No one wants to think about the aging of his or her parents, let alone plan for their death. Unfortunately, aging is a part of life, and in order to truly support your parents, it�� best to start asking questions now.
According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the average funeral in 2009 (without the glamor of flowers, and etc.) cost $6,560. Fidelity Investments recently estimated that a retiring couple would need about $240,000 to cover medical expenses (not taking into account employee-provided health benefits).
Of course, the most time consuming thoughts are not about the cost themselves, but rather how to afford the cost. As you parents get older here are 7 questions you need to ask.
1. Do you have a will?
Most of us have heard horror stories about families arguing over property left behind from deceased loved ones. Wills are extremely hard to discuss with an elderly parent because it can present the reality of dying.
Best Income Companies To Own In Right Now: Biodel Inc (BIOD)
Biodel Inc. (Biodel), incorporated on December 3, 2003, is a development-stage speciality biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of treatments for diabetes. The Company develops its product candidates by applying its formulation technologies to existing drugs. Its advanced program involves developing formulations of injectable recombinant human insulin (RHI). In addition to its ultra-rapid-acting insulin formulations, the Company has developed prototype formulations of a liquid glucagon, a basal insulin and a glucose responsive insulin, in each case for use by patients with diabetes. RHI-based formulation known as Linjeta was the subject of a New Drug Application (NDA).
The Company has two pivotal Phase III clinical trials with its preferred commercial formulation of Linjeta prior to re-submitting the NDA. In August 2011, it completed patient visits and analyzed top-line data from the first Phase 1 clinical trial of two RHI-based formulations. The trial was a single-center, randomized, double-blind, three-period crossover trial in 18 subjects with Type 1 diabetes. The purpose of the trial was to evaluate the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics and injection site toleration of BIOD-105 and BIOD-107, as compared to the insulin analog marketed as Humalog. The Company conducted Phase I, Phase II and Phase III clinical trials comparing the performance of its Linjeta formulation of RHI to either Humulin, which is a branded formulation of RHI or Humalog. Its pivotal Phase III clinical trials were open-label, parallel group, randomized trials conducted at centers in the United States, Germany and India.
The Company competes with Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi-Aventis, Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. and MannKind Corporation.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Monica Gerson]
Biodel (NASDAQ: BIOD) is expected to post a Q1 loss at $0.24 per share.
First Majestic Silver (NYSE: AG) is estimated to post its Q1 earnings at $0.10 per share on revenue of $63.35 million.
- [By Roberto Pedone]
One under-$10 specialty biopharmaceutical player that's starting to trend within range of triggering a big breakout trade is Biodel (BIOD), which is focused on the development and commercialization of innovative treatments for diabetes. This stock has been hit hard by the bears over the last three months, with shares down by 24%.
If you take a look at the chart for Biodel, you'll notice that this stock is ripping higher here right off its 50-day moving average of $2.32 a share with strong upside volume. Volume on Thursday has so far registered over 750,000 shares, which is well above its three-month average action of 445,084 shares. This move is quickly pushing shares of BIOD within range of triggering a big breakout trade.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in BIOD if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $2.52 to $2.60 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 action of 445,084 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then BIOD will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels $3 to its 200-day moving average of $3.39 a share. Any high-volume move above $3.39 will then give BIOD a chance to tag $4 a share.
Traders can look to buy BIOD off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support at $2.10 a share. One can also buy BIOD 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.
Top Medical Companies To Buy For 2014: Tandem Diabetes Care Inc (TNDM)
Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc., incorporated on July 1, 2008, is a medical device company with an approach to the design, development and commercialization of products for people with insulin-dependent diabetes. The Company designed and commercialized its flagship product, the t:slim Insulin Delivery System, or t:slim, based on its technology platform and consumer-focused approach. Its technology platform features Micro-Delivery Technology, a miniaturized pumping mechanism, which draws insulin from a flexible bag within the pump�� cartridge rather than relying on a syringe and plunger mechanism. The Company also applies the science of human factors to its design and development process, which seeks to optimize its devices to the intended users, allowing users to successfully operate the devices in their intended environment.
The Company developed t:slim to offer the specific features that people with insulin-dependent diabetes seek in a next-generation insulin pump. The Company designed it to have the look and feel of a modern consumer electronic device, such as a smartphone. It is the insulin pump to feature a high resolution, color touchscreen. It is also the slimmest and smallest durable insulin pump on the market, and can easily and discreetly fit into a pocket, while still carrying a cartridge with 300 units of insulin.
The Company designed its flagship product, t:slim, to have the look and feel of a modern consumer electronic device, such as a smartphone. t:slim is the slimmest and smallest durable insulin pump on the market. With its narrow profile, which is similar to many smartphones, t:slim can easily and discreetly fit into a pocket. Its technology platform allows for the use of a vivid touchscreen and easy-to-navigate software architecture, which provide users simple access to the key functions of t:slim directly from the Home Screen. Insulin pump users can quickly learn how to efficiently navigate t:slim�� software, thereby enabling healthcare providers to spend! less time teaching a person how to use the pump and more time improving management of their diabetes. Its software also features numerous shortcuts, including a simple way to return to the Home Screen and view critical information for therapy management. Its technology is specifically designed to help prevent the unintentional delivery of insulin and reduce fear associated with using a pump.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Paul Ausick]
Insulin pump maker Tandem Diabetes Care Inc. (NASDAQ: TNDM) sold 8 million shares on Thursday at an IPO price of $15. The stock began trading at around $19 before closing about flat to the opening bid and then shooting up more than 13% on Friday to close at $21.84.
Top Medical Companies To Buy For 2014: Waters Corp (WAT)
Waters Corporation (Waters), incorporated on December 6, 1991, is an analytical instrument manufacturer that primarily designs, manufactures, sells and services, through its Waters Division, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC and together with HPLC, referred to as LC) and mass spectrometry (MS) technology systems and support products, including chromatography columns, other consumable products and post-warranty service plans. These systems are complementary products that are frequently employed together (LC-MS) and sold as integrated instrument systems using a common software platform and are used along with other analytical instruments. Through its TA Division (TA), the Company primarily designs, manufactures, sells and services thermal analysis, rheometry and calorimetry instruments. The Company is also a developer and supplier of software-based products that interface with the Company's instruments and are typically purchased by customers as part of the instrument system. The Company's products are used by pharmaceutical, life science, biochemical, industrial, nutritional safety, environmental, academic and governmental customers working in research and development, quality assurance and other laboratory applications. The Company operates in two segments: Waters Division and TA Division.
In January 2012, the Company acquired Baehr Thermoanalyse GmbH. In July 2012, the Company acquired Blue Reference, Inc. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company introduced the Xevo G2-S Q-TofTM and Xevo G2-S Tof mass spectrometers, bringing StepWave ion technology to its bench-top time-of-flight mass spectrometers.
Waters Division
HPLC is used to identify and analyze the constituent components of a variety of chemicals and other materials. HPLC is used to identify new drugs, develop manufacturing methods and assure the potency and purity of new pharmaceuticals. HPLC is also used in a variety of other applica! tions, such as analyses of foods and beverages for nutritional labeling and compliance with safety regulations, the testing of water and air purity within the environmental testing industry, as well as applications in other industries, such as chemical and consumer products. HPLC is also used by universities, research institutions and governmental agencies, such as the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The ACQUITY UPLC I-Class provides a solution to a critical need by successfully analyzing compounds that are limited in amount or availability.
Waters manufactures LC instruments that are offered in configurations that allow for varying degrees of automation, from component configured systems for academic research applications to fully automated systems for regulated testing, and that have a variety of detection technologies, from ultra-violet (UV) absorbance to MS, optimized for certain analyses. The Company also manufactures tailored LC systems for the analysis of biologics, as well as an LC detector utilizing evaporative light scattering technology to expand the usage of LC to compounds.
The primary consumable products for LC are chromatography columns. These columns are packed with separation media used in the LC testing process and are replaced at regular intervals. The Company's chemistry consumable products also include environmental and nutritional safety testing products. Environmental laboratories use these products for quality control and proficiency testing and also purchase product support services required to help with their federal and state mandated accreditation requirements or with control over critical pharmaceutical analysis. In addition, the Company provides tests to identify and quantify mycotoxins in various agricultural commodities. These test kits provide reliable, quantitative detection of particular mycotoxins through the choice of flurometer, LC-MS or HPLC.
The Co! mpany off! ers a range of MS instrument systems utilizing various combinations of quadrupole, Tof, ion mobility and magnetic sector designs. These instrument systems are used in drug discovery and development, as well as for environmental, clinical and nutritional safety testing. The spectrometers sold by the Company are designed to utilize an LC system as the sample introduction device.
The Company�� smaller-sized mass spectrometers, such as the single quadrupole detector (SQD) and the tandem quadrupole detector (TQD), referred to as LC detectors and are sold as part of an LC system or as an LC system upgrade. Quadrupole systems, such as the Xevo TQ and Xevo TQ-S instruments, are used for late-stage drug development, including clinical trial testing. Quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-Tof) instruments, such as the Company�� SYNAPT G2-S, are used to analyze the role of proteins in disease processes, an application referred to as proteomics. Its SYNAPT G2 HDMS and SYNAPT G2 MS systems are exact mass MS/MS platforms. The Company�� Xevo TQ-S instrument system is designed for UPLC/MS/MS applications. Its Xevo G2 Q-Tof is exact mass quantitative and qualitative bench-top MS/MS instrument systems. The Company�� SYNAPT G2-S incorporates Waters StepWave ion transfer optics and Triwave ion mobility technologies along with a range of informatics tools.
TA Division
Thermal analysis measures the physical characteristics of materials as a function of temperature. Rheometry instruments complement thermal analyzers in characterizing materials. Rheometry characterizes the flow properties of materials and measures their viscosity, elasticity and deformation under different types of loading or other conditions.
Thermal analysis measures the physical characteristics of materials as a function of temperature. Rheometry instruments complement thermal analyzers in characterizing materials. Rheometry characterizes the flow properties of materials and measures their viscosity, elast! icity and! deformation under different types of loading or conditions. As with systems offered through the Waters Division, a range of instrumental configurations is available with sample handling and information processing automation. In addition, systems and accompanying software packages can be tailored for specific applications. The Company�� Q-Series family of differential scanning calorimeters includes a range of instruments, from analyzers to systems, which can accommodate robotic sample handlers and a range of sample cells and temperature control features for analyzing a range of materials.
The Company competes with Agilent Technologies, Inc., Shimadzu Corporation, Bruker Corporation, Danaher Corporation, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc, PerkinElmer, Inc., Mettler-Toledo International Inc., NETZSCH-Geraetebau GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Malvern Instruments Ltd., Anton-Paar, Phenomenex, Inc., Supelco, Inc., Merck and Co., Inc. and General Electric Company.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Teresa Rivas]
Danaher (DHR) and Waters Corporation (WAT) were mirror images of one another, with the former rising 1.3% at recent check and the latter falling by 1.3%.
- [By Geoff Gannon] strong>Balchem (BCPC)
路 Idexx (IDXX)
路 II-VI (IIVI)
路 Mesa Laboratories (MLAB)
路 Masimo (MASI)
I don�� know most of those companies very well. I probably know Waters the best out of that group.
Obviously, there are companies outside of Phil Fisher�� area of focus ��manufacturing with technical elements ��that fit many of his principles.
Among really high profile companies, the three that stand out are:
1. Amazon (AMZN)
2. Netflix (NFLX)
3. Wells Fargo (WFC)
Of those 3, Amazon stands out the most. Jeff Bezos often seems to be channeling Phil Fisher. And I imagine that if Fisher were ever interested in a retailer it would be a retailer with Amazon�� attitude about technology, customers, growth, and the long-term. More than anything though it�� Amazon�� constant internal push to develop new sales and especially new ways to serve existing customers without being prompted by outside forces that makes me think it�� a company Phil Fisher would be very interested in.
Fisher liked companies that had a philosophy of growth. Something internal to the organization that caused it to seek ways to grow sales, win new customers, develop new products. Fisher obviously wanted a great organization in an industry with great long-term prospects. But I think a lot of growth investors focus more on the latter issue than Fisher would. I know they don�� focus enough on the first issue. Fisher wanted a great organization first and foremost.
I�� not sure any of the stocks I��e mentioned in this article are necessarily good buys. The one exception is Wells Fargo. I�� never comfortable calling a bank entirely safe. So I�� less sure about suggesting any financial stock as a good buy than I am about stocks in most industries. But if you look at what Wells Fargo has achieved and what they are likely to achieve over the next ten years or so and then consider the price you are paying f
Top Medical Companies To Buy For 2014: Atrion Corp (ATRI)
Atrion Corporation (Atrion), and its subsidiaries, develop and manufacture products, primarily for medical applications. The Company�� medical products range from fluid delivery devices to ophthalmic and cardiovascular products. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company�� fluid delivery products accounted for 38% of the Company�� revenues. These products include valves that promote infection control and needle safety. The Company has developed a variety of luer syringe check valves and one-way valves designed to fill, hold and release controlled amounts of fluids or gasses on demand for use in various intubation, catheter and other applications. The Company also makes tubing clamps in a variety of materials and colors that are compatible with various grades of tubing and sterilization processes, and produce specialized intravenous sets for use in numerous applications, including anesthesia and oncology.
The Company�� cardiovascular products accounted for 29% of its revenues during 2011. The Company's principal cardiovascular product is the Myocardial Protection System (MPS2), a technology that delivers essential fluids and medications to the heart during open-heart surgery. The MPS2 integrates key functions relating to the delivery of solutions to the heart, such as varying the rate and ratio of oxygenated blood, crystalloid, potassium and other additives, and controlling temperature, pressure and other variables to allow simpler, more flexible management of this process, indicating improved patient outcomes. The MPS2 is the device used in open-heart surgery that allows for the mixing of drugs into the bloodstream without diluting the blood. The MPS2 employs advanced pump, temperature control and microprocessor technologies and includes a line of disposable products. It also develops and manufactures other cardiovascular products that include cardiac surgery vacuum relief valves; Retract-O-Tape silicone vessel loops for retracting and occluding vessels in minimally inva! sive surgical procedures; inflation devices for balloon catheter dilation, stent deployment and fluid dispensing, and Clean-Cut rotating aortic punch and PerfectCut Aortotomy System, both of which are used in heart bypass surgery to make a precision opening in the heart for attachment of the bypass vessels.
The Company�� ophthalmic products accounted for 17% of its revenues during 2011. The Company is a manufacturer of contact lens disinfection cases. It also manufactures a line of balloon catheters used in the treatment of nasolacrimal duct obstruction in children and adults. The Company�� other medical and non-medical products accounted for 16% of its revenues during 2011. These product lines consist of instrumentation and associated disposables used to measure the activated clotting time of blood. In addition, it manufactures and sells a line of products designed for safe needle and scalpel blade containment. It is also the manufacturer of inflation systems and valves used in marine and aviation safety products. The Company manufactures inflation systems and valves for products, such as life vests, life rafts, inflatable boats, survival equipment and other inflatable structures. The Company also produces one-way and two-way pressure relief valves for use on electronics cases, munitions cases, pressure vessels, transportation container cases, escape slides, and many other medical and non-medical applications.
The Company market components to other equipment manufacturers for incorporation in their products and sell finished devices to physicians, hospitals, clinics and other treatment centers. It sells its products through a sales force which consists of direct sales personnel, independent sales representatives and distributors. It offers customer service, training and education, and technical support such as field service, spare parts, maintenance and repair for certain of its products. The Company�� medical products and other components are produced at facilities in ! Florida, ! Alabama and Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Seth Jayson]
There's no foolproof way to know the future for ATRION (Nasdaq: ATRI ) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result.
Top Medical Companies To Buy For 2014: Celgene Corp (CELG)
Celgene Corporation is a global biopharmaceutical company primarily engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of therapies designed to treat cancer and immune-inflammatory related diseases. The Company is engaged in the research and development, which is designed to bring new therapies to market, and is engaged in research in several scientific areas that may deliver therapies, focusing areas, such as intracellular signaling pathways in cancer and immune cells, immunomodulation in cancer and autoimmune diseases, and therapeutic application of cell therapies. The Company�� primary commercial stage products include REVLIMID, VIDAZA, THALOMID, ABRAXANE and ISTODAX. Additional sources of revenue include a licensing agreement with Novartis, which entitles it to royalties on FOCALIN XR and the entire RITALIN family of drugs, the sale of services through its Cellular Therapeutics subsidiary and other miscellaneous licensing agreements. In March 2012, it acquired Avila Therapeutics.
The Company invests in research and development, and the drug candidates in its pipeline at various stages of preclinical and clinical development. These candidates include pomalidomide and apremilast, its oral anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory agents, PDA-001, its cellular therapy, oral azacitidine, CC-223 and CC-115 for hematological and solid tumor malignancies, CC-122, its anti-cancer pleiotropic pathway modifier, and ACE-011 and ACE-536 biological products for anemia in several clinical settings of unmet need. Celgene product candidates include Pomalidomide (CC-4047), Oral Anti-Inflammatory: Apremilast (CC-10004), CC-11050, Kinase Inhibitors:Tanzisertib (CC-930), Cellular Therapies: PDA-001, Activin Biology: Sotatercept (ACE-011) ACE-536, and Anti-tumor Agents: CC-22, CC-115, CC-122 and Oral Azacitidine. It owns and operates a manufacturing facility in Zofingen, Switzerland. The Company also owns and operates a drug product manufacturing facility in Boudry, Switzerland.
Commercial! Stage Products
REVLIMID (lenalidomide) is an oral immunomodulatory drug marketed in the United States and many international markets, in combination with dexamethasone, for treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy. It is also marketed in the United States and certain international markets for the treatment of transfusion-dependent anemia due to low- or intermediate-1-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) associated with a deletion 5q cytogenetic abnormality with or without additional cytogenetic abnormalities. REVLIMID is distributed in the United States through contracted pharmacies under the RevAssist program, which is a risk-management distribution program. Internationally, REVLIMID is distributed under mandatory risk-management distribution programs.
REVLIMID continues to be evaluated in numerous clinical trials worldwide either alone or in combination with one or more other therapies in the treatment of a range of hematological malignancies, including multiple myeloma (MDS) various lymphomas, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) other cancers and other diseases. VIDAZA (azacitidine for injection) is a pyrimidine nucleoside. VIDAZA is a Category 1 recommended treatment for patients with intermediate-2 and high-risk MDS and is marketed in the United States for the treatment of all subtypes of MDS. In Europe, VIDAZA is marketed for the treatment of intermediate-2 and high-risk MDS, as well as acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with 30% blasts and has been granted orphan drug designation for the treatment of MDS and AML.
THALOMID (thalidomide) is marketed for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma and for the acute treatment of the cutaneous manifestations of moderate to severe erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) an inflammatory complication of leprosy and as maintenance therapy for prevention and suppression of the cutaneous manifestation of ENL recurrence. THALOMID is distributed in the United States under its System f! or Thalid! omide Education and Prescribing Safety (S.T.E.P.S.) program. Internationally, THALOMID is also distributed under mandatory risk-management distribution programs. ABRAXANE (paclitaxel albumin-bound particles for injectable suspension) is a solvent-free chemotherapy treatment option for metastatic breast cancer, which was developed using its nab technology platform. This protein-bound chemotherapy agent combines paclitaxel with albumin. As of December 31, 2011, ABRAXANE was in various stages of investigation for the treatment of expanded applications for metastatic breast; non-small cell lung; malignant melanoma; pancreatic; bladder and ovarian.
ISTODAX (romidepsin) has received orphan drug designation for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's T-cell lymphomas, which includes CTCL and PTCL. The Company has licensed the worldwide rights (excluding Canada) regarding certain chirally pure forms of methylphenidate for FOCALIN and FOCALIN XR to Novartis. It also licensed to Novartis the rights related to long-acting formulations of methylphenidate and dex-methylphenidate products which are used in FOCALIN XR and RITALIN LA.
Preclinical and Clinical-Stage Pipeline
The product candidates in the Company�� pipeline are at various stages of preclinical and clinical development. Pomalidomide is a small molecule that is orally available and modulates the immune system and other biologically important targets. Pomalidomide is being evaluated in a phase III clinical trial for the treatment of myelofibrosis and a phase III clinical trial evaluating pomalidomide as a treatment for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma is accruing patients.
The Company is developing a product, ORAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AGENTS, which is orally available small molecules that target PDE4, an intracellular enzyme that modulates the production of multiple pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators, including interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-10, IL-12, IL-23, INF-gamma, TNF-a, leukotrienes,! and nitr! ic oxide synthase. Its investigational drug, apremilast (CC-10004), is used for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis and active psoriatic arthritis and is being evaluated in a phase II trial for rheumatoid arthritis and six phase III multi-center international clinical trials. In addition, it is investigating its oral PDE4 inhibitor, CC-11050, which is an anti-inflammatory compound that treat a variety of chronic inflammatory conditions, such as Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (CLE).
The Company�� oral kinase inhibitor platform includes inhibitors of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) mTOR kinase, spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) c-fms tyrosine kinase (c-FMS) and DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNAPK). Its oral Syk, c-FMS and DNAPK kinase inhibitors are being investigated in pre-clinical studies. The Company�� new second generation JNK inhibitor, tanzisertib (CC-930), is being evaluated in a phase II trial for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and a phase II trial for the treatment of discoid lupus is accruing patients. Amrubicin is a third-generation fully synthetic anthracycline molecule with potent topoisomerase II inhibition.
At Celgene Cellular Therapeutics (CCT), it is researching stem cells derived from the human placenta, as well as from the umbilical cord. CCT is the Company�� research and development division. Stem cell based therapies provide disease-modifying outcomes for serious diseases, which lack adequate therapy. It has developed technology for collecting, processing and storing placental stem cells with broad therapeutic applications in cancer, auto-immune diseases, including Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, neurological disorders, including stroke and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), graft-versus-host disease, and other immunological / anti-inflammatory, rheumatologic and bone disorders.
The Company has collaborated with Acceleron Pharma, Inc. (Acceleron) to develop sotatercept. Two phase I clinical studies have been co! mpleted. ! An additional phase II clinical study has been initiated and is ongoing related to treatments for end-stage renal anemia and to evaluate effects on red blood cell mass and plasma volume.
The Company competes with Abbott Laboratories, Amgen Inc. (Amgen), AstraZeneca PLC., Biogen Idec Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Eisai Co., Ltd., F. Hoffmann-LaRoche Ltd., Johnson and Johnson, Merck and Co., Inc., Novartis AG, Pfizer, Sanofi and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (Takeda).
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
Shares of Gilead Sciences has dropped 1.3% to $81.52 at 10:33 a.m., while Amgen (AMGN) has fallen 0.3% to $123.78,�Biogen Idec�(BIIB) has gained 0.8% to $331.07 and�Celgene (CELG) has risen 1.1% to $166.59. The�SPDR S&P Biotech ETF�(XBI) has advanced 0.6% to $153.43.
Top Medical Companies To Buy For 2014: Brainstorm Cell Therapuetics Inc (BCLI)
Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. (Brainstorm), incorporated on November 15, 2006, is a biotechnology company developing adult stem cell therapies for debilitating neurodegenerative disorders, such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease), Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and Parkinson�� disease (PD). These diseases have limited treatment options and as such represent unmet medical needs. The Company�� NurOwn technology is based on a differentiation protocol, which induces differentiation of the bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells into neuron-supporting cells, MSC-NTF cells, capable of releasing several neurotrophic factors, including Glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), which are critical for the growth, survival and differentiation of developing neurons.
The Company�� approach to treatment of neurodegenerative diseases with autologous adult stem cells includes a multi-step process beginning with harvesting of undifferentiated stem cells from the patient's own bone marrow, and concluding with transplantation of differentiated, neurotrophic factor-secreting mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-NTF) into the same patient-intrathecally and/or intramuscularly. Intrathecal (injection into the cerebrospinal fluid) transplantation consists of injection with a standard lumbar puncture; there is no need for a laminectomy -an invasive, orthopedic spine operation to remove a portion of the vertebral bone, as required by other technologies. Intramuscular (injection directly into muscle) transplantation is performed via a standard injection procedure as well. Its production process for induction of differentiation of human bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells into differentiated cells that produce NTF (MSC-NTF) for clinical use is conducted in full compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP).
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Udovich]
Small cap ALS and stem cell stock�Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ: BCLI) surged 22.68%�ahead if its Monday ice bucket challenge when they will release the final results from�a phase 2a clinical trial���meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock along with the performance of stem cell stocks or ALS stocks like Cytokinetics, Inc (NASDAQ: CYTK), Neuralstem, Inc (NYSEMKT: CUR) and NeoStem Inc (NASDAQ: NBS). However, Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics does have a history of being the subject of paid promotions and/or investor relations activities when it was trading on the OTC.
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