DNA

[stocky]

I know it may seems like bit a pricy to some, but I like this one a lot. Will post more details later. Checkout the chart. In at 89.94

[setravis]

Genentech quarterly earnings, revenue top forecast -- Biotechnology giant Genentech (DNA) reported better-than-expected second quarter earnings of $296.2 million, or 27 cents a share, compared with $170.8 million, or 16 cents a share, for the same quarter last year. Operating revenue jumped to $1.53 billion, compared with $1.13 billion in 2004. Excluding charges related to litigation and a recent stock transaction with Roche, Genentech would have reported earnings of 30 cents a share. A poll of analysts by Thomson First Call estimated the company would have earnings of 26 cents a share, on revenue of $1.49 billion, on average.

[stocky]

Thanks setravis. DNA is a good long term holding. My checks at the local pharmacies had seen DNA products doing very well with cancer patients.

[setravis]

Something else I found.........


Market Scan
Four Picks In The Biotech Sector
07.15.05, 11:57 AM ET

Standard & Poor's Equity Research raised its fundamental outlook for the biotech sector to "positive" from "neutral," saying 2006 should see more product approvals over 2005 levels. "We expect a major theme for the biotech sector to be new product and supplemental approvals for the industry," S&P Equity Research said. Over the next 12 months, the research firm expects sector price appreciation of about 20% and believes the sector could sustain high-teen earnings-per-share growth over the next three years. S&P Equity Research's top recommendations are Genentech (nyse: DNA - news - people ), Amylin Pharmaceuticals (nasdaq: AMLN - news - people ), Renovis (nasdaq: RNVS - news - people ) and Invitrogen (nasdaq: IVGN - news - people ), all rated at "strong buy." The research firm reiterated "strong sell" opinions on Chiron (nasdaq: CHIR - news - people ) and Trimeris (nasdaq: TRMS - news -

[stocky]

Yes, thats true. Also I think with rising oil prices and weakening in other sectors, one need to have some strong defensive stocks in the portfolio. I may add more stocks like of this one in coming days.

If I can have an appetite for very risky pennies then I should have some rooms for old school conservative stocks like DNA to balance out things. Though any biotech may give you 40% gap down surprises on any day. 

[crazy23]

Any thoughts on where the prices hi and low will be with a bio tech gap on monday?

[stocky]

With DNA near its 52 week high, and being a big cap I do not expect it to gap up too much or gap down. And if these big caps do gap up or down too much then there is something as big as the stock

If you want to join I will recommend jump in, though one need to be bit patient with these big cap movements. However, I see clear skies as DNA make new 52 week highs.

[stocky]

This may be one of the best biotechs but I am now overweight with some five biotechs and eyeing some more. I have to let this one go. I am still bullish on this one but at the moment it does not fit into my trading plan.

[catrader]

earnings after hours tonight.  think more chance on the upside or downside?

[ScottishTrader]

Big news - DNA up almost 5% AH

Herceptin Proves a Wonder Drug for Breast Cancer
By Karen Pallarito
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Women who have a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer reap significant benefits when their treatment includes a one-year course of the drug Herceptin.

In international and North American trials, the intravenous drug cut the risk of recurrence of disease by half and markedly improved survival, according to a report in the Oct. 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Since these results were first reported last spring at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, breast cancer oncologists have altered the way they treat early-stage HER2-positive breast cancers.

"Herceptin is now being incorporated in the treatment regimen," said Dr. Larry Norton, deputy physician-in-chief for Breast Cancer Programs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. "The big change is the application of the drug earlier on in the disease."

Dr. Harold J. Burstein, assistant professor of medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, said the studies make it clear that women who have HER2-positive breast cancers should consider using this drug. "Women with this kind of breast cancer get dramatic benefit from adding Herceptin to chemotherapy," he said.

HER2-positive breast cancers occur when the body makes too many copies of the "human epidermal growth factor receptor 2" gene and, as a consequence, produces an excess amount of the HER2 protein on the surface of cancer cells. These two actions lead to the particularly aggressive growth and proliferation of these tumors, Burstein explained.

Herceptin, also known as trastuzumab, works by halting the growth of those cancer cells. It is currently approved for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.

But the new results show that women with early-stage breast cancer -- before it metastasizes, or spreads to other parts of the body -- realize enormous benefits as well.

The international trial examined the effects of giving Herceptin after breast cancer surgery, any radiation that might be required and chemotherapy. HER2-positive women were randomly assigned to receive either observation alone or one or two years of the drug. Treatments were administered every three weeks, with striking results.

"At a point early on in the course of the disease, trastuzumab approximately halved the risk of the recurrence of the tumor," said Richard D. Gelber, a professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and one of the authors of the study.

That reduction in risk was relative to recurrences among the observation group, he said.

Results for the group of women assigned to receive two years of the drug have yet to be released. For the time being, oncologists don't really know whether two years of Herceptin therapy would work better than one.

In the North American study, which combined the results of two similar trials, Herceptin was administered along with chemotherapy, not afterward as in the international trial.

The concurrent approach proved highly effective. Herceptin treatment was associated with a 33 percent reduction in the risk of death and an absolute reduction in the proportion of women who were alive and disease-free at three years of 11.8 percentage points.

At four years, the absolute difference in survival between the treatment and control groups was 18 percentage points, "which is really striking," noted study co-author Dr. Charles E. Geyer Jr., director of medical affairs for the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project. "We're not used to seeing that kind of large, dramatic step from the addition of one therapy like this," he said.

Overall, Herceptin boosted the chances of disease-free survival by 52 percent compared with the control group.

On the downside, Herceptin use carries a risk of potential heart problems, a problem the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned about in August. While the risk is low, it remains a legitimate concern.

"There still are a handful of women who will suffer cardiac damage from this and you can't ignore that," Burstein said. "Hopefully, we will determine which patients are likely to have major problems and which are not so that we can screen patients better and follow them in a more tailored fashion."

[ScottishTrader]

Chart looks like it could provide solid upside breakout 

Only question is whether its just too darn expensive for my tastes???

[setravis]

Genentech jumps on earnings report...

Genentech on a Roll
By Brian Lawler
January 12, 2007
It's always good to be the top company in a growing industry. With sales of biopharmaceutical drugs well over $50 billion and growing at a double-digit clip according to IMS Health, drug developer Genentech (NYSE: DNA) has put itself in a great position as the undisputed leader in the biopharmaceutical industry after surpassing Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN) as the largest biotechnology firm last year.

Earlier this week, Genentech released its fourth-quarter and full-year 2006 results. With revenue up 40% to $9.3 billion in 2006, it's easy to see why the biotech sector is booming. Revenue increased similarly for the quarter, up 43% year over year. It's also nice to see a drug company allowing scale to take over, and in 2006, expenses accounted for only two-thirds of operating revenue rather than the 71% they did in 2005. This allowed earnings to jump much higher than revenues grew -- to 67%, or $1.97 per share, for the year and for operating margins to hit 34%.

Year-over-year growth is starting to moderate for Genentech's four maturing oncology drugs Avastin, Herceptin, Tarceva, and Rituxan, although growth remains solidly in the double digits for all four products. Several of these drugs like Herceptin and Avastin do have catalysts, though, in the form of possible FDA approval for earlier-stage disease or new indications that could swing sales growth higher in the future. Genentech's newly launched Lucentis, on the other hand, is gaining market share like mad, with sales up to $217 million and growing 42% versus the last quarter.

Genentech does have some competitive risks around the corner, like the possible approval of GlaxoSmithKline's (NYSE: GSK) Tykerb, which will compete with Herceptin as a treatment for breast cancer, and ImClone's (Nasdaq: IMCL) Erbitux, but overall, there's nothing in the near term that could derail it from achieving its goal of 25% compounded annual earnings growth.

Despite the strong earnings growth, Genentech is not resting on its laurels, either. It made an acquisition last quarter when it bought Tanox (Nasdaq: TNOX), its partner for the asthma treatment, Xolair. Genentech also signed another drug development deal just this week.

While Genentech appears to be operating on all cylinders operationally, shares look more than a bit expensive, trading at 44 times last year's earnings and over 100 times its $900 million in free cash flow. This is too rich a valuation for my blood, but investors should follow Genentech closely, as the company's a bellwether for the rest of the biopharmaceutical sector