Rockville, Maryland- based biopharmaceutical company Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (HGSI) announced today that that it will be selling 45,000 doses of raxibacumab or ABthrax to the U.S. Government for the Strategic National Stockpile. The delivery is to be made over a 36-month period, beginning the final quarter of 2009.The company expects to receive approximately $151 million from the completion of this order.

The company had delivered 20,000 doses of the drug, for emergency use in the treatment of inhalation anthrax, to the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile in the first quarter of this year and completed the delivery in the second quarter. It recognized $153.8 million in ABthrax revenue in the first quarter.

Human Genome is under contract to deliver doses of the drug to the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile, which stores huge quantities of medicine and medical supplies to be used in national emergencies like a flu outbreak, terrorist attacks or

...

Highlights include BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (BMRN) and Genzyme Corp. (GENZ).1Q09 revenue was in line with our expectation, but EPS fell shortOn April 30, 2009, BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (BMRN) reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2009.Total revenue in 1Q09 came in at $74 million, up 22.5% from $60.4 million in the same quarter of 2008. Total revenue of $74 million was in line with our estimate of $74.9 million.Net product revenue in 1Q09 reached $71.9 million, up 24.8% from $57.6 million for the 1Q08. 1Q09 net product revenue was also in line with our estimate of $70.9 million. BioMarin currently markets three products.Net product revenue from Naglazyme was $39.4 million for the first quarter of 2009, an increase of 42.2 percent compared to Naglazyme net product revenue of $27.7 million for the first quarter ...

Highlights include Biogen Idec, Inc. (BIIB), AstraZeneca plc (AZN), Bristol-Myers Squibb, Inc. (BMY) and Sanofi-Aventis SA (SNY).R&D Day Highlights the Best Pipeline In Biotech

Last week, Biogen Idec (BIIB) held an R&D Day, highlighting the broad depth of the company's pipeline. In total, Biogen Idec boasts 7 programs in phase III registration programs and 20 other programs in phase II "proof-of-concept" programs. Biogen's development programs span oncology, neurology and cardiovascular disease, and include both small molecules and biologics. In our opinion, it's the best pipeline in biotech.

Phase III / Registration programs include:   

BG-12: An anti-inflammatory second generation oral fumaric acid molecule that offers a more convenient and potentially neuroprotective treatment option for multiple sclerosis. BG-12 is currently in 2 phase III trials, DEFINE and CONFIRM, with data expected in 2010 and 2011.     ...

We downgrade BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (BMRN) shares from Buy to Hold based on worse-than-expected 4th quarter financials and the not-rosy outlook for 2009. Fourth Quarter 2008 Results Fall Short of Expectations; Outlook Not RosyBioMarin continues to deliver strong results in 4Q08, but the outlook for 2009 and beyond is not rosy.  Total revenue in 4Q08 came in at $99.3 million, up 121.4% from $44.9 million in the same quarter of 2007. Fourth quarter total revenue included $15.2 million from Kuvan sales, which was not included in 4Q07. Total revenue of $99.3 million was short of our $109 million estimate. Net product revenue in 4Q08 reached $66 million, up 154.8% from $25.9 million for the 4Q07. Fourth quarter net product revenue was $8 million less than our estimate of $74 million. Naglazyme sales were $36.5 million for the 4th ...

Highlighted companies include Biogen Idec (BIIB), Genentech (DNA), Merck (MRK) and Sanofi-Aventis (SNY).At 13x our 2009 EPS of $4.05 per share, we believe that Biogen Idec's (BIIB) stock is too attractive to ignore. Valuation is below the biotech peer-group average, where several names are trading at a significant premium.The company should post non-GAAP EPS up roughly 11% in 2009, even with all the Tysabri PML issues. However, valuation alone is not enough of a reason to buy the stock. We are comfortable with owning the name here based on two other reasons.Firstly, Biogen has a significant late-stage pipeline. There are 22 programs in phase II or beyond. Six of these products are in phase III registration programs right now: lumiliximab for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), galiximab for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), BG-12 for relapsing / remitting multiple sclerosis (RR-MS), ...

div style="text-align: justify;"Goldman Sachs is upgrading span style="font-weight: bold;"Biogen-Idec (NASDAQ:BIIB)/span to Buy from Neutral and adding the stock to their Conviction Buy list with a $61 tgt (up from $57).br /br /According to the firm this is based on potential upside revision to earnings and attractive valuation. They believe the threat of generics and competition should be manageable, leading to their 2009/2010 EPS (incl. ESO) of $4.14 amp; $4.55 vs. consensus of $3.97 and $4.23, resp. BIIB’s pipeline is underestimated and should gain visibility in 2009/2010. The product profile and manufacturing capacity might be attractive for potential pharma acquirers. The intrinsic value of $46 implies a pipeline value of $3 which the firm views as attractive.br /br /span style="font-weight: bold;"Catalyst/spanbr /span style="font-weight: bold;"/spanbr /1) Safety data from over 10,000 patients on Tysabri therapy by yearend.br /br /2) In 2009, MLCO expects Phase 3 data on Rituxan in lupus nephritis (1Q, ...