Issue #14: Walgreen and Rite Aid Deal, Eli Lily and Incyte Fail and NASH Market Heating Up

INO Health & Biotech Stock Guide

Issue #14

BIOTECH, HEALTH & PHARMA NEWS

The proposed Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) and Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE:RAD) deal continues to be drawn out and increasingly tumultuous between the companies involved and federal regulators. Recently,  Rite Aid and Fred's Inc. (NASDAQ:FRED) shares dropped amid talk the Federal Trade Commission is leaning towards filing a lawsuit seeking to block Walgreens' planned acquisition of Rite Aid. In December of 2016, the companies announced an agreement to sell 865 stores to Fred’s for $950 million in cash. Earlier this year, Walgreens and Rite Aid agreed to divest more stores, boosting the number to 1,200 and to reduce their merger price.

Continue reading "Issue #14: Walgreen and Rite Aid Deal, Eli Lily and Incyte Fail and NASH Market Heating Up"

Issue #13: Icahn's Bristol-Myers Stake, Biotech Cohort Rallies and Eli Lilly's CEO Speaks

INO Health & Biotech Stock Guide

Issue #13

BIOTECH, HEALTH & PHARMA NEWS

Ever since President Trump met with a group of pharmaceutical executives at the White House, the entire biotech cohort has witnessed a resurgence as of late. This meeting was perceived as a positive interaction between the nascent government and the industry on a whole. This coincides with a consortium of big pharma companies joining forces to address transparency on drug price increases. Allergan (AGN), J&J (JNJ), Novo Nordisk (NVO), Merck (MRK) and AbbVie (ABBV) have committed to limiting any annual drug pricing increases to less than 10%. J&J, AbbVie and Merck all published annual reports regarding its portfolio and the price increases they’ve implemented. This transparency coalition is a step in the right direction to appease the general public and governmental officials that have been very critical of drug price increases. To add icing on the cake, Amgen’s CEO stated “We look forward to working collaboratively with the new administration.” Pharmaceutical executives are being proactive to be part of the conversation and be present at the table when it comes to working with Trump and his hardline stance regarding jobs and drug prices. The collaborative approach will hopefully bode well for the industry as a healthy relationship is fostered perceived on Wall Street.

Continue reading "Issue #13: Icahn's Bristol-Myers Stake, Biotech Cohort Rallies and Eli Lilly's CEO Speaks"

Issue #12: Trump’s Love-Hate Relationship With Pharma, Amgen Promises Jobs and Sector Earnings Underway

INO Health & Biotech Stock Guide

Preview Issue #12 - March 20, 2017

BIOTECH, HEALTH & PHARMA NEWS

President Trump met with a group of pharmaceutical executives at the White House where he voiced his concerns over their pricing, stating that pricing “has been astronomical.” In the same meeting, President Trump said “You folks have done a very great job over the years,” and “but we have to get the prices down.” In a separate press conference, Trump said that big pharma was “getting away with murder”. Big pharma companies are joining forces as of late to address the price increases that the public and governmental officials have been demanding. Allergan (AGN), J&J (JNJ), Novo Nordisk (NVO) and AbbVie (ABBV) have committed to limiting any annual drug pricing increases to less than 10%. J&J went further stating that they will be publishing an annual report regarding its portfolio and the price increases they’ve implemented. AbbVie released data on its increases as well stating that Humira was increased by 8.4% with an only once annual increase moving forward. Merck (MRK) becomes the latest pharma to join this drug pricing transparency coalition. Merck raised list prices by an average of 9.6% with an average net price increase of 5.5%. This transparency is a step in the right direction to appease the general public and governmental officials.

President Donald Trump

Figure 1 - President Trump met with pharmaceutical industry leaders at the White House on Tuesday. From left are PhRMA President Stephen Ubl, Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier, Trump, Celgene CEO Robert Hugin and Amgen CEO Robert Bradway. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press)

WHAT'S NEXT

Continue reading "Issue #12: Trump’s Love-Hate Relationship With Pharma, Amgen Promises Jobs and Sector Earnings Underway"

IBB - The Political Tug-Of-War Rages On

Noah Kiedrowski - INO.com Contributor - Biotech


Donald Trump is back at it again via Twitter and once again he has ignited the political tug-of-war between potential policy changes and Wall Street. The overall healthcare sector has become volatile on the heels of any statement or tweet from Donald Trump. Shortly after the inauguration, Trump held a press conference and stated that drug companies are “getting away with murder” when speaking to the drug pricing debate. Now he’s come out and stated that he’s working on a “new system where there will be competition in the drug industry.” Every time any of these remarks are tweeted, they immediately result in a downtrend across the entire biotech cohort, this time was no exception. The iShares Biotechnology Index ETF (NASDAQ:IBB) traded down 1.7% or $5 per share once tweeted. The healthcare sector has been faced with an uncertain and volatile political backdrop. The overall healthcare umbrella has become sensitive to any tweet from President Trump as he vows to bring down drug prices. Although he’s pursuing his agenda against drug pricing, IBB has become resilient as many of these threats may have already been priced-in as seen in many healthcare-related stocks that have seen sharp and sustained sell-offs. Ostensibly, many of these stocks are trading at multiyear low P/E ratios and as a cohort (gauged via the IBB proxy) looks to be less sensitive to tweets/threats and continues to test the $300 barrier.

IBB Chart
Figure 1 – IBB price activity and resilience over the previous 6 months with pronounced volatility that coincides with political rhetoric against drug pricing

The Drug Pricing Transparency Coalition

Many large-cap pharma companies have created an unofficial drug pricing coalition to provide transparency in an effort to separate themselves from a handful of egregious price increases to contend with Trump’s aim at the drug companies. Continue reading "IBB - The Political Tug-Of-War Rages On"

Preview Issue #11: J&J $30B Acquisition, Humana/Aetna Blocked and Allergan Sued

INO Health & Biotech Stock Guide

Preview Issue #11 - February 28, 2017

BIOTECH, HEALTH & PHARMA NEWS

Johnson & Johnson and McKesson make a big splash in merger and acquisition activity, courts block Humana/Aetna merger and Allergan and Endo sued by FTC. The healthcare cohort has witnessed several key events in the face of a political backdrop that’s put the entire industry on edge. The overall healthcare umbrella has become sensitive to any tweet from President Trump as he vows to bring down drug prices. As he pursues his crusade against drug pricing, much of these threats may have already been priced-in as seen in many healthcare-related stocks (i.e. McKesson, CVS, ABBV and AGN) that have seen sharp and sustained sell-offs that coincide with the 2017 presidential campaign cycle.

WHAT'S NEXT

Continue reading "Preview Issue #11: J&J $30B Acquisition, Humana/Aetna Blocked and Allergan Sued"