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Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) got some exciting news from a study on experimental drug ipilimumab. The study concluded that the drug was effective at bolstering the immune system of patients with advanced melanoma, although some side effects were severe. On average the trial improved life spans of these patients by about four months, a major difference by all accounts. Bristol-Myers plans to file ap
In contrast to Amgen, AstraZeneca suffered three pipeline setbacks. The firm failed to win a U.S. panel’s backing to introduce an improved version of its $1 billion-a-year medicine to prevent a respiratory disease that sends 125,000 babies to hospitals each year, reported Bloomberg News.

Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended against approval of Motavizumab for children
CIGNA Corporation’s (CI) fourth quarter operating earnings of $1.03 per share were ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 96 cents. The company had earned 48 cents a share in the year-ago period.

The results reflect the improvements in the equity market that aided in its reinsurance business performance. Additionally, the results were also strong in its accident insurance business.
.Still significant value in Pharma - we see material upside to ROIC [return on invested capital], earnings and multiples as Pharma withdraws from most internal small-molecule research and reallocates capital to in-licensing and other non-pharma assets. Worsening generic pressure and R&D management changes lead us to expect material cuts to internal small research spend (~40% total R&D) in 2010/11
GlaxoSmithKline will this week announce reduced investment in some disease areas and more than 3,000 job cuts as it intensifies its diversification away from its core pharmaceutical business.

The action – to be announced with its annual results on Thursday – follows a much larger restructuring last week by AstraZeneca, with 8,000 jobs losses as part of a $2bn (£1.3bn) five-year restructuring.
QLT, Inc. (QLTI) will look to some like a failed pharmaceutical company with only one drug on the market, the sales of which have dropped almost 80% over the past 4 years. I propose another perspective: a small biotech with huge amounts of cash, one product on the market covering most of their expenses, a promising pipeline, plus enough past successes to suggest they can bring some more drugs out
McKesson Corporation (MCK) has one the strongest fundamental profiles in the Healthcare Sector and, in our opinion, is one of the best healthcare stocks to own at the current moment. Our view is supported on a detailed DCF scenario analysis and valuation relative to its history and peers.
Johnson & Johnson Tuesday reported a 19% fall in fourth-quarter profit, due largely to hefty restructuring charges.
For the fourth-quarter, the health-care products conglomerate posted net income of $2.21 billion, or 79 cents a share, compared with $2.71 billion, or 97 cents a share, for the 2008 period.