Top Medical Companies To Buy For 2014

Allstate (ALL) received welcome news today as a Los Angeles County Superior Court ruled in the insurance company’s favor in a fraud case.

The ruling favored Allstate as it battled the fraudulent billing processes and behaviors by those unlicensed in the medical field. Specifically, the suit targeted a chiropractic firm that submitted nearly 400 claims that were falsely generated and did not meet the actual needs of the patients.

The judge ruled that the firm will pay $3.8 million in assessments and $3.9 million in penalties to Allstate, making for a grand total of $7.7 million. Allstate noted that it is dedicated to fighting fraud around the country as well as protecting its customers and its customers’ money.

Top Medical Stocks For 2015: Intrexon Corp (XON)

Intrexon Corporation, incorporated on April 19, 2004, is engaged in the business of synthetic biology. Using the Company�� suite of complementary technologies, it design, build and regulate gene programs, or sequences of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) that control cellular function, and cellular systems, or activities that take place within a cell and the interaction of those systems in the greater cellular environment, to enable the development of new and improved products and manufacturing processes across a variety of end markets, including healthcare, food, energy and environmental sciences. Its technologies include the UltraVector gene design and fabrication platform; Cell Systems Informatics; LEAP-cell identification and selection, and mAbLogix-antibody discovery.

The Company�� LEAP technology facilitates the automated identification of an individual cell with the highest levels of expression, quality and potency from a population of over 100,000 cells. Its mAbLogix platform complements UltraVector with a library of human antibodies that exceeds 500 million. By immortalizing human tonsils, which consists of lymphatic tissue containing B-cells, its mAbLogix platform creates a B-cell library that can generate antibodies against an almost infinite number of new antigens.

The UltraVector gene design and fabrication platform

The Company�� gene program design platform, which it refer to as UltraVector, is an integrated suite of tools comprising advanced DNA construction technology and components, cellular and protein engineering tools, computational models and statistical methods which facilitate the rapid design, build and testing of complex systems. The UltraVector platform allows the Company to translate gene programs into standard components that can be designed, manufactured and tested in an automated format. This technology enables it to engineer at the cellular level from biological sources.

UltraVector DNA design is computer-automated and ! utilizes a set of defined construction rules to assemble components that are stored in its DNA library. In addition to the number of gene components in its UltraVector library, it is designing and creating enzymatic and regulatory components that provide control over genome integration and gene regulation. Its RheoSwitch Therapeutic System is a three-component transcriptional regulator that provides inducible gene expression. The RheoSwitch Therapeutic System provides the ability to not only express proteins/enzymes of interest, but also the ability to control the level and timing of expression to achieve a biological outcome. Other ongoing programs include its Attsite recombinases, which mediate predictable gene exchange into host cells thereby eliminating many of the difficulties seen with traditional gene insertion.

Cell Systems Informatics

The Company�� Cell systems informatics permits design, as well as testing and learning about new gene targets or product pathways. Its bioinformatics software and database systems for mapping cellular pathways when combined with its genome-scale modeling and experimental data, including, gene expression profiling and protein engineering, enable the Company to optimize selection and development of gene programs and cellular systems for its collaborators. Its computational modeling and simulation platform enables the development of predictive computer models of organisms, from microbes to humans. This platform builds virtual cells from their basic molecular components, and can simulate the activity of the cell�� complete reaction network.

The Company is designing proteins with post-translational modifications. It is also working to develop enzyme inhibitors and fusion proteins for a variety of applications in human and animal therapeutics. Its protein engineering may utilize one or more of its technologies to obtain catalysis activitiesits component library, the generation of component variants sequence, evolutionary analy! sis and s! tructure-based sequence alignment, computer-aided drug discovery, de novo, or synthesized or generated, and comparative protein modeling, molecular dynamics simulation and free energy analysis, antibody design and humanization, antigenicity prediction, protein pharmacokinetics optimization, and/or in silico support of enzyme engineeringand quantitative structure-function relationships with machine learning algorithms to optimize, facilitate and prioritize protein variant libraries for the advancement of its collaborators.

LEAP-cell identification and selection

The Company�� Laser-Enabled Analysis and Processing technology (LEAP), is an instrument that merges semiconductor manufacturing technologies for cell processing applications to provide high levels of control and scale to cell purification and stem cell culture management. The LEAP platform can identify and purify cells of interest from large libraries of cells created by its UltraVector and bioinformatics technologies using a laser-based purification process, thereby providing a mechanism of testing the degree of protein expression in genetically modified cells, as well as means to learn from the genetic building process.

mAbLogix- antibody discovery

The Company�� mAbLogix antibody discovery platform, or mAbLogix platform, enables production of B-cell libraries for discovery of antibodies. The mAbLogix platform permits antigen targeting using fully human monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies. Its mAbLogix antibody discovery process consists of two major activities: the build of human B-cell libraries expressing a large number of antibodies, and the testing of these libraries based on an analysis of B-cells that express antibodies in response to a chosen antigen.

The Company competes with AbD SeroTec, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., XOMA Corporation, Genmab US, Inc., MorphoSys AG, NovImmune SA, Societe Des Systemes Biologiques, Adimab, LLC, ProMab Biotechnologies, Inc., Abpro, Inc.,! AIIM The! rapeutics and Open Monoclonal Technology, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Intrexon Corp. (NYSE: XON) was started as Buy at Mizuho Securities, started as Equal Weight at Barclays and started as Overweight at J.P. Morgan.

  Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) was raised to Hold from Sell at Deutsche Bank, raised to Neutral from Underperform at Credit Suisse and
  Canaccord Genuity raised its price target to $5.50 from $3.30.

Top Medical Companies To Buy For 2014: Clovis Oncology Inc (CLVS)

Clovis Oncology, Inc. (Clovis) incorporated on April 20, 2009, is a Development-stage Company. The Company is a Biopharmaceutical Company. The Company focuses on acquiring, developing and commercializing anti-cancer agents in the United States, Europe and additional international markets. The Company also focuses on the treatment of specific subsets of cancer populations. During the year ended December 31, 2010, the Company was in the process of developing three product candidates for which it holds global marketing rights: CO-101, a lipid-conjugated form of the anti-cancer drug gemcitabine; CO-1686, an oral epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutant-selective inhibitor and CO-338, a poly ADP (Adenosine Diphosphate)-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor. Effective November 19, 2013, Clovis Oncology Inc acquired the entire share capital of Ethical Oncology Science SpA.

CO-101 - a Lipid-Conjugated Form of the Anti-Cancer Drug Gemcitabine

CO-101 is designed to treat patients with pancreatic cancer whose tumors express low amounts of a membrane transporter protein on the surface of the cancer cell known as hENT1 and are thus expected to be resistant to standard gemcitabine-based therapy. Based on the published results of multiple studies assessing the correlation of hENT1 expression to survival outcomes in pancreatic cancer patients treated with gemcitabine, the Company estimates that approximately 40% to 50% of pancreatic patients express low levels of hENT1, and thus derive little or no benefit from gemcitabine therapy. CO-101 is in an international, randomized and controlled 360-patient study for the first-line treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer. This open-label study compares CO-101 to gemcitabine as a first-line therapy in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. Clovis is partnered with Ventana Medical Systems for the development and commercialization of a companion diagnostic for the assessment of hENT1 levels.

CO-1686-an Oral EGFR Mutant-Selective ! Inhibitor

CO-1686 is an orally available, small molecule covalent inhibitor of the cancer-causing mutant forms of EGFR for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). CO-1686 targets both the initial activating EGFR mutations as well as the primary resistance mutation, T790M, it treats both first- and second-line NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations. Such initiating activating mutations occur in approximately 10% to 15% of NSCLC cases in Caucasian patients and approximately 30% to 35% of NSCLC cases in East Asian patients. Following treatment with approved NSCLC therapies, Tarceva (erlotinib) or Iressa (gefitinib), both known as tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), approximately half of these patients develop the T790M mutation.

The Company focuses on the development of CO-1686 as both a second-line therapy for EGFR-mutated NSCLC patients who become resistant to TKIs due to the emergence of the T790M secondary mutation and as a first-line treatment for EGFR-mutated NSCLC. Clovis is partnered with Roche Molecular Systems for the development and commercialization of a companion diagnostic for identification of EGFR mutations.

CO-338-a PARP Inhibitor

CO-338 is a small molecule PARP inhibitor that the Company focuses to develop as both monotherapy and in combination with chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of selected cancer patients. CO-338 is in a Phase I clinical trial to determine the maximum tolerated dose of oral CO-338 that can be combined with intravenous, or IV, platinum chemotherapy in the treatment of solid tumors. This program is supplemented by two ongoing investigator-initiated trials, using the IV formulation of CO-338: a Phase I/II study in germ-line BRCA mutant breast and ovarian cancer and a Phase II study in the adjuvant treatment of germ-line BRCA mutant and triple-negative breast cancer. The Company also focuses on initiating a Phase I monotherapy study of the oral formulation, to determine an appropriate dose and schedule.!

The Company competes with Eli Lilly, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, APP Pharmaceuticals, AB Science SA, Amgen Inc., Astellas Pharma, BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Celgene Corporation, Immunomedics, Inc., Lorus Therapeutics, Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim, Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis, Astra Zeneca, Abbott, Merck, Eisai, Cephalon and Biomarin.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  Clovis Oncology (NASDAQ: CLVS  ) certainly made a name for itself, more than doubling its share price, after reporting positive early stage data on CO-1686 for EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer and rucaparib for solid tumors such as ovarian cancer. Rucaparib provided an 89% clinical benefit to patients with ovarian cancer while CO-1686 indicated a partial response in three out of four patients with the T790M resistance mutation. I would still urge caution among investors, though, as these are still early studies and Clovis lost its then lead drug, CO-101, to a failed mid-stage pancreatic cancer trial in November. �

• [By Keith Speights]

  Give me a double
  The Motley Fool's David Williamson summed up the great week for Clovis Oncology (NASDAQ: CLVS  ) perfectly in his headline a few days ago: "1 Biotech + 2 Cancer Drugs = 100% Pop." While that 100% pop drifted down to 96% by the end of the week, Dave hit the nail on the head.

• [By Sean Williams]

  What: Shares of Clovis Oncology (NASDAQ: CLVS  ) , a biopharmaceutical company that's developing anti-cancer therapies, vaulted higher by as much as 136% (that's not a typo!) after reporting positive data on two early stage experimental treatments -- CO-1686 in EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and Rucaparib in a monotherapy study of solid tumors -- at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting.

Top Medical Companies To Buy For 2014: Sunshine Heart Inc (SSH)

Sunshine Heart, Inc., incorporated on August 22, 2002, is an early-stage medical device company focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing its C-Pulse Heart Assist System for treatment of Class III and ambulatory Class IV heart failure. The C-Pulse Heart Assist System utilizes the scientific principles of intra-aortic balloon counter-pulsation applied in an extra-aortic approach to assist the left ventricle by reducing the workload required to pump blood throughout the body, while increasing blood flow to the coronary arteries. As of December 31, 2011, the Company was in the process of obtaining regulatory approvals necessary to sell its product.

The Company has developed tools to allow the C-Pulse to be implanted through a small pacemaker-like incision between the patient�� ribs and sternum rather than a sternotomy. Patients implanted through its minimally invasive procedure require a hospital stay of four to seven days in connection with implantation of the C-Pulse System, after which they return home. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company completed enrollment and implantation of 20 patients in the North American feasibility phase of its trial. In April 2011, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an expansion protocol to allow the Company to implant up to 20 additional patients and add two additional centers to its feasibility study.

The Company competes with Thoratec Corporation, HeartWare International Inc., CircuLite, Inc., CardioKinetix, Inc., AbioMed, Inc., Jarvik Heart, Inc., MicroMed Technology, Inc., SynCardia Systems, Inc., Terumo Heart, Inc., WorldHeart Corporation in the United States and Europe, and Berlin Heart GmbH in Europe.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap heart stocks Sunshine Heart Inc (NASDAQ: SSH), Abiomed, Inc (NASDAQ: ABMD) and AtriCure Inc (NASDAQ: ATRC) each find different ways go to the heart of the problem for cardiac�patients and have all been good performers for investors this year. After all and according to statistics collected by the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women as about 600,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year���accounting�for 1 in every 4 deaths. Moreover, roughly 715,000 Americans have a heart attack every year and�ff these, 525,000 are a first heart attack and 190,000 happen to people who have already had one. In other words, there is a big market for the following small cap heart stocks to address:

Top Medical Companies To Buy For 2014: Imprimis Pharmaceuticals Inc (IMMY)

Imprimis Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company developing non-invasive, topically delivered products. The Company�� Transdel cream formulation technology is designed to facilitate the effective penetration of a variety of products through the tough skin barrier. Ketotransdel, the Company�� lead pain product, utilizes the Transdel platform technology to deliver the active drug, ketoprofen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), through the skin directly into the underlying tissues where the drug exerts its anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. Ketotransdel consists of a transdermal formulation of ketoprofen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), and its Transdel drug delivery system and is being developed for the treatment of acute pain. In July 2013, it acquired intellectual property for IPI-120 from Buderer Drug Company.

Ketotransdel penetrates the skin barrier to reach the targeted underlying tissues where it exerts its localized anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect. Transdel is the Company�� transdermal cream drug delivery platform. It consists of a cream that enables transdermal penetration of drugs avoiding first pass metabolism by the liver and minimizing systemic exposure. The Transdel drug delivery system facilitates the effective dissolution and delivery of a drug across the skin barrier to reach targeted underlying tissues.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  So far this year, Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc (NYSEMKT: RNN), Imprimis Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: IMMY) and Arrowhead Research Corp (NASDAQ: ARWR) are up 186.3%, 157.2% and 142.5%, respectively, since the start of the year���making them the best performing small cap biotech stocks for 2014. But given their lackluster performance over the past few years, what is the secret behind their phenomenal 2014 rise and will they keep rising? For starters, none of these small caps have really produced anything in the way of blockbuster news:

Top Medical Companies To Buy For 2014: Pharmacyclics Inc (PCYC)

Pharmacyclics, Inc., incorporated on April 19, 1991, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing small-molecule drugs for the treatment of cancer and immune mediated diseases. The Company's clinical development and product candidates are small-molecule enzyme inhibitors designed to target biochemical pathways involved in human diseases. As of June 30, 2011, it had three drug candidates under clinical development and a number of preclinical lead molecules. This includes an inhibitor of Bruton�� tyrosine kinase (Btk) (PCI-32765) in Phase II studies in hematologic malignancies; a Btk inhibitor lead optimization program targeting autoimmune indications, an inhibitor of Factor VIIa (PCI-27483) in a Phase II clinical trial in pancreatic cancer, and a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor (PCI-24781) in Phase I and II clinical trials in solid tumors and hematological malignancies as of June 30, 2012.

As of June 30, 2012, the Company developed ibrutinib, which has demonstrated clinical activity and tolerability in Phase I and Phase II clinical trials in a variety of B-cell malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and a number of non-Hodgkin�� lymphoma (NHL) subtypes. CLL, mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), follicular lymphoma (FL), diffuse B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and multiple myeloma (MM) are specific indications of its current or planned Phase Ib/II and Phase III development program. had development programs for B-cell malignancies and autoimmune diseases. For malignant indications it has developed PCI-32765, which has demonstrated clinical activity and tolerability in Phase I and Phase II clinical trials in a range of B-cell malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and a number of non-Hodgkin�� lymphoma (NHL) subtypes. CLL, mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), follicular lymphoma (FL), diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and multiple myeloma (MM) are specific indications of its Phase II development. It has developed an assay! to measure occupancy of Btk in PBMCs using a cell-permeable fluorescently-labeled derivative of PCI-32765.

Factor VII is an enzyme that becomes activated (FVIIa) by binding to the cell surface protein tissue factor (TF), a protein found in the body that helps to trigger the process of blood clotting in response to injury. TF is over expressed in many cancers including gastric, breast, colon, lung, prostate, ovarian and pancreatic cancers. In these tumors, the FVIIa/TF complex induces intracellular signaling pathways by activating protease activated receptor 2 (PAR-2), another cell-surface protein. This in turn increases the expression of interleukin-8 (IL-8), a protein produced by white blood cells and other immune cells in response to pathogenic stimulation, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a signal protein produced by cells that stimulate the growth of blood vessels. Both proteins play an important role in tumor growth and metastases as well as angiogenesis (growth of new blood vessels). FVIIa/TF complex also initiates the coagulation (a process by which blood forms clots) processes implicated in the high incidence of thromboembolic (the process by which the blood clots within a blood vessel) complications seen in patients with TF-expressing cancers. Thromboembolic events are a cause of death in patients with cancer and anticoagulant treatment has been shown to improve survival in a variety of cancers (Klerk et al. JCO. 2005).

PCI-27483 Factor VIIa Inhibitor

The Company�� Factor VIIa inhibitor PCI-27483 is a first-in-human small molecule inhibitor that selectively targets FVIIa. As an inhibitor of FVIIa, PCI-27483 has two potential mechanisms of action: inhibition of intracellular signaling involved in tumor growth and metastases and inhibition of early coagulation processes associated with thromboembolism.

Factor VIIa PCI-27483 Clinical Development Update

A multicenter Phase I/II of PCI-27483 in patients with locally a! dvanced o! r metastatic pancreatic cancer that are either receiving or are planned to receive gemcitabine therapy has completed enrollment. The Phase II portion of the study randomized patients to receive either gemcitabine alone or gemcitabine plus PCI-27483 (1.2 mg/kg twice daily). The objectives are to assess the safety of FVIIa Inhibitor PCI-27483 at pharmacologically active dose levels, to assess potential inhibition of tumor progression and to obtain initial information of the effects on the incidence of thromboembolic events. Due to a paradigm shift away from the use of gemcitabine alone for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, enrolling patients in this randomized study has been challenging. PCYC is evaluating other alternatives for development of this agent.

A multicenter Phase I/II of PCI-27483 in patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer that are either receiving or are planned to receive gemcitabine therapy has completed enrollment. The Phase II portion of the study randomized patients to receive either gemcitabine alone or gemcitabine plus PCI-27483 (1.2 mg/kg twice daily). PCI-27483 is covered by United States patents and patent applications and counterpart patents and patent applications in fourteen ex-United States territories, including Europe, Canada, Mexico, Japan, China, India, South Korea, Australia and Brazil.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Mani]

  Pharmacyclics, Inc. (NASDAQ: PCYC) is one of the best ways to play the hematology cancer drug market as its Ibrutinib is expected to transform the treatment of many blood cancers.

Top Medical Companies To Buy For 2014: Foundation Medicine Inc (FMI)

Foundation Medicine, Inc., incorporated on November 12, 2009, is a commercial-stage company. The Company is focused on fundamentally changing the way patients with cancer are treated. The Company�� platform includes methods and algorithms for analyzing tumor tissue samples across all types of cancer, as well as information aggregation and concise reporting capabilities. Its products provide genomic information about each patient�� individual cancer, enabling physicians to optimize treatments in clinical practice and enabling biopharmaceutical companies to develop targeted oncology therapies more effectively.

FoundationOne, its first clinical product, is, to its knowledge, the only commercially available comprehensive molecular information product designed for use in the routine care of patients with cancer. In addition, the Company is considered a non-contracting provider by commercial third-party payors because it has not entered into specific contracts to provide FoundationOne to their covered patients, and as a result it takes on primary responsibility for obtaining reimbursement on behalf of patients.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Foundation Medicine (NASDAQ: FMI) shares tumbled 7.58% to reach a new 52-week low of $21.23. Foundation Medicine's trailing-twelve-month profit margin is -147.08%.

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap healthcare information stocks Everyday Health Inc (NYSE: EVDY), Foundation Medicine Inc (NASDAQ: FMI) and CollabRx Inc (NASDAQ: CLRX) help consumers and healthcare professionals deal with the increasing amount of information overload that comes with treating or figuring out how to treat patients.