.21. The patent risk management company has a contract with Alcatel Lucent that could be very valuable as the larger company begins more aggressively to license its 29,000 patents.

Amyris Inc. (NASDAQ: AMRS) is down more than -28% at $6.95 after posting a new 52-week low of $6.85 earlier today. The biofuel maker’s stock was downgraded following a negative outlook from the company for 2012.

Stay tuned for Monday. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

11:30 a.m. – 3- and 6-month Treasury bill auctions

Have a great weekend.

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire Tagged: ALU, AMRS, AMSC, ATVI, CIE, COH, COP, CPST, FLIR, FSLR, GILD, GPRE, KONA, LGF, LNKD, MA, MOVE, NBL, PCYC, RPXC, RUTH, TBAC, TRLG

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (C, SHLD, SIRI, YHOO, MCP, FGP, TITN, OPTT, KMGB, DMND, BCSI, FLOW, PCYC, CTIC, GE)

Paul Ausick — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 21:05:13 +0000

Equity markets opened higher this morning as an agreement on dealing with the Eurozone’s debt crisis boosted markets. Shares climbed during the day, recovering some of the losses in yesterday’s bear market. The consumer sentiment index rose to 67.7, higher than expected, giving the markets another shot in the arm. WTI crude oil is up nearly 1.5%, to $99.48/barrel and gold is up slightly to $1,710.60 shortly before the market closes today. For the week, equity markets are on track to post a small gain, but nothing like last week’s 7% jump.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up about 186 points to 12,184.11 (1.55%), the NASDAQ rose more than 50 points (1.94%) to 2,646.85, and the S&P 500 rose 1.68% or more than 20 points to 1,255.14.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) started as ‘equal-weight’ at Evercore Partners. Other ratings actions today include Sears Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: SHLD) started as ‘underperform’ at Imperial Capital; Sirius XM Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) started as ‘buy’ with a target price of $2.20 at Citigroup; Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) started as ‘market perform’ at BMO Capital; and Molycorp Inc. (NYSE: MCP) started as ‘hold’ at ThinkEquity.

Here are today’s post-earnings news reactions with prices during the last half-hour of trading: Ferrellgas Partners L.P. (NYSE: FGP) is down -2.7% at $20.77; Titan Machinery Inc. (NASDAQ: TITN) is up about 1% at $23.11; Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPTT) is up 0.63% at $3.20; and KMG Chemicals Inc. (NASDAQ: KMGB) is up 3.4% at $15.67.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Diamond Foods Inc. (NASDAQ: DMND) is up more than 47% at $39.06. The snack food maker got a huge boost today on word from a broker that the accounting issues that have delayed Diamond’s acquisition of Pringles from Proctor & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) will be resolved soon and the acquisition will proceed quickly.

Blue Coat Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: BCSI) is up more than 44% at $25.18. The network technology company is being taken private at $25.81/share in an all-cash offer that values the company at $1.3 billion.

Flow International Corp. (NASDAQ: FLOW) is up more than 44% at $3.50. The industrial products company reported better-than-expected earnings and revenues after markets closed last night. The stock also got an upgrade from ‘market perform’ to ‘outperform’ from Northland.

Pharmacyclics Inc. (NASDAQ: PCYC) is down more than -15% at $12.34. The cancer and immune system drug maker was downgraded to ‘sector perform’ at RBC Capital on lowered expectations that the company may be acquired in 2012.

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTIC) is down more than -13%, at $1.19. The cancer treatment maker announced a $20 million sale of preferred stock and warrants that could boost the number of shares of common stock outstanding by 17.4 million.

General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) is up more than 3.5% at $16.90. The conglomerate raised its quarterly dividend from $0.15/share to $0.17/share, the fourth increase since September 2010.

Stay tuned for Monday. Here are some noteworthy events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

11:30 a.m. – Short-term Treasury note auctions
1:00 p.m. – Three-year Treasury note auction
2:00 p.m. – US Treasury budget release

Have a great weekend.

Paul Ausick

Filed under: HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: BCSI, C, CTIC, DMND, FGP, FLOW, GE, KMGB, MCP, OPTT, PCYC, SHLD, SIRI, TITN, YHOO

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (C, COST, DO, DNDN, GOOG, HGSI, MCP, NTES, NR, POM, PCYC, SHLD, SIRI, TXN, YHOO)

Administrator — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:31:02 +0000

These are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen from Wall Street research calls this Friday morning.

Citigroup, Inc. (NYSE: C) Started as Equal-Weight by Evercore Partners.
Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ: COST) Cut to Negative from Neutral by Susquehanna; Reiterated Buy and raised price target objective to $93 by Argus.
Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. (NYSE: DO) Cut to Neutral from Buy at Citigroup.
Dendreon Corporation (NASDAQ: DNDN) Started as Equal-Weight at Barclays.
Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) Reiterated Outperform with $700 price target objective.
Human Genome Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: HGSI) Started as Equal-Weight at Barclays.
Molycorp, Inc. (NYSE: MCP) Started as Hold by ThinkEquity.
NetEase.com (NASDAQ: NTES) featured as aggressive growth stock of the day by Zacks Investment Research.
Newpark Resources, Inc. (NYSE: NR) featured as the Value stock of the day by Zacks Investment Research.
Pepco Holdings Inc (NYSE: POM) Raised to Outperform with $23 price target objective by Credit Suisse.
Pharmacyclics Inc. (NASDAQ: PCYC) has been downgraded by RBC Capital Markets and by Global Hunter this morning.
Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD) was initiated as “Underperform” by a firm called Imperial Capital.
SIRIUS XM Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) was initiated with a Buy rating and was assigned a $2.20 price target objective by Citigroup; Sirius was also featured as the Bull of the Day by Zacks Investment Research.
Texas Instruments Inc. (NYSE: TXN) lowered estimates and targets by Credit Suisse.
Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) Started as Market Perform by BMO.

If you want to receive daily emails featuring our top analyst upgrades and downgrades, as well as other key issues around our feature news stories, portfolio changes of Warren Buffett and other key investors, and other coverage you can join our free email list below.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: C, DNDN, GOOG, HGSI, MCP, NR, NTES, PCYC, POM, SHLD, SIRI, TXN, YHOO

BioHealth Business Daily (ARQL, APPY, BPAX, BMY, CLDX, CELG, DCTH, JAV, KERX, PCYC, TLCR, VVUS)

Administrator — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:22:21 +0000

Today’s edition of the BioHealth Business Daily is going to be very cancer-dominated due to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2010 meeting that started this last weekend. There are many other stocks on the move in the land of drugs and biotech as well. Today’s key movers are ArQule Inc. (NASDAQ: ARQL), AspenBio Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: APPY), BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: BPAX), Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY), Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLDX), Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ: CELG), Delcath Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: DCTH), Javelin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AMEX: JAV), Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: KERX), Pharmacyclics Inc. (NASDAQ: PCYC), Talecris Biotherapeutics Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: TLCR), and VIVUS, Inc. (NASDAQ: VVUS). We have provided data on the news, trading moves and relative data and color on each where applicable.

ArQule Inc. (NASDAQ: ARQL) is trading up along with many other cancer-related stocks due to ASCO. The company says its drug could help lung cancer patients after the presentation of final Phase 2 results for ARQ 197 c-Met inhibitor in Non-Small cell lung cancer at ASCO. Shares were up at first but are now down by 13.7% at $4.84 on 1.3 million shares; 52-week range is $2.97 to $7.49.

AspenBio Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: APPY) appears to be the worst performer of all stocks today. This one has been halved after news that the submission of its marketing approval application for AppyScore with the FDA will not occur as previously anticipated by late June 2010. Additional data analysis is needed and there was unexplained variability in site-to-site results in the initial draft of the statistical analysis report. Shares are trading down a whopping 54% at $1.55 on more than 5 million shares. The average volume is only 600K per day and the 52-week range is $1.30 to $4.98.

BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: BPAX) is trading up after it announced the receipt of a FDA Orphan Drug Designation for GVAX as a chronic myeloid leukemia cancer vaccine. Shares were up over 9% early in pre-market trading at $2.12, but now the stock is down 90.5% at $1.93.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) is soaring for a company of this size on positive melanoma drug news out of ASCO and after Goldman Sachs raised the rating to Buy. Shares are up over 8% at $24.27 versus a 52-week range of $19.12 to $27.07.

Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLDX) is lower on what sounded to be good news on the surface. The company showed “promising clinical data” on CDX-011 in metastatic melanoma. The phase 2 study met its primary endpoint and the results support additional studies in this indication for the treatment of melanoma and advanced breast cancer. It also presented the study design for its recently initiated Phase II trial of CDX-1307 in bladder cancer, an antibody-based cancer vaccine candidate that is being evaluated as a treatment for bladder cancer. Shares are trading lower by 14.6% at $5.60 on 1.8 million shares; average volume is 822K and the 52-week range is $4.16 to $11.82.

Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ: CELG) is up after data presented at ASCO this weekend AND on an analyst upgrade. Jefferies upgraded the stock to “Buy” this morning. Shares are up 5% at $54.10 on 5.2 million shares; 52-week range is $42.00 to $65.79.

Delcath Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: DCTH) released data at ASCO this weekend which appeared to be positive, but shares are lower. It highlighted the Phase III trial data presented on June 5 at ASO comparing percutaneous hepatic perfusion with melphalan to the best alternative care for patients with hepatic metastases from ocular or cutaneous melanoma. Shares are trading down 23% at $11.27 on over 7 million shares; average volume is 2.05 million shares and the 52-week range is listed as $2.71 to $16.45. Ouch.

Javelin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AMEX: JAV) announced that on June 4 it received notice from Hospira that the company will fund a $2 million loan to Javelin on June 10, 2010 under the existing loan agreement between the two. Shares are up almost 7% at $1.41 on 1.5 million shares; 52-week range is $1.08 to $2.28.

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: KERX) is not feeling any love…. The company announced Phase I data of its Perifosine in the treatment of recurrent pediatric solid tumors, with data including patients with advanced brain tumors and neuroblastoma. Shares are down 7.7% at $4.43 on 2.45 million shares. Average volume is 3.9 million shares and the 52-week range is $0.69 to $6.67.

Pharmacyclics Inc. (NASDAQ: PCYC) was up at first this morning as it announced a presentation of results from a Phase I trial of its first-in-Human BTK Inhibitor called PCI-32765. The pop has faded, and now shares are down by 10% at $5.90 on almost 700,000 shares. The 52-week range is $1.10 to $8.60.

Talecris Biotherapeutics Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: TLCR) is a strange performer despite the notion that it is being acquired for $3.4 billion in a friendly merger deal from Spanish firm Grifols. The cash and stock deal came to roughly $26.19 before the effects of any share price changes, but the share performance today was grossly different from perhaps what the two companies anticipated. Shares were up 0ver 50% in pre-market trading above $24.00… Currently, shares are up by just under 25% at $19.89 on 15 million shares. Shares did not even put in a 52-week high today. This came public in late-2009 and had slid lower.

VIVUS, Inc. (NASDAQ: VVUS) announced positive results from the phase 3 REVIVE-Diabetes study of avanafil. This is for the treatment of erectile dysfunction in men with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The REVIVE-Diabetes study did meet all three of its primary endpoints across the two doses studied by demonstrating statistically significant improvement in erectile function and improvements in the International Index of Erectile Function score. There were also not instances with certain foods and alcohol. Shares opened up as high as $12.77 and traded as high as $12.80, but now the stock is in negative territory by 0.5% at $12.28 on only 1.8 million shares. Investors have seen, heard, or anticipated most of these results. The 52-week range is $5.24 to $13.68.

You can join our free daily email distribution list to hear more about dividend trends, analyst upgrades and downgrades, top day trader and active trader alerts, news on Buffett and other investment gurus, IPOs, secondary offerings, private equity, and more.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Biotech, Drug companies, FDA, Medical, Pharmaceuticals Tagged: APPY, ARQL, BMY, BPAX, CELG, CLDX, DCTH, JAV, KERX, PCYC, TLCR, VVUS

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (COF, CAT, CERN, CHKP, MOT, PCYC, POT, SNDK, TTWO, URBN, WMT)

247wallst — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:32:14 +0000

These are this morning’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen from Wall Street research calls:

Capital One Financial (NYSE: COF) Raised to Buy at SunTrust.
Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) Raised to Outperform at Wells Fargo (late Thursday).
Cerner (NASDAQ: CERN) Started as Neutral at UBS.
Check Point Software (NASDAQ: CHKP) Cut to Hold at Stifel Nicolaus.
Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Cut to Neutral at Macquarie.
Pharmacyclics (NASDAQ: PCYC) Started as Buy at Merriman Curhan Ford.
Potash Corp (NYSE: POT) has seen target cuts at TD, Canaccord, Genuity, and BMO.
SanDisk Corp. (NASDAQ: SNDK) Raised to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ: TTWO) Raised to Buy at Morgan Joseph.
Urban Outfitters (NASDAQ: URBN) Raised to Outperform at FBR.
Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE: WMT) Raised to Buy and $60 target at Goldman Sachs.

You are invited to join our free daily email distribution list to hear about top analyst upgrades and downgrades, IPOs and secondary offerings, ongoing day trader and options trader alerts, stock and market rumors, Buffett and guru investor news, M&A and more.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: CAT, CERN, CHKP, COF, MOT, PCYC, POT, SNDK, TTWO, URBN, WMT

BioHealth Business Daily (BMRN, DVAX, SEPR, STEM, PCYC, OCLS)

247wallst — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:38:15 +0000

Today is an unusually active day for many emerging biotech stocks in the news and we are seeing significant moves in response. We have more detail on each with appropriate links through to more analysis and data at BioHealthInvestor.com or VSInvestor.com:

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ: BMRN) is seeing exponential trading volume in stock and options after a 10% rise today.

Dynavax Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: DVAX) is up over 50%after the FDA removed a clinical hold on its hepatitis treatment.

The fight over the Sepracor, Inc. (NASDAQ: SEPR) acquisition has now gone to the level of a class action status. We noted the very low P/E and multiple valuations yesterday on this one.

StemCells, Inc. (NASDAQ: STEM) traded slightly higher on word that it will soon begin a study with the University of California, San Francisco Children’s Hospital using purified human neural stem cells as a possible treatment for Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease.

Pharmacyclics Inc. (NASDAQ: PCYC) was trading up on news that its right offering is oversubscribed.

Oculus Innovative Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: OCLS) is trading higher on report that it has been assigned a Medicare HCPCS code for its recently introduced Microcyn Skin & Wound HydroGel.

JON C. OGG
SEPTEMBER 10, 2009

Posted in Biotech, Drug companies, HI/LOW, Trading Alert Tagged: BMRN, DVAX, OCLS, PCYC, SEPR, STEM

Weekend of Cancer Data at AACR Ahead of ASCO (ALTH, AMGN, ARIA, ARRY, AZN, BIIB, CELG, CRIS, IMMU, IMGN, INFI, MEDX, MNTA, ONCY, PFE, PCYC, SUPG, TELK, THLD)

247wallst — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:05:16 +0000

This weekend will be a potentially important oncology and cancer news weekend for drug and biotech stocks. The American Association for Cancer Research Meeting will actually have a 100th annual meeting, and some traders and investors may be using this as a preview for what lies ahead at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in a month. The following companies which are presenting data:

Allos Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALTH)
Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN)
ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARIA)
Array BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARRY)
AstraZeneca’s (NYSE: AZN) Medimmune unit
Biogen Idec Inc. (NASDAQ: BIIB)
Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ: CELG)
Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS)
Immunomedics, Inc. (Nasdaq: IMMU)
ImmunoGen, Inc. (Nasdaq: IMGN)
Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: INFI)
Medarex, Inc. (Nasdaq: MEDX)
Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: MNTA)
Oncolytics Biotech, Inc. (NASDAQ: ONCY)
Pfizer (NYSE: PFE)
Pharmacyclics, Inc. (NASDAQ: PCYC)
SuperGen Inc. (NASDAQ:SUPG)
Telik, Inc. (Nasdaq: TELK)
Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: THLD)

You can see a full summary of the data being presented at BioHealthInvestor.com site. There will be others presenting data this weekend, and these were from the press releases of the meeting ahead of time.

JON C. OGG

Posted in Biotech, Calendar, Drug companies Tagged: ALTH, AMGN, ARIA, ARRY, AZN, BIIB, CELG, CRIS, IMGN, IMMU, INFI, MEDX, MNTA, ONCY, PCYC, PFE, SUPG, TELK, THLD

Top Pre-Market Analyst Upgrades (CBT, PCYC, THX, X, UTX)

247wallst — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 07:09:44 +0000

These are some of the top analyst upgrades and positive calls we are seeing this Wednesday morning:

Cabot Corp. (CBT) Raised to Buy at KeyBanc.
Pharmacyclics (PCYC) Raised to Outperform at RBC.
Tenet Healthcare (THC) Raised to Buy at Deutsche Bank.
U.S. Steel (X) Raised to Outperform at CIBC.
United Tech (UTX) Raised to Buy at UBS.

Jon C. Ogg
September 3, 2008