Abbott Labs (ABT) is looking to launch its XIENCE V Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System in China in the fourth quarter of 2009. The company recently received approval from the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) for the treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD). In our opinion, the launch of XIENCE V in China should bring in significant incremental revenues for the company’s Vascular Product division, which posted sales of $2.2 billion in 2008. China is the second-largest drug eluting stent market in the Asia-Pacific region after Japan. With the launch in China, XIENCE V will be available in every Asia-Pacific market except Japan, where the product is currently being reviewed by the regulatory authority. XIENCE V’s launch in Japan in early 2010 could potentially add another $500 million market opportunity. CAD is the leading cause of death in China -- according to the China ...

By Simon van Norden

Today, we're fortunate to have Simon van Norden, Professor of Finance at HEC Montréal (École des Hautes Études Commerciales), continue as a guest contributor.

In my previous post, I wrote about some of the evidence linking serious banking crises to real estate market collapses. That evidence is far from iron clad; it is simply the observation that many banking crises in mature economies have their origins in a real estate boom and bust cycle. However, the idea is also intuitively appealing.

Remember that at the end of 2008, the Federal Reserve Board estimated that there was $12 Trillion of mortgage debt on residential properties in the US, with the Federal government and its agencies providing about 5% of the total, individuals 9% and the rest coming from the financial sector. The Case-Shiller composite index of housing prices has fallen 1/3 from its peak in

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Yesterday, Abbott (ABT) agreed to acquire 90% of the outstanding equity of Evalve, Inc. that it has not yet accquired, for up to $410 million. The accquisition will move ahead with an upfront payment of $320 million, and a $90 million payment on the achievement of certain regulatory milestones. Evalve is the global leader in the development of devices for minimally invasive repair of cardiac mitral valves. The company’s MitraClip system is used to clip the leaflets of the mitral valve together to reduce regurgitation. Mitral regurgitation, a condition that prevents the mitral valve from closing completely, is the most common type of heart valve insufficiency in Europe and the United States. The condition is traditionally treated through open heart surgery, but only 20% of the 600,000 patients diagnosed in the U.S. and Europe each year go for surgery. However, with the availability of ...

 

PennyOmega.com Hot Stock News & Alerts!

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Monday August 31, 2009

PennyOmega.com Stock Report!

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AZN, AstraZeneca plc

A new drug to prevent blood clots in heart patients reduced their chances of dying by more than 20 percent compared with the standard treatment, new research says.

AZN is ready to launch a challenge to the world’s second-best selling drug.

Tests of AZN’s new

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Volcano Corporation (VOLC) has entered into a non-exclusive, global resale agreement with Siemens Healthcare, a division of Siemens AG (SI). Per the agreement, Siemens will resell Volcano's s5i IVUS/FFR systems and accessories along with its Artis family of x-ray systems.

Volcano's s5i is a component-based system that is incorporated directly into the catheterization lab, commonly known as the cath lab, thereby allowing intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and fractional flow reserve (FFR) systems to remain always ON and ready. The company's IVUS and FFR systems are compatible with Siemens' Artis x-ray offerings.

The new agreement appears to be a win-win for both companies. Volcano's top-line will be substantially benefited by the agreement with the global giant. On the other hand, Siemens is a technology leader in the cath lab market focusing on a complete cath lab package. Siemens should benefit from the agreement as Volcano's s5i IVUS and FFR systems are

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Zargis Medical Corp., a spin-off from Siemens Corporate Research (NYSE:SI), a majority-owned subsidiary of Speedus Corp. (Nasdaq: SPDE), develops diagnostic decision support products and services for healthcare professionals. The company today announced that it has begun selling its Zargis Cardioscan heart sound analysis software, as well as 3M Health Care’s (NYSE: MMM) recently launched Bluetooth-enabled 3M Littmann Electronic Stethoscope Model 3200.

The introduction of the products into the marketplace is part of Zargis’ existing multi-year global marketing deal with 3M, which equips Zargis with extended marketing and promotional opportunities, as well as worldwide distribution rights of its products through 3M’s Littmann brand.

Zargis’ Cardioscan software provides support to physicians, analyzing and interpreting cardiac sounds, which gives them an upper hand in dealing with possible heart disease. Cardioscan is wirelessly connected to 3M’s Littmann Electronic Stethoscope Model 3200, which allows users to easily share and compare heart sounds recordings and related comments

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Yesterday, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) received approval from Health Canada for its XIENCE V Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System for the treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD). The product will be launched in Canada immediately.

Coronary artery disease is a common type of heart disease in which plaque buildup narrows the arteries and reduces blood flow to the heart. This can lead to chest pain or a heart attack.

XIENCE V is a drug coated stent that is used to treat CAD by propping open a narrowed or blocked artery and releasing the drug, everolimus, in a controlled manner over time so as to help prevent the artery from getting blocked again.

XIENCE V is currently available in the United States, Europe and other international markets. Shortly after its 2008 approval in the U.S., XIENCE V became the market-leading drug-eluting stent (DES) in the U.S. Clinical trial data has been very encouraging, which

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Medtronic, Inc. (MDT) reported results for the first quarter of fiscal 2010. Earnings per share were 79 cents, higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 78 cents and the year-ago earnings per share of 72 cents. Sales Net sales in the quarter were $3.933 billion, increasing 6% year over year. Excluding the impact of a strong U.S. dollar, net sales increased 10% year over year. Growth was witnessed across all seven operating segments – both on a reported and constant-currency basis. Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management (CRDM) revenues increased approximately 3% year over year to $1.337 billion. Growth was fueled by strong demand for pacemakers and implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) that increased roughly 2% and 1% year over year, respectively. We believe the company will continue to maintain its strong position in the cardiac market against its closest rivals Boston Scientific Corporation (BSX) and ...

Large Market Opportunity...

In our view, obesity remains the single largest opportunity for a new pharmaceutical product today. Roughly two-thirds of the U.S. population is overweight. The number is expected to grow to 75% by 2015. There is massive unmet medical need and clear pharmacoeconomic benefits to curtailing the problem.

According to the Journal of Health Affairs, obesity costs Americans $147 billion per year in total medical costs. This is 10% of all healthcare spending, and that number has doubled since 1998. It is likely to continue to surge in the years to come. Obesity is associated with an enormous number of co-morbidities, including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, joint and muscle pain, as well as depression and fibromyalgia. Studies have shown that reducing body weight by as little as 5% has a meaningful impact on reducing these co-morbidities.

New Products Are Coming...

Several biotechnology companies are working on the

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DrStockPick.com Stock Report!

Thursday July 30, 2009

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GSE Systems, Inc. (NYSE Amex - GVP), a leading global provider of real-time simulation and training solutions to the power, process, manufacturing and Government sectors, will hold a conference call on Monday, Aug. 10, 2009, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss results for the second quarter and mid-year 2009. Financial results will be issued in a press release after the close of the market the same day.

The Board of Directors of Sensient Technologies Corporation (NYSE: SXT) has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend on its common stock of $0.19 per share. The cash dividend will be paid on September 1, 2009, to shareholders of

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