Top 10 Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now

If you're reading this, then odds are you know that Venaxis Inc. (NASDAQ:APPY) shares are up a solid 10% today, while the market as a whole is in the red. What you may not know about APPY, however, is that with today's strength, the stock has worked its way past a big hurdle and put itself into a situation where more upside is very likely.

APPY is a medical diagnostic stock. Specifically, Venaxis had developed the APPY1 test, which is a rapid test to determine if certain symptoms are acute appendicitis or not.

It may seem minor - perhaps even meaningless - on the surface. After all, appendicitis is just the swelling of the appendix, which doesn't actually perform any known functions in the human body. Besides, it's not like doctors can't figure it out when appendicitis is present. For those more familiar with the condition though, they'll know that appendicitis is no laughing matter. There is (or was) no rapid test to determine if pain or symptoms are actually appendicitis, and since the affliction can quickly turn deadly if left untreated, the Venaxis rapid diagnostic is very much a big deal.

Top 10 Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Cytomedix Inc (CMXI)

Cytomedix, Inc. (Cytomedix), incorporated in April 29, 1998, is a regenerative therapies company marketing and developing products within the United States and internationally .The Company commercializes cell-based technologies that harness the regenerative capacity of the human body to trigger natural healing. The Company is a commercial operation, and a robust clinical pipeline representing a logical extension of its commercial technologies in the evolving field of regenerative medicine. Cytomedix primarily operates in the United States. Its commercial offerings are centered on its point of care platform technologies for the safe and efficient separation of blood and bone marrow to produce platelet based therapies or cell concentrates.

The Company markets and selsl two distinct platelet rich plasma (PRP) technologies, the AutoloGel System for wound care and the Angel concentrated Platelet Rich Plasma (cPRP) Sytem in orthopedic and cardiovascular markets. Its clinical pipeline includes the ALDH, which are cell-based therapies (Bright Cells). In February 2012, the Company acquired Aldagen, Inc.

The AutoloGel System

The AutoloGel System is a point of care device for the production of a platelet based bioactive therapy derived from a small sample of the patient�� own blood. Using the patient�� own platelets as a therapeutic agent, AutoloGel harnesses the body�� natural healing processes to deliver growth factors, chemokines and cytokines known to promote angiogenesis and to regulate cell growth and the formation of new tissue.

Angel Product Line

The Angel concentrated Platelet Rich Plasma (cPRP) System is a multi-functional cell separation device which produces concentrated platelet rich plasma for use in the operating room and clinic and is used in a range of orthopedic and cardiovascular indications. Similar to the AutoloGel System, the Angel System is a point of care device for the production of a concentrated, aseptic platelet! -based bioactive therapy derived from a small sample of the patient�� own blood. The resulting cPRP is applied at the site of injury to promote healing. The Angel product line also includes ancillary products such as phlebotomy and applicator supplies and activAT. activAT is designed to produce autologous thrombin serum from platelet poor plasma and is sold exclusively in Europe and Canada, where it provides a safe alternative to bovine-derived products.

ALDHbr Cell Technology and Development Pipeline

The ALDHbr (Bright Cell) technology is an approach to cell-based regenerative medicine and a logical extension of its commercial technologies in the evolving regenerative medicine market, with potential clinical indications in markets with unmet medical needs such as peripheral arterial disease and ischemic stroke. The Bright Cell technology is in that it utilizes an intracellular enzyme marker to facilitate fractionation of essential regenerative cells from a patient�� bone marrow. The bone marrow fractionation process identifies and isolates active stem and progenitor cells expressing high levels of the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase, or ALDH, which is a key enzyme involved in the regulation of gene activities associated with cell proliferation and differentiation.

The Company�� lead product candidate, ALD-401, is an autologous preparation of Bright Cells for the post-acute treatment of ischemic stroke. ALD-401 is being evaluated in the RECOVER-Stroke clinical study, an ongoing 100-patient, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 study in patients with unilateral, cerebral ischemic stroke with an NIH stroke scale score of less than 22. An additional product candidate, ALD-301, is in clinical development for peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a condition causing reduced flow of blood and oxygen to muscles in the leg. It has completed a Phase 1/2 study of autologous ALD-301 in critical limb ischemia (CLI), a late stage condition caused by PAD. The Phase 2 PACE! (Patient! s with Intermittent Claudication Injected with ALDH Bright Cells) study is an 80 patient, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial intended to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of ALD-301 (Bright Cells) in patients diagnosed with IC.

The Company competes with Harvest Technologies (a subsidiary of Terumo), Biomet, Arteriocyte, and Arthrex.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  To give credit where it's due, Cytomedix, Inc. (OTCBB:CMXI) and Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) have both helped shape the landscape of the hemostasis (bleeding control) market with their products, AutoloGel and TISSELL, respectively. Arch Therapeutics Inc. (OTCBB:ARTH) has proverbially taken their concepts "up a notch", however, and its direct solution to a problem that CMXI and BAX can't quite solve may make ARTH the hottest trading candidate in the hemostasis space.

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  When traders think of post-surgical wound management stocks, they may first think of names like Cytomedix, Inc. (OTCBB:CMXI) or Alliqua Inc. (OTCMKTS:ALQA). And well they should. Both companies have something of a history in the arena. ALQA is the purveyor of SilverSeal and Hydress antibiotic bandages, while CMXI is the developer of the AutoloGel system, which induces an affected patient's on body to do what it's supposed to do if there's a wound that won't heal. Cytomedix also makes the Angel platelet-rich plasma (PRP) delivery system. There's a relatively new name to add to the list of game-changing stocks in wound-management industry, however.... Arch Therapeutics Inc. (OTCBB:ARTH). The company is developing - well, has developed - a product called AC5 that nips post-surgical bleeding in the bud, largely negating the need for other post-surgical bleeding-control measures.

Top 10 Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Compugen Ltd.(CGEN)

Compugen Ltd. operates as a drug and diagnostic discovery company based on computer-based discovery capabilities to predict and select novel product candidates. Through in silico prediction and selection, the resulting novel molecules are synthesized and validated utilizing traditional in vitro and in vivo experimental procedures. The company provides these validated product candidates to pharmaceutical, biotech, and diagnostic companies under licensing and other commercialization arrangements. Its research and discovery efforts are focused primarily on therapeutic proteins and peptides, and monoclonal antibodies, and primarily in the fields of immunology and oncology. Its therapeutic peptide and protein related platforms include Protein Family Members Discovery Platform, Protein-Protein Interaction Blockers, GPCR Therapeutic Peptide Ligands, Disease-Associated Conformation Blockers, Intracellular Drug Delivery, Viral Peptides, and Splice Variant based Therapeutic Proteins . The company?s monoclonal antibody related platforms comprise Monoclonal Antibody Targets. Its other therapeutic and diagnostic platforms consist of Nucleic-Acid Disease Markers, Protein Disease Markers, Nucleic-Acid Preclinical Toxicity Markers, Non-SNP Drug Response Markers, and New Indications. Its therapeutic peptide and protein product candidates comprise CGEN-15001, a novel protein for the treatment of autoimmune disorders; CGEN-25017, a novel peptide antagonist of the Angiopoietin/Tie-2 pathway; CGEN-855, a peptide agonist of the FPRL1 GPCR receptor; CGEN-856 and CGEN-857, which are MAS GPCR peptide agonists; CGEN-25007, an antagonist of the gp96 protein; and CGEN-25009, a peptide of the LGR7 receptor. The company also offers monoclonal antibody target product candidates, including CGEN-671, a drug for multiple epithelial tumors; CGEN-928, a drug for multiple myeloma; and CGEN-15001T, a novel B7/CD28 family member. Compugen Ltd. was founded in 1993 and is based in Te l Aviv, Israel.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Compugen (NASDAQ: CGEN) climbed 3.54% to $11.86 after Jefferies initiated coverage on the stock with a Buy rating and a $17.00 price target.

  Posted-In: market moversNews Intraday Update Markets Movers

• [By Sean Williams]

  On Monday, small-cap biotechnology company Compugen (NASDAQ: CGEN  ) gave investors something to cheer about when it announced a collaboration and licensing agreement with Bayer for two of its antibody-based immunotherapies. The deal could be worth as much as $540 million for Compugen and gives the company $10 million upfront, as well as the potential for $30 million more in milestone payments during preclinical trials. The two companies will co-develop these drugs, with Bayer getting worldwide rights upon commercialization (though Compugen would still receive a mid- to high-single-digit royalty). This is great news for Compugen, as it solves the problem of seeking out a partner later, helps reduce its clinical testing costs, and staves off the need to dilute shareholders with a secondary offering to raise cash. Shares added 44% this week.

Top 10 Healthcare Equipment Companies To Watch In Right Now: NeoStem Inc (NBS)

NeoStem, Inc., incorporated on September 18, 1980, operates in cellular therapy industry. Cellular therapy addresses the process by which new cells are introduced into a tissue to prevent or treat disease, or regenerate damaged or aged tissue, and consists of a separate therapeutic technology platform in addition to pharmaceuticals, biologics and medical devices. The Company�� business model includes the development of novel cell therapy products, as well as operating a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) providing services to others in the regenerative medicine industry. Progenitor Cell Therapy, LLC, the Company�� wholly owned subsidiary (PCT), is a CDMO in the cellular therapy industry. PCT has provided pre-clinical and clinical current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) development and manufacturing services to over 100 clients advancing regenerative medicine product candidates through rigorous quality standards all the way through to human testing.

PCT has two cGMP, cell therapy research, development, and manufacturing facilities in New Jersey and California, serving the cell therapy community with integrated and regulatory compliant distribution capabilities. Its core competencies in the cellular therapy industry include manufacturing of cell therapy-based products, product and process development, cell and tissue processing, regulatory support, storage, distribution and delivery and consulting services. The Company�� wholly-owned subsidiary, Amorcyte, LLC (Amorcyte) is developing its own cell therapy, AMR-001, for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. AMR-001 represents its clinically advanced therapeutic product candidate and enrollment for its Phase II PreSERVE clinical trial to investigate AMR-001's safety and efficacy in preserving heart function after a heart attack in a particular type of post Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) patients.

Through the Company�� subsidiary, Athelos Corporation (Athelos), the Company is collaborating w! ith Becton-Dickinson in early stage clinical development of a therapy utilizing T-cells, collaborating for autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, including but not limited to, graft vs. host disease, type 1 diabetes, steroid resistant asthma, lupus, multiple sclerosis and solid organ transplant rejection. The Company�� pre-clinical assets include its Very Small Embryonic Like (VSEL) Technology platform. The Company has basic research and development capabilities, manufacturing facilities on both the east and west coast of the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stock Investor]

  Back in April in my article titled, "Regenerative Medicine's Time Has Come", I covered two very interesting companies focused on this field: NeoStem Inc. (NBS) and Neuralstem Inc. (CUR).

• [By Monica Gerson]

  NeoStem (NYSE: NBS) priced an underwritten public offering of 5,000,000 shares of common stock at an offering price of $7.00 per share. NeoStem shares dipped 9.44% to $7.10 in after-hours trading.

• [By John Udovich]

  From stem cell burgers to earnings reports, the stem cell industry and small cap players in it like NeoStem Inc (NASDAQ: NBS), International Stem Cell Corp (OTCMKTS: ISCO) and BioRestorative Therapies (OTCBB: BRTX) have been producing some news lately that has probably been overlooked by investors and traders alike given its August. Nevertheless, you might want to pay attention to the following stem cell news:

• [By John Udovich]

  The results of a recent Pew Center Poll regarding attitudes towards abortion and various forms of stem cell research could be a good sign for the stem cell industry along with small cap stem cell stocks like StemCells Inc (NASDAQ: STEM), NeoStem Inc (NASDAQ: NBS), Neuralstem, Inc (NYSEMKT: CUR),�International Stem Cell Corp (OTCMKTS: ISCO) and BioRestorative Therapies (OTCBB: BRTX). Basically, Americans think that having an abortion is a moral issue with 49% of American adults believing abortion is morally wrong, 23%�view it not as a moral issue and and 15% view it as morally acceptable. However and when Americans were asked about issues surrounding�human embryos, such as stem cell research or in vitro fertilization, as a matter of morality, their views were different.

Top 10 Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Oramed Pharmaceuticals Inc (ORMP)

Oramed Pharmaceuticals Inc., incorporated on March 10, 2011, is a development-stage pharmaceutical company. The Company is engaged in the research and development of pharmaceutical solutions, including an orally ingestible insulin capsule or tablet to be used for the treatment of individuals with diabetes, use of orally ingestible capsules, tablets or pills for delivery of other polypeptides. The Company owns oral dosage form drug portfolio, it is, on an on-going basis, considering in-licensing and other means of obtaining additional technologies to complement and/or expand the product portfolio. The Company�� products include ORMD-0801 - Oral Insulin Capsule and ORMD-0901 - Oral Exenatide.

The Company focuses to conduct research and development on the technology covered by the patent application Methods and Composition for Oral Administration of Proteins. Through its research and development efforts, it focuses to develop an oral dosage form that will withstand the chemical environment of the stomach and intestines and will be effective in delivering active insulin for the treatment of diabetes. It intends to conduct the clinical trials to file an Investigational New Drug (IND), application with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It also focuses to conduct research and development by deploying its drug delivery technology for the delivery of other polypeptides in addition to insulin, and to develop other pharmaceutical products.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Oramed Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ORMP) shares moved up 21.26% to $14.20. The volume of Oramed Pharmaceuticals shares traded was 621% higher than normal. Oramed shares have jumped 187.01% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 28.75% in the same period.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Oramed Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ORMP) shares moved up 15.68% to $17.85. The volume of Oramed Pharmaceuticals shares traded was 971% higher than normal. Oramed received patent allowance in Israel, Australia for platform technology in oral delivery of proteins.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Oramed Pharmaceuticals (ORMP) has dropped 19% to $12.11 after the company said it would sell nearly 1.6 million shares of stock for $10 a share.

  BP plc (BP) has fallen 0.7% to $47.24 after a U.S. judge refused its request to revise the way damages from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill are calculated.

Top 10 Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: StemCells Inc (STEM)

StemCells, Inc. (StemCells), incorporated in August 1988, is engaged in the research, development, and commercialization of stem cell therapeutics and related tools and technologies for academia and industry. The Company is focused on developing and commercializing stem and progenitor cells as the basis for therapeutics and therapies, and cells and related tools and technologies to enable stem cell-based research and drug discovery and development. The Company�� primary research and development efforts are focused on identifying and developing stem and progenitor cells as potential therapeutic agents. The Company has two therapeutic product development programs, including its CNS Program, which is developing applications for HuCNS-SC cells, its human neural stem cell product candidate, and its Liver Program, which is characterizing the Company�� human liver cells as a therapeutic product.

CNS Program

The Company in its CNS Program, is in clinical development with its HuCNS-SC cells for a range of disorders of the central nervous system. The CNS includes the brain, spinal cord and eye. In February 2012, the Company had completed a Phase I clinical trial in Pelizeaus-Merzbacher Disease (PMD), a fatal myelination disorder in the brain.

The Company�� CNS Program is focused on developing clinical applications, in which transplanting HuCNS-SC cells protect or restore organ function of the patient before such function is irreversibly damaged or lost due to disease progression. The Company�� initial target indications are PMD, and more generally, diseases in which deficient myelination plays a central role, such as cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis; spinal cord injury, disorders in which retinal degeneration plays a central role, such as age-related macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa. The Company�� product candidate, HuCNS-SC cells, is a purified and expanded composition of normal human neural stem cells. Its HuCNS-SC cells can be directly transp! lanted.

Liver Program

Liver stem or progenitor cells offer an alternative treatment for liver diseases. A liver cellular therapy or cell-based therapeutic provide or support liver function in patients with liver disease. The Company held a portfolio of issued and allowed patents in the liver field, which cover the isolation and use of both hLEC cells and the isolated subset, as well as the composition of the cells themselves.

The Company�� range of cell culture products, which are sold under the SC Proven brand, includes iSTEM, GS1-R, GS2-M, RHB-A, RHB-Basal, NDiff N2, and NDiff N2B27. Its iSTEM is a serum-free, feeder-free medium that maintains mouse embryonic stem cells in their pluripotent ground state by using selective small molecule inhibitors to block the pathways, which induce differentiation. RHB-A is a defined, serum-free culture medium for the selective culture of human and mouse neural stem cells and their maintenance and expansion as adherent cell populations. RHB-Basal is a defined, serum-free basal medium. When supplemented with specific growth factors, this media is formulated for the propagation and differentiation of adherent neural stem cells. RHB-Basal can also be tailored to specific-cell type requirements by the addition of customer preferred supplements.

The Company�� NDiff N2 is a defined serum-free scell culture supplement for the derivation, maintenance, expansion and/or differentiation of human and mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells and tissue-derived neural stem cells supplement. Its NDiff N2-AF is a serum-free and animal component-free version of NDiff N2. Its NDiff N2B27 is a defined, serum-free medium for the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells to neural cell types. NDiff N27-AF is a serum-free and animal component-free version of NDiff N27. Its GS1-R is a serum-free media formulation shown to enable the derivation and long-term maintenance of true, germline competent rat embryonic stem cells without the add! ition of ! cytokines or growth factors. Its GS2-M is a defined, serum- and feeder-free medium for the derivation and long-term maintenance of true, germline competent mouse iPS cells.

The Company also markets a number of antibody reagents for use in cell detection, isolation and characterization. These reagents are also under the SC Proven brand and it includes STEM24, STEM101, STEM121 and STEM123. Its STEM24 is a human antibody that recognizes human CD24, also known as heat stable antigen (HSA), a glycoprotein expressed on the surface of many human cell types, including immature human hematopoietic cells, peripheral blood lymphocytes, erythrocytes and many human carcinomas. Its CD24 is also a marker of human neural differentiation. Its STEM101 is a human-specific mouse antibody that recognizes the Ku80 protein found in human nuclei. Its STEM121 is a human-specific mouse antibody that recognizes a cytoplasmic protein of human cells. Its STEM123 is a human-specific mouse antibody that recognizes human glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP).

The Company�� Other products marketed under SC Proven include total cell genomic DNA (gDNA), RNA and protein lysate reagents purified from homogenous stem cell populations for intra-comparative studies, such as Epigenetic fingerprinting, Southern, Western and Northern blots, PCR, RT-PCR and microarrays. This range of purified stem cell line lysates includes mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells propagated in SC Proven 2i inhibitor-based GS2-M media and mouse ES cell-derived and fetal tissue-derived neural stem (NS) cells propagated in SC Proven RHB-A media.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Healthcare shares gained 0.81 percent in the US market on Friday. Top gainers in the sector included Shire plc (NASDAQ: SHPG), StemCells (NASDAQ: STEM), and Flamel Technologies SA (NASDAQ: FLML).

• [By James E. Brumley]

  When an investor thinks of spinal-related stem cell stocks, usually a name like Neuralstem, Inc (NYSEMKT: CUR) or StemCells Inc (NASDAQ: STEM) comes to mind. And well they should. STEM has logged some amazing breakthroughs in the field of spinal cord repair, while CUR has done the same. Not all back problems are spinal cord related though. In fact, most back problems - and therefore the most opportunity - are bone and disc related problems. That's where a young gun like BioRestorative Therapies (OTCBB: BRTX) can step in and make stem cell waves. BRTX has developed an approach to rejuvenate and revive failing spinal discs, potentially ending pain for millions of back-pain sufferers, and circumventing expensive spinal surgeries that are in increasing burden on insurance companies.

• [By John Udovich]

  The results of a recent Pew Center Poll regarding attitudes towards abortion and various forms of stem cell research could be a good sign for the stem cell industry along with small cap stem cell stocks like StemCells Inc (NASDAQ: STEM), NeoStem Inc (NASDAQ: NBS), Neuralstem, Inc (NYSEMKT: CUR),�International Stem Cell Corp (OTCMKTS: ISCO) and BioRestorative Therapies (OTCBB: BRTX). Basically, Americans think that having an abortion is a moral issue with 49% of American adults believing abortion is morally wrong, 23%�view it not as a moral issue and and 15% view it as morally acceptable. However and when Americans were asked about issues surrounding�human embryos, such as stem cell research or in vitro fertilization, as a matter of morality, their views were different.

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Healthcare shares gained 0.81 percent in the US market on Friday. Top gainers in the sector included Shire plc (NASDAQ: SHPG), StemCells (NASDAQ: STEM), and Flamel Technologies SA (NASDAQ: FLML).

Top 10 Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Organovo Holdings Inc (ONVO)

Organovo Holdings, Inc. (Organovo), formerly Real Estate Restoration & Rental, Inc., incorporated in 2007, is a development-stage company. The Company has developed and is commercializing a platform technology for the generation of three-dimensional (3D) human tissues that can be employed in drug discovery and development, biological research, and as therapeutic implants for the treatment of damaged or degenerating tissues and organs. On December 28, 2011, Real Estate Restoration and Rental, Inc.�� (RERR) entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, pursuant to which RERR merged with its, wholly owned subsidiary, Organovo (Merger Sub). On February 8, 2012, the Company merged with and into Organovo Acquisition Corp. (Acquisition Corp.), a wholly owned subsidiary of Organovo, with the Company surviving the merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of Organovo Holdings (the Merger). As a result of the Merger, Organovo acquired the business of Organovo, Inc.

The Company has collaborative research agreements with Pfizer, Inc. (Pfizer) and United Therapeutic Corporation (Unither). As of March 31, 2012, it has five federal grants, including Small Business Innovation Research grants and developed the NovoGen MMX Bioprinter (its first-generation 3D bioprinter). The Company is engaged in the development of specific 3D human tissues to aid Pfizer in discovery of therapies in two areas of interest. In addition, in October 2011, it entered into a research agreement with Unither to establish and conduct a research program to discover treatments for pulmonary hypertension using its NovoGen MMX Bioprinter technology. Additionally, under the research agreement with Unither, the Company granted Unither an option to acquire from the Company a worldwide, royalty-bearing license in certain intellectual property created under the research agreement solely for use in the treatment or prevention of pulmonary hypertension and all other lung diseases.

The Company�� NovoGen MMX Bioprinter is an automate! d device that enables the fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) living tissues comprised of mammalian cells. A custom graphic user interface (GUI) facilitates the 3D design and execution of scripts that direct precision movement of the dispensing heads to deposit cellular building blocks (bio-ink) or supporting hydrogel. The Company is using a third party manufacturer, Invetech Pty., of Melbourne, Australia, to manufacture its NovoGen MMX Bioprinter. Its bioprinting technology and surrounding intellectual property and commercial rights serve as a platform for product generation across multiple markets that employ cell- and tissue-based products and services.

The Company competes with Organogenesis, Advanced BioHealing, Tengion, Genzyme, HumaCyte and Cytograft Tissue Engineering.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Keith Fitz-Gerald]

  In the 4D medical world, Organovo Holdings Inc. (NYSE MKT: ONVO) appears to be off to a good start. They've got a number of bioprinting projects centered around functional human tissue, including a liver product that's planned for 2014. I believe the company will quickly branch into tumor modeling, transplantation, and pharma research.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  If you're looking for some trading action, then Organovo Holdings Inc. (NYSEMKT:ONVO) and Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) are the two top names to put on your radar today. Granted, they're trading candidates for completely opposing reasons. In fact, the best "play" may be to swap one for the other. However you want to play it though, here's what you need to know about ALB and ONVO.

Top 10 Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: NanoViricides Inc (NNVC)

NanoViricides, Inc., incorporated on April 1, 2005, is a development-stage company. The Company is a nano-biopharmaceutical (nanomedicine) company whose business goals are to discover, develop and commercialize therapeutics to advance the care of patients suffering from life-threatening viral infections. The Company has several drugs in various stages of early development. The Company�� drugs are based on several patents, patent applications, provisional patent applications, and other property held by TheraCour Pharma, Inc. (TheraCou), to which the Company has exclusive licenses in perpetuity for the treatment of human viral diseases: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV/AIDS), Influenza including Asian Bird Flu Virus (INF), Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), and Rabies. As of June 30, 2012, the Company had six drug development programs: Oral FluCideTM, against all Influenzas; a Piggy-back version of Flucide for hospitalized patients; nanoviricide eye drops against adenoviral EKC and herpes keratitis; HIVCide - I against HIV/AIDS; HerpeCide - I skin cream formulation for herpes cold sores and genital warts, and DengueCide, a broad spectrum nanoviricide designed to attack all types of dengue viruses and expected to be effective in the Severe Dengue Disease syndromes including Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHS) and Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS). As of June 30, 2012, it had engaged in organizational activities, sourcing compounds and materials, developing novel compounds and nanomaterials, and experimentation with studies on cell cultures and animals. In September 2011, NanoViricides Inc's Inno-Haven LLC acquired a light industrial building.

The Company's product development programs are divided into three sectors: commercially important diseases, neglected tropical diseases (NTD��) and biosecurity/biodefense, and advanced technologies. The Company has collaborations with KARD Scientific, Inc., MA. and Southern Research Institute, AL for influenza viruse! s; National (Central) Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) (Vietnam), for H5N1 avian flu; The Long Island Jewish Medical System, Feinstein Institute of Medical Research (LIJMS), NY and TheVac, LLC. for viral diseases of the eye (adenoviruses, herpesviruses - epidemic kerato-conjunctivitis (EKC), Herpes Keratitis); TheVac, LLC and Northeastern Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) for herpes virus infections; University of California at Berkeley for dengue hemorrhagic fever viruses; Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National (Central) Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology for rabies virus. The Company has developed lead drug candidates against a number of viral diseases.

The Company had consolidated all of its influenza drug programs into a single pan-influenza FluCide program. It is developing a single drug for all influenzas, whether pandemic, epidemic, seasonal, novel, emerging, human, swine, or avian. It is developing a nanoviricide against adenoviral EKC. The nanoviricide eye drug candidate is formulated as simple eye drops. It is developing an anti-HSV nanoviricide skin cream formulation for direct application to the lesions. It has designed the anti-HIV nanoviricides using rational drug design principles. The ligands it has designed in the case of HIV-1 are thought to be broadly neutralizing. In-silico modeling indicates that its ligands dock to the conserved CD4 binding site of gp120 of HIV-1. The Company is working on developing anti-Dengue therapeutics. Dengue is an important NTD. Its RabiCide program has resulted in candidates that have enabled survival of 20% to 30% of infected animals after disease has set in, using a particular animal model.

The Company competes with Roche, Glaxo SmithKline, BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Gilead, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (BMS), Roche, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck & Co., Inc. (Merck), Valeant, Schering, Pharmassett, Vertex, Intermune, Achillion and Novartis.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  
  

  One under-$10 nano-biopharmaceutical player that's starting to trend within range of triggering a big breakout trade is Nanoviricides (NNVC), which engages in the discovery, development and commercialization of anti-viral therapeutics primarily in the U.S. This stock has been ripping to the upside so far in 2013, with share up big by 198%.

  If you take a look at the chart for Nanoviricides, you'll notice that this stock has recently formed a double bottom chart pattern at $4.55 to $4.52 a share. Following that bottom, shares of NNVC have now started to uptrend and move within range of triggering a big breakout trade. That trade will hit if NNVC manages to take out the upper-end of its recent sideways trading chart pattern, which has seen NNVC trend between $4.55 and $5.74 a share.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in NNVC if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at Friday's high of $4.94 a share to its 50-day moving average of $5.28 a share, and then once it takes out some more key overhead resistance levels at $5.72 to $5.74 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 234,994 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then NNVC will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $6.50 to its 52-week high at $7.59 a share.

  Traders can look to buy NNVC off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support levels at $4.55 to $4.52 a share. One can also buy NNVC off strength once it starts to clear those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.