One trend within the biotech drug industry that stands out is the change in the customer base for medicine. Historically, doctors were the only customers of Big Pharma companies. That has changed over time from doctors to insurance companies. Now, in 2018, a bigger focus will be on the individual consumer.
There are a few drivers of this trend:
- Drugs are now developed to treat very specific and rare diseases, making the consumer experience feel personalized. Consumers are reaching their diseases and having more of a say in the decision-making around their individualized treatment.
- Media coverage often focuses on miracle stories for dying patients that capture the attention of the nation in ways that hurricanes do not. Miracle stories capture the imagination of the viewer, growing people's interest in what the sector is doing- or capable of.
- Individual treatment has created an opportunity for greater understanding of human biology and the human genome.
As this sector continues to create individualized treatments, the customer base will grow with consumers outnumbering doctors and insurance companies.
In other biotech news: Propanc Biopharma, Inc.(OTCQB: PPCB), Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: SRPT), ImmunoGen, Inc. (NASDAQ: IMGN), PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTCT), and Nevro Corp. (NYSE: NVRO).
Propanc Biopharma, Inc. (OTCQB: PPCB)
Market Cap: $3.383M, current share price: $0.175
PPCB is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with a focus on the development of new and proprietary treatments for cancer patients suffering from solid tumors such as pancreatic, ovarian and colorectal cancers. This is an exciting time for PPCB as they are headed toward a First-In-Human study with their lead candidate, PRP. As they head toward this next phase of clinical testing, media and public relations are increasingly important. PPCB announced last week that Alan Morell, CEO of Creative Management Partners LLC, will be advising PPCB on a consulting basis. Mr. Morell comes with significant experience in the Microcap sector and across both the pharma and biotech industries. This new hire is projected to increase the growth potential of PPCB as it moves forward in this new and critical phase of company progress.
Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: SRPT)
Market Cap: $3.899B, current share price: $60.28
SRPT, the neuromuscular-disorder specialists, saw its shares gain an astounding 102% in 2017. Why you ask? SRPTshares went up in conjunction with their commercial launch of its Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) therapy Exondys 51 which allegedly generated $154.6 million in sales over the entirety of 2017. The Company expects these sales to reach between $295 million to $305 million by the end of 2018.
ImmunoGen, Inc. (NASDAQ: IMGN)
Market Cap: $1.04B, current share price: $7.95
IMGN announced last week that it has initiated a phase I study to evaluate its anti-CD123 antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), IMGN632, for treating patients with hematological malignancies including acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm. So what does this really mean for investors? Well it is a helpful reminder that the FDA has completed the safety review of the investigational new drug (IND) application for IMGN632 in the last quarter of 2017, signifying a major milestone for IMGN and significant growth in 2018.
PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTCT)
Market Cap: $891.612M, current share price: $21.48
PTCT presented last week at the 36th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. Two key highlights from their presentation include: it expects full-year net product revenues to be between $260 and $295 million and expects Translarna™ (ataluren) net product revenue for the treatment of nonsense mutation Duchenne muscular dystrophy (nmDMD) of approximately $145 million for 2017, an increase of 78% over the prior year. This is big news for the Company as it prepares for a successful 2018.
Nevro Corp. (NYSE: NVRO)
Market Cap: $79.72M, current share price: $80.20
NVRO is a global medical device company that is providing innovative evidence-based solutions for the treatment of chronic pain. Earlier this week the Company announced several data presentations around the use of HF10™ therapy for patients with chronic pain. The Senza system is the only SCS system that delivers Nevro's proprietary HF10 therapy, a SCS therapy providing electrical pulses to the spinal cord to alleviate pain. Published feasibility study results recently demonstrated that patients with non-surgical refractory back pain who received HF10 therapy experienced significant pain reduction. It will be important to keep up with how these successful results play out for NVRO in the stock market.
The aforementioned Companies all develop individualized treatment aimed at the consumer. Investors should track these Companies and how their treatment pans out within the consumer base.
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