The month of March can turn out to be pretty challenging as far as biotech stocks go. Situation can either be pretty smooth for the investors or quite rough. Some experts have given their opinion regarding companies like Intercept Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ICPT), Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) and Neuralstem pharmaceuticals (NYSEMKT:CUR); what their performance is likely to be in this month and what does this imply for the investors.
Brian Orelli:
Orelli claims that Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) is the one resort as far as upcoming catalysts are concerned. This biotech is soon coming up with a new drug to treat cystic fibrosis. There are expectations in the company for the drug’s clinical trial data in this month. Moreover, it is also expected and speculated that the US Food and Drug Administration would reward another drug combination with its approval soon.
Cystic fibrosis is an ailment which comes to the surface as a result of quite a number of mutations. These mutations eventually need to be treated not with a single drug, rather with a lot of drugs. Some drug combinations brought forth by Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) have already been approved such as its Kalydeco which claims to treat patients suffering from G551D. This drug can also take care of other accompanying gating mutation, however the patient needs to be six or older in order to take this drug. Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) is working to get this drug approved from the FDA for patients of two years or younger.
This month, Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) will be coming forward with clinical data trial of Kalydeco; a drug manufactured to treat another patients suffering from a different mutation disease called F508del. Kalydeco is being tested in phase 2 with another combination drug called VX-661. This latter drug is a second-generation drug, whilst lumacaftor is its first-generation version. Lumacaftor is already under the process of review by FDA and is hopefully going to get approved. This means that Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) definitely can end up with very potent results and therefore can be a nice option for investors.
Todd Campbell
Todd Campbell claims that Neuralstem Pharmaceuticals (NYSEMKT:CUR) can make a real difference to the world of therapeutics. Currently Neuralstem Pharmaceuticals (NYSEMKT:CUR) is undergoing a research on stem cell treatment to cure ALS. The other name for ALS is Lou Gehrig’s disease. This neural disease can turn out to be really dire, but currently FDA has not approved any treatments to cure this very disease. Neuralstem Pharmaceuticals (NYSEMKT:CUR) is working to alter this situation.
Dan Caplinger:
Dan Caplinger has given his verdict in the favor of Intercept Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ICPT). He says that Intercept Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ICPT) stands out in the array of biotech owing to its obeticholic acid treatment which has been manufactured to cure liver diseases. Early and mid-stage clinical trials have yielded positive results so far and as a corollary investors have been pretty excited about the stock. Results suggest that the drug can be a possible treatment to take care of NASH (primary biliary cirrhosis and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis). One major reason why Intercept Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ICPT) has carved out its distinct spot in biotech arena is that recently the company has been rewarded with a breakthrough therapy status from the US Food and Drug Administration. This was owing to the company’s recent obeticholic acid treatment which can supposedly treat all the indications of NASH.
Thus, for Caplinger, Intercept Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ICPT) has a lot of potential and a lot of positive promise.
