Health Care sector: MDRX HLTH HH CRA CERN ECLP ERES IDXC RX INCY NDC VMDC This sector been dooding so good for the last 3 months, outporform s&p by average 10%. With baby boomer (average age 75) coming in the next decade, health care business will experience its golden time. HLTH is one of the most growing company in this sector. Solid balance sheet with cash flow on operation growing recently. Another health stock might take a close look is ERES.
LAZARD Research report: (http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050705/nytu049.html?.v=15) PricewaterhouseCoopers Forecast: M&A Market Heats Up (http://www.forbes.com/facesinthenews/2005/07/05/0705autofacescan11.html?partner=yahootix&referrer=) Wasserstein's Lazard (nyse: LAZ - news - people ) came in 10th place In M&A Business. (http://www.ajc.com/wednesday/content/epaper/editions/wednesday/business_24bca6d69074f00a0007.html) Mergers up 39% from last year, gobal merger-and-acquisition volume rocketed to $1.4 trillion in the first half of 2005, an increase of 39 percent from the same period last year. Finance was the most active industry, accounting for $238 billion of the deal volume. (http://home.businesswire.com/portal...d=news_view&newsId=20050701005166&newsLang=en) The good news for U.S. dealmakers is that deal value has skyrocketed, indicating a willingness among buyers in the U.S. and U.S. cross-border market to open the purse strings for acquisitions. Total disclosed dollar volume for the second quarter jumped to U.S.$275 billion, the highest quarterly deal value since the fourth quarter of 2000 and an improvement over the U.S.$243 billion total for the first quarter. Increasing deal value can be attributed to ongoing strength of the mega-deal market (defined by FactSet Mergerstat as deals with values of more than U.S.$1 billion). The second quarter posted 55 deals in this category, up from 34 last quarter. (http://austin.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2005/07/04/daily6.html) M&A pace to continue for rest of '05. Without a doubt, U.S. corporations plan to continue their rapid pace of acquisitions" LAZ 3 month target $26.5, Over $30 by the end of 2005. Look at how hot the M&A business is this year and this trend will go on in the next few years, just like what we experienced in 1980s'. LAZARD is the top 10 M&A investment bank with M&A business in US, EURO, JAPAN, and more.
Regeneron Initiates VEGF Trap Intravitreal Clinical Development Program and Genentech Announces July 18 Webcast Discussion of Data Presented at ASRS http://www.financialnewsusa.com/release.php?rlsid=2489
www.bellwetherreport.com Report for REGN today. Positive article. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:REGN) Share price as of Friday¡¯s close: $8.62 Share price as of now: $9.00 Change: 4.41% Volume: 353,024 shares, daily average 425,641 Last time this high: January 4, 2005 52-week high: $10.28 52-week low: $4.61 Regeneron Pharmaceuticals was founded in 1988 by CEO Leonard S. Schleifer, M.D., to develop and commercialize new therapeutic agents to treat unmet medical needs. The company initially focused on treatments for diseases of the nervous system. However in 1995, when P. Roy Vagelos, M.D., joined Regeneron as its Chairman, he encouraged development of the Company¡¯s strength in science and technology in more diverse disease settings, such as cancer, eye disease, rheumatoid arthritis, allergy, and asthma. Regeneron is developing a series of ¡°Traps,¡± a new class of product candidate which targets and blocks many of the protein hormones whose over activity seems to contribute to many different diseases. Regeneron has therapeutic candidates in clinical trials for the potential treatment of obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer. The company also has preclinical programs in asthma, allergies, and other diseases and disorders. Regeneron¡¯s scientists continue to be busy in the laboratory bench, producing exciting discoveries that may lead to additional therapeutic product candidates of the future. During the first quarter of 2005 Regeneron reported revenue of $16.2 million compared to $62.0 million in the same period pf 2004 due primarily to lower revenues related to their collaboration with sanofi-aventis on the VEGF Trap and their prior collaboration with Novartis on the IL-1 Trap. Collaboration revenue earned from sanofi-aventis and Novartis is comprised of contract research and development revenue and research progress payments. Regeneration reported a net loss of $4.1 million, or $0.07 per share for the first quarter of 2005 compared with a net income of $64.5 million, or $1.17 per basic share. On May 16, 2005 Regeneron announced positive preliminary results from on going phase 1 open-label, dose-escalation study of the VEGF Trap administered intravenously to patients with advanced cancers. "The preliminary results of this study reinforce our belief that the VEGF Trap has the potential to become an important drug in the treatment of cancer," noted Dr. Jesse Cedarbaum, Regeneron's Vice President Clinical Affairs. "We are looking forward to advancing our clinical program." The study was designed to examine the safety, pharmacokinetics, biological activity, and preliminary efficacy of the VEGF Trap when administered intravenously every two weeks to patients with advanced solid tumors. The VEGF Trap was generally well tolerated at the dose levels evaluated, with the most common adverse events during treatment including fatigue, pain, and constipation. No anti-VEGF Trap antibodies have been detected, and the maximum tolerated dose has not yet been reached. Preliminary analyses of tumor blood flow and volume by dynamic contrast-enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans have suggested that the VEGF Trap rapidly induces a tumor vascular response. Preliminary efficacy analysis showed evidence of tumor size reduction and prolonged stable disease in some patients after VEGF Trap treatment as a single-agent. One patient achieved a partial response with disappearance of ascites, two patients had minor responses, and one patient has maintained stable disease for over 11 months to date. On June 10, 2005 Regeneron announced more positive preliminary results from another pilot, this time on weekly dosing of the Interleukin -1 Trap in patients with CIAS1-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS), a family of auto inflammatory diseases. All four patients enrolled in the study to date experienced a positive response to a subcutaneous loading dose regimen of the IL-1 Trap, including a sizable reduction in daily patient diary scores and acute phase reactant levels. In the ongoing chronic dosing phase of the study, these patients continue to demonstrate a positive response to the IL-1 Trap. Treatment with the IL-1 Trap led to an immediate clinical and laboratory improvement in all patients," the NIAMS investigators reported. "These results will allow us to further investigate the role of IL-1 blockade in treating patients with CAPS and other inflammatory diseases." The IL-1 Trap is designed to attach to and neutralize IL-1 in the blood stream before it can attach to cell-surface receptors and generate signals that can trigger disease activity in body tissue. Once attached to the Trap, IL-1 cannot bind to the cell surface receptors and, together with the Trap, is flushed from the body. The IL-1 Trap has a long duration in the body, and can be delivered by weekly injection. On July 5, 2005 the company began the initiation of a clinical program to evaluate the VEGF Trap in certain eye diseases utilizing intravitreal injections in the eye. The trial is being conducted on patients with the neovascular AMD, a degenerative condition that is a major cause of severe vision impairment and blindness in adults over 55. "Blocking VEGF is a validated approach in treating wet AMD, and the VEGF Trap blocks all forms of VEGF-A with extremely high affinity," said Jesse M. Cedarbaum, MD, Vice President of Clinical Affairs at Regeneron. "This trial is another significant step forward in further exploring the potential benefit the VEGF Trap can provide to patients suffering from wet AMD and other eye diseases." So far during the second quarter of 2005 the company has enjoyed a lot of success in the trials of the company¡¯s different product candidates. The company will continue to work and conduct trials on these candidates in hopes that they one day enter the market place. If the company can progress any of these treatments into the actual market place, it would be huge. Many of these candidates have high hopes for the treatment of many serious diseases and so far things are looking good. If this success in the trials keeps up the company should enjoy a very positive 2005. Written By Kyle Noddin Kyle Noddin and the Bellwether Report do not have a vested interest in the companies mentioned above
Big news for LAZ. Another 10.71% stake by Jennison Associates. Reports 10.71% Stake In Lazard 131 words 8 July 2005 03:19 pm Dow Jones International News English (c) 2005 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--Jennison Associates LLC reported a 10.71% stake in Lazard Ltd. (LAZ), according to a Schedule 13G filed Friday with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Jennison Associates, an investment adviser to several investment companies, insurance accounts and institutional clients, beneficially owns about 4 million Lazard common shares, the filing said. Prudential Financial Inc. (PRU) indirectly owns 100% of the equity interests of Jennison, so Prudential may also be deemed to beneficially own these Lazard's shares, the filing said. Jennison Associates reported its stake on a form designated for passive investors, those not seeking to change or influence a company's operations. -By Denise Jia, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-1359; denise.jia@dowjones.com [ 08-07-05 2022GMT ] Document DJI0000020050708e178001hu So Far, JP Morgan 15%, BOA 15% Prudential 10.71%. These major holder are Banks and Insurance companies, they have their good reason to require so much stake into LAZARD, they know exactly what LAZ's future is. LAZ still under IPO, go buy. http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1311370/000005341705000077/0000053417-05-000077-index.htm
RHAT $16 target by most Analyst. Good Support at $14 level. Will see more appreciation follow analyst recommend.
ERES MDRX HLTH follow RX's deal. I called ERES last Friday @13.5. These three health care companies have strong FA with the Baby boomer forecast.
REGN research update: Cancer Vaccine; IL-1 Trap Shows Positive Results in Study of Patients with Inflammatory Disease 233 words 16 July 2005 Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week 289 English (c) Copyright 2005 Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week via NewsRx.com 2005 JUL 16 - (NewsRx.com) -- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced positive preliminary results from an ongoing pilot study of once-weekly dosing of the Interleukin-1 (IL-1) Trap in patients with CIAS1-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS), a family of autoinflammatory diseases. All four patients enrolled in the study to date experienced a positive response to a subcutaneous loading dose regimen of the IL-1 Trap, including a sizable reduction in daily patient diary scores and acute phase reactant levels. In the ongoing chronic dosing phase of the study, these patients continue to demonstrate a positive response to the IL-1 Trap. The study was conducted under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), part of the National Institutes of Health. The senior investigators in this study are Raphaela Goldbach-Mansky, M.D., Staff Clinician with NIAMS, and Daniel Kastner, M.D., Ph.D., Chief, Genetics and Genomics Branch with NIAMS. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation to the IL-1 Trap in CAPS disorders. Currently, there are no approved therapies for CAPS disorders. This article was prepared by Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2005, Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week via NewsRx.com. Document OBWK000020050708e17g00085
REGN target $15 with its new research (side effect) on eye disease. FA is ranked above B+ by valueLine and $25 target by 2008. REGN's cash and profit getting better and better. I am holding several thousand shares of REGN from under $9. Will see over $10 soon.