Changing of the Guard at FDA: Is Califf the Next Commissioner?
Source: Damian Garde, FierceBiotech   (2/5/15)
"Under Margaret Hamburg's watch, the FDA instituted a slew of programs designed to speed up the review process for new drugs, and 2014 saw the agency approve a 20-year-record 51 novel therapies." More >

Rolling with Biotech's Regulatory Punches: Chen Lin
Source: Peter Byrne of The Life Sciences Report  (11/25/14)
Being temporarily burned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can be a mixed blessing for a biotech with a good product in the pipeline. In an interview with The Life Sciences Report, Chen Lin, publisher of the investor newsletter What is Chen Buying? What is Chen Selling?, explains how to make money on biotech trades in sync with both the good regulatory news and the bad. More >

Jim Collins: Five Names to Love from the LD Micro Conference
Source: Streetwise Reports' Special Situations Staff  (8/20/14)
The conference circuit can be a brutal one, with scores of companies vying for investor attention, but some vendor halls hold more opportunities than others. In this interview with Streetwise Reports' Special Situations, Jim Collins, author of The Portfolio Guru, shares his finds from the productive LD Micro Conference, an event he describes as a "micro-cap love-in." He details a quintet of investing opportunities, from areas as varied as deep-sea exploration support services, Wi-Fi energy delivery and drinks for kids. More >

Healthcare Sector Spurred by Population Growth and M&As
Source: Frank Holmes, U.S. Global Investors  (6/27/14)
"The recent trend in healthcare M&As has many benefits, not least of which is the ability to reach a wider range of people who depend on the drugs and treatments the industry delivers." More >

Putting Money Where the Mouse Is: How Animal Studies Lead Medical Research Down Dead Ends
Source: Richard Harris, NPR  (4/8/14)
"If scientists had been more careful with their initial mouse studies, they would have realized that these drugs were never good candidates and that it made no sense to try them in people." More >

Medical Marijuana in Canada: A Growth Industry
Source: Visual Capitalist  (3/30/14)
"With new federal legislation in effect as of April 1, 2014, the market for medical marijuana in Canada is changing drastically." More >

Specialty Pharma Bulking Up: $100B Boost in 2013 Market Cap Drives Deals in Early 2014
Source: Andrew Forman, EY  (2/25/14)
"Specialty pharma acquirers accounted for roughly 40% of all 2013 M&A by value, with no fewer than seven offshore deals totaling over US$35B. All of these deals resulted in increased 2014 guidance." More >

Categorizing LifeSci Investments + 2 Niche Market Picks
Source: Brian Wilson, BioMedReports   (10/28/13)
"This is not to say that investors should necessarily avoid small or medium-sized clinical life science companies. The high risk comes with a high potential for return, although investors will probably have to spend a lot more time with their due diligence. Also required is a strong stomach for the volatility of these stocks." More >

Backing Biotech Growth with Manufacturing Strength: Brian Wilson
Source: Daniel Levy of The Life Sciences Report  (10/10/13)
The focus of most small biotech and pharma companies is on discovery—looking for that next breakthrough in gene therapy, diagnostics, drug delivery and the like. While Bio-Wire.com's Brian Wilson has explored and written about the possibilities in these fields, he sees potential outside the traditional discovery sphere, in companies focused on low-profile tasks like contract manufacturing services. In this interview with The Life Sciences Report, Wilson names one of his favorites in that space, and discusses a pair of companies using contract manufacturing services to advance their own development strategies. More >

Muscling into the Nutritional Supplements Market: Brad Pyatt
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report  (9/26/13)
Sports analogies are used way too often in business, but MusclePharm Corp.'s Founder, President and CEO Brad Pyatt has used his experience as a wide receiver in the National Football League to build a nutritional supplement business, employing leadership tools he learned from great coaches and players. In this interview with The Life Sciences Report, Pyatt talks about his young company's explosive growth, and how he expects to continue expanding both revenue and earnings to generate tremendous shareholder value. More >

Small-Cap Biotechs with Blockbuster Potential: Hugh Cleland
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report   (6/27/13)
Canadian portfolio manager Hugh Cleland of BluMont Capital has chosen an interesting niche. He invests in stocks too small for mutual funds and major institutions, which allows him to get in on the ground floor and capture huge gains when the companies begin to mature. He actively participates in each company's destiny, much like a venture capitalist. In this interview with The Life Sciences Report, Cleland discusses his "core four" and tosses in a handful of speculative tiny-cap companies that investors with enthusiasm for diligence should investigate. More >

How to Invest in the Golden Age of Biotech
Source: Diane Alter, Money Morning  (6/26/13)
"Propelled by new drug debuts, research advances and a full pipeline, a long stretch of rewarding breakthrough products should continue to flow in the years ahead." More >