It’s time to buy Isis Pharmaceuticals (ISIS)
Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ContrarianProfits/~3/489863340/10279Posted on Friday, December 19th, 2008 | In Market Commentary
Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISIS) is a biopharmaceutical company that focuses entirely on RNA-based technologies and primarily, on antisense therapies.
Here’s my take on what that means…
The scientists at Isis seek to treat disease by first identifying the sequence of a gene known to have a causative role in that disease.
They then synthesize a strand of nucleic acid (DNA, RNA or a chemical analogue) to bind to the messenger RNA (mRNA) produced by that gene and to modify it or in effect, turn the gene “off”.
It’s that synthesized nucleic acid that is called an “antisense”. (The unblocked gene’s mRNA is called the “sense” sequence.)
The folks at Isis have been working with this technology for years. Back in 1998, the company received marketing clearance for the world’s first antisense drug. That same drug, Vitravene (now marketed by Novartis), has been approved by the FDA for the treatment for cytomegalovirus retinitis.
Antisense drugs could prove the key to the treatments of various cancers, diabetes, ALS, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, etc…
But why invest today?
It was announced just this morning that Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) will be exercising an option to purchase Ibis Biosciences, Inc., a subsidiary of Isis, for $175 million. This is in addition to payments for post-closing sales of Ibis systems and equipment.
This will bring a nice boost to Isis who just last quarter, saw a net profit margin of 5.32%. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but actual profits for drug discovery outfits aren’t always the norm.
I recommend you buy shares of Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISIS) at or under $13 and hold on for double-digit gains.
Source: It’s time to buy Isis Pharmaceuticals (ISIS)
Last 5 posts by Contrarian Profits
- The Dollar, the Euro, and being Bullish on Gold - November 20th, 2009
- Audit the Fed – Amendment to a $200 billion bill frightens currency traders! - November 20th, 2009
- What if They Stop Buying our Debt? - November 19th, 2009
- Goldbugs Beware! The tax man cometh! - November 18th, 2009
- Debt – the fall of the U.S. economic empire - November 18th, 2009
Abbott Laboratories, ALS, Biopharmaceutical, Cancers, chemical analogue;, contrarian profits, cytomegalovirus retinitis;, Diabetes, Drug Discovery, Duchenne muscular dystrophy;, Fda, Ibis Biosciences Inc.;, ISIS Pharmaceuticals Inc., Market Commentary, Novartis, RNA-based ;, RNA-based technologies;, same drug;, USD
ContrarianProfits.com is a financial news and opinion website with a twist. As investment guru Rick Rule puts it, “You are either a contrarian or a victim.” In the financial world, most people are losers because they just don’t know what game they’re playing. They think they can just get “into the market” along with everyone else, do what everyone else does, and they will make money. Not likely. By the time you’ve paid commissions, spreads, fees, taxes – and suffered the consequences of inflation – you’ll be very lucky just to have as much money as you started with.
ContrarianProfits.com is a contrarian site, in the sense that we provide ideas, opinions and recommendations that often run counter to the mainstream financial press. We do this not just to be contrary, but because we’ve realized that Rick is right. You don’t make money by following the crowd; you make money by leading it.
Why is this so? Well, it’s obvious that if you do the same thing everyone else does you’ll get the same results everyone else gets. On average, and over the long run, real investment returns for the typical investor cannot exceed the rate of growth of the economy itself. Everybody can’t get richer faster than everybody else. Real economic growth in the US today averages about 3% per year; if you don’t make any mistakes, that’s about what you can expect. Few people may be satisfied with 3% per year, but most feel comfortable in the middle of the financial herd and are happy to take whatever that gets them. If you’re one of those people, you will probably not like our site. It will make you uncomfortable.
If, on the other hand, you’re willing to look at things a little differently, you’ll appreciate the views of many of our columnists, contributors and visionaries.
No recommendations, either expressed or implied, are being made to buy, sell, hold or short any of the mentioned stocks. No legal, tax or accounting advice is expressed or implied. Always contact your attorney, CPA, or tax advisor before acting on any legal or tax issues. StraightStocks.com is not responsible for the content, products, or services of any of the advertisers on this site. StraightStocks.com receives compensation from advertisers on this blog. Services and products referred to herein are trademarks, registered trademarks, servicemarks, and/or registered servicemarks of their respective trademark or servicemark owners.