One of my favorite sectors to trade is biotech and pharmaceuticals.
New innovation, demand for better care, and an aging baby boomer population are continuing to fuel a multi-year rally in the sector.
Plus, spot the right trade and you could make a fortune.
Here are three top biotech stocks to watch in 2019.
Geron Corporation (NASDAQ:GERN)
The company is developing a first-in-class inhibitor, imetelstat, for patients afflicted with a blood-based malignancy, known as lower risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). The company believes this treatment could generate sales of more than $500 million.
Geron expects to initiate a Phase III study in low-risk MDS this year. The treatment has already demonstrated efficacy in myelofibrosis, or MF patients that have not done as well with other drugs. Analysts at Needham believe the treatment creates a buying opportunity, and has given the stock a price target of $3 a share.
TG Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:TGTX)
In a mid-stage trial for refractory marginal zone lymphoma (MZL), the drug easily met its primary endpoint of overall response rate. The FDA also just granted umbralisib a Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the treatment. Even better, the drug is currently showing a favorable efficacy when compared to other drugs, including an AbbVie drug treatment.
Should all go according to plan, the company could be on track to see a few hundred million dollars in annual sales. Plus, takeover chatter on TG Therapeutics (TGTX) is beginning to build again. Cantor Fitzgerald analysts have a price target of $17 on the stock.
Moleculin Biotech Inc. (NASDAQ:MBRX)
The company announced that its ongoing research at The University of Texas Anderson Cancer Center has shown that Annamycin is able to significantly improve survival in an aggressive form of triple negative breast cancer metastasized to the lungs in animals.
“We know that Annamycin was previously shown to be significantly more potent than doxorubicin in both Lewis lung carcinoma in vivo and small cell lung cancer in vitro models,” said Walter Klemp, Moleculin’s Chairman and CEO. “Now we are seeing significant activity against triple negative breast cancer that has metastasized to the lungs. This particular animal model used in our testing is considered to represent a very aggressive form of cancer. We believe our success in increasing the survival rate in mice with this tumor model in combination with the previously observed high uptake of Annamycin by the lungs is a promising indication that supports additional clinical research in lung and metastatic lung cancers.”