For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL - May 11, 2009 - Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. (OSIR), Genzyme Corp. (GENZ), Barclays PLC (BCS), Intersil Corporation (ISIL) and Isis Pharmaceuticals (ISIS).

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Here are highlights from Friday's Analyst Blog:

Optimistic on Osiris

Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. (OSIR) reported financial results for the first quarter 2009 on May 7, 2009. Total revenues in the quarter were $12.7 million, up from $0.4 million for the same period for 2008, and slightly above our forecasts of

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We are keeping our Buy rating and $22 price target on Isis Pharmaceuticals (ISIS). We are big fans of antisense technology and believe that the number of potential therapeutic applications is enormous. Antisense drugs may have significant potential to treat a number of diseases where small molecule and biologic compounds have failed.Although still early-stage, antisense technology as a platform for developing drugs reminds us greatly of the promise of biologic drugs over a decade ago. Potential mechanisms such as siRNA, RNAi, alternate splicing and micro RNA have the potential to change how we treat disease in the years to come.Isis is pioneering the effort into antisense research. The company has already commercialized the first antisense drug in 1998 with Vitravene. Isis has several proprietary compounds in clinical development as well as partnered programs with large pharmaceutical companies such as Glaxo (GSK), Bristol-Myers (...

Highlights include Isis Pharmaceutical, Inc. (ISIS) and Genzyme Corp. (GENZ).We are keeping our Buy rating and $22 price target on Isis Pharmaceuticals (ISIS). We encourage investors to pick up the shares at this level. We think commercialization of mipomersen for HoFH under an accelerated approval should come in early 2011. Mipomersen represents one of the largest potential blockbuster drugs to come to market in the next few years.Additionally, the path to market outside the U.S. may be easier than the Street anticipates. We see today's price as a significant opportunity to pick up the premier antisense development company on the market for a discounted price.We are big fans of antisense technology and believe that the number of potential therapeutic applications is enormous. Antisense drugs may have significant potential to treat a number of diseases where small molecule and biologic compounds ...

MDRNA, Inc. announced today that it has entered into a licensing agreement with Novartis for MDRNA’s liposomal technology platform for siRNA delivery. According to the press release, MDRNA will receive $7.25 million in upfront fees for the non-exclusive license. The companies also entered into a separate agreement that provides Novartis with an exclusive period to negotiate a research and development collaboration and broader licensing rights related to MDRNA’s RNAi drug delivery platform.

J. Michael French, President and Chief Executive Officer of MDRNA, stated, “We are pleased to enter into this agreement with Novartis, a global leader in the field of RNAi-based therapeutics. MDRNA’s DiLA2 technology for siRNA delivery is effective and efficient at silencing gene targets in the liver and jejunum. Further, the in vivo tolerability of the DiLA2 technology is excellent.”

He added, “We have not observed any delivery related adverse effects in the liver as measured by typical serum

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The following group of biotech companies have market caps of at least $300M with a one year stock price change that is below the iShares Nasdaq Biotech ETF (IBB) loss of 21.8% (Source: Google Finance, 10/25/08) with potential upside catalysts over the next year. Alnylam Pharma (ALNY): $872M, -31.6% Biogen Idec (BIIB): $12B, -48.4% BioMarin Pharma (BMRN): $1.7B, -33% Momenta Pharma (MNTA): $348M, -23.4% Momenta and Novartis (NVS) expect to launch a generic version (M-Enoxaparin) of the injectable blood thinner Lovenox in 2009, pending approval of their ANDA by the Generic Division of the FDA. With Momenta trading in single digits again after reaching as high as $20 per share; an approval for M-Enoxaparin would be a significant catalyst since Lovenox posted sales of about $4B in the last year for Sanofi-Aventis (SNY). Since trading into the upper $70s after putting itself up for ...