David Ryder/Bloomberg via Getty Images WASHINGTON -- Average U.S. rates for fixed mortgages eased slightly this week, remaining near historically low levels. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the rate on the 30-year loan declined to 4.42 percent from 4.46 percent last week. The average on the 15-year fixed loan fell to 3.43 percent from 3.47 percent. Mortgage rates peaked at 4.6 percent in August and have stabilized since September, when the Federal Reserve surprised markets by taking no action on starting to reduce its bond purchases. The Fed meets next week and could slow the bond purchases if the economy shows further improvement. The bond purchases are designed to keep long-term rates such as mortgage rates low. A Commerce Department report issued Thursday signaled growing consumer confidence in the economy at the start of the holiday shopping season, as November retail sales rose at the fastest pace in five months.
Hot Asian Companies For 2015: ONYX Pharmaceuticals Inc.(ONXX)
Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development and commercialization of therapies that target the molecular mechanisms that cause cancer in the United States and internationally. The company, through its collaboration agreement with Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc., develops and markets Nexavar (sorafenib) tablet, a multiple kinase inhibitor for the treatment of liver cancer and advanced kidney cancer. It is also conducting Phase III clinical trial on Nexavar for the treatment of kidney, liver, lung, thyroid, breast, and non-small cell lung cancers; clinical trials on carfilzomib, a proteasome inhibitor for the treatment of patients with relapsed or relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma and solid tumors; and Phase Ib/II clinical trial on Oprozomib, an oral proteasome inhibitor. In addition, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is developing ONX 0914, an immunoproteasome inhibitor, which is in preclinical stage for the treatment of autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and lupus. Further, the company, through its collaboration agreement with Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is conducting clinical trials on Regorafenib, a multi-kinase inhibitor to treat metastatic colorectal cancer and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. It has a collaboration agreement with Warner-Lambert Company to discover and commercialize small molecule drugs that restore control of or intervene in the misregulated cell cycle in tumor cells. The company also has development and license agreements with BTG International Limited for the development and commercialization of ONX 0801, a novel targeted oncology compound; and Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. to develop and commercialize carfilzomib and Oprozomib for oncology indications in Japan. Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in South San Francisco, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sean Williams]
So what: In midday trading, AVEO and development partner Astellas Pharma reported that the FDA panel had voted 13-1 that Tivozanib had not demonstrated a favorable benefit-to-risk evaluation in treating advanced kidney cancer. AVEO's CEO, Tuan Ha-Ngoc, noted his discouragement with the FDA panels' findings, but plans to work closely with the FDA to improve upon what it felt Tivozanib lacked. If you recall, Tivozanib demonstrated a statistically significant progression-free survival benefit over Onyx Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ONXX ) and Bayer's (NASDAQOTH: BAYRY ) Nexavar in trials, but fell short of Nexavar in terms of median overall survival, which perplexed many.
- [By Sean Williams]
Established pipeline suggestions
Celgene (NASDAQ: CELG ) : Celgene has been an absolute beast of a stock in 2013, and it could be just getting started if the company is able to meet on its guidance issued in January during the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference. At that annual meeting, Celgene noted its intentions to double its revenue, and triple EPS, by 2017 -- all through organic growth and drug approvals. Celgene has its blockbuster anemia drug Revlimid locked under patent protection for much of the remainder of this decade while its cancer drug Abraxane keeps racking up new indications. Already approved to treat metastatic breast cancer, and a first-line treatment for non-small cell lung cancer, Abraxane could also be well on its way to gaining approval in treating pancreatic cancer after improving PFS to 8.5 months from 6.7 months for the placebo in trials. Onyx Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ONXX ) : Onyx shareholders also have plenty of reason to be dancing in the street over the past year, as its multiple myeloma cancer drug Kyprolis was approved in July, and its leading cancer treatment Nexavar, like Abraxane, continues to pile on the indications and positive data. Nexavar, which is co-developed with Bayer, is already approved by the FDA to treat renal cell carcinoma and unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, but has shown promise in mid-stage trials in treating breast cancer, when combined with Roche's Xeloda and delivered promising results in a late-stage thyroid cancer trial. Roche: Finally, I'm not sure how any cancer discussion can be had where Roche isn't a possibility. I don't believe a single company appeared in more weekly Tackling Cancer
If taking big risks just isn't on your docket over the next couple of years, then the good news is that there are plenty of safer and/or less volatile selections to choose from that already have established pipelines. Here are three additional companies I would suggest you consider. - [By Rich Smith]
Finally, Standpoint argues that Pfizer appears tempted to get into a bidding war with Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN ) over Onyx Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ONXX ) . On the one hand, the analyst thinks this is a war Pfizer can win. On the other hand, a win at, say, a $10 billion price, to acquire Onyx's potential $1 billion revenue stream (in 2015), would both add significantly to Pfizer's $5 billion net-debt load, while at the same time failing to move the needle much on Pfizer's $57 billion annual revenue stream.
- [By Sean Williams]
Where investment dollars are headed
Nexavar: Co-developed by Onyx Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ONXX ) and Bayer, Nexavar has been approved to treat advanced renal cell carcinoma, or RCC, since Dec. 2005. In trials, Nexavar doubled progression-free survival to 167 days compared to the placebo which delivered a PFS of just 84 days. Slightly less than two years later Nexavar gained the added indication to treat unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer. Sales of the drug totaled $861.4 million worldwide in 2012, excluding sales in Japan. Avastin: I believe I've been quite clear in my assessment that Roche's Avastin is a wonder drug. Currently approved for four separate disease indications, Avastin was approved in combination with interferon alfa to treat metastatic RCC in July 2009. Avastin, as a reminder, is a monoclonal antibody that binds to VEGF-receptors and inhibits blood vessel growth, essentially starving solid tumors. In trials, Avastin plus interferon alfa delivered a PFS of 10.2 months compared with just 5.4 months for the interferon alfa with the placebo. Inlyta: Approved in January 2012, Pfizer's (NYSE: PFE ) Inlyta is designed to treat advanced RCC after the failure of one prior chemotherapy. An twice-daily oral medication similar to Nexavar, Inlyta was pitted against Nexavar in trials and came out on top in terms of PFS. The data showed the Inlyta arm delivered PFS of 6.7 months whereas the Nexavar-arm del
Similar to what we saw last week with regard to treating thyroid cancer, surgery is a common option used to treat localized kidney cancer. In some cases ablation (using extreme heat or cold to destroy the tumor) can be used with success. ACS notes that radiation and chemotherapy tend to not have a huge effect on many stages of kidney cancer, but you'll find no shortage of anti-cancer therapies targeted at metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Here are a few of the most popularly prescribed therapies.
Best Investments In 2014: AEterna Zentaris Inc.(AEZS)
Aeterna Zentaris Inc. operates as a late-stage drug development company specialized in oncology and endocrine therapy. Its lead oncology compounds include perifosine, a PI3K/Akt pathway inhibitor that is in Phase 3 registration trial for refractory advanced colorectal cancer and multiple myeloma; and AEZS-108, a doxorubicin-targeted conjugate in Phase II for the treatment of ovarian, endometrial, castration refractory prostate, and refractory bladder cancer. The company?s lead endocrinology compound, AEZS-130, is an oral ghrelin antagonist in Phase III trial as a diagnostic test for adult growth hormone deficiency. Its pipeline also includes earlier-stage compounds, such as AEZS-112 that is in a Phase I trial in advanced solid tumors and lymphoma, as well as AEZS-120, an anti-cancer vaccine in pre-clinical development. The company was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Quebec City, Canada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sean Williams]
High-risk, high-reward suggestions
Exelixis (NASDAQ: EXEL ) : In November Exelixis had its first drug, known as Cometriq, approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat metastatic medullary thyroid cancer. Although the market for this disease is pretty small -- somewhere between 500 and 700 people in the U.S. -- the near-tripling in progression-free survival, or PFS, in trials would indicate to me a strong likelihood that it could translate to success in other cancer types. In mid-stage prostate cancer trials, for instance, Cometriq was found to be particularly effective in dealing with bone metastases as a second or third-line treatment. We won't get any additional data until next year on Cometriq, but positive data on the prostate cancer front could be enough to double its share price if the PFS, compared to the placebo, is notably strong. ImmunoGen (NASDAQ: IMGN ) : In February, Roche�and ImmunoGen received approval for Kadcyla as a secondary treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer. This is ImmunoGen's first drug approval, and it gives the company a chance to showcase what I feel is one of the future pathways of fighting cancer -- its targeted-antibody payload, or TAP, technology. ImmunoGen's TAP technology works by attaching a toxin -- in this case Roche's Herceptin -- to an antibody, and teaching that antibody to release the to
There's an undeniably large dollar amount being pledged to cancer research, but, even if a drug gains approval, that's no guarantee that the biotech or pharmaceutical company behind that drug will be a success. Some of the biggest gains (and losses) come from taking a leap of faith based on clinical data, or the approval of one or two drugs or devices within a pipeline. After that, it's all up to the drug or devices' effectiveness, its pricing, and the success of the marketing teams promoting the drug or device. Here are a few high-risk, high-reward names you should be keeping your eye on.
Best Investments In 2014: Ophthotech Corp (OPHT)
Ophthotech Corporation, incorporated on January 05, 2007, is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of therapeutics to treat diseases of the eye. The Company�� advanced product candidate is Fovista, which the Company is developing for use in combination with anti-VEGF drugs that represent the current standard of care for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD). Wet AMD is a serious disease of the central portion of the retina, known as the macula, which is responsible for detailed central vision and color perception. It is characterized by abnormal new blood vessel formation and growth, referred to as neovascularization, which results in blood vessel leakage, retinal distortion and scar formation. If untreated, the progressive retinal damage results in rapid, irreversible and severe vision loss. Wet AMD is the cause of blindness in patients over the age of 55 in the United States and the European Union.
The anti-VEGF market for the treatment of wet AMD consists predominantly of two drugs that are approved for marketing and primarily prescribed for the treatment of wet AMD, Lucentis and Eylea, and off-label use of the cancer therapy Avastin. The use of anti-VEGF drugs has significantly improved visual outcomes for patients with wet AMD who have been treated with these drugs as compared to untreated patients.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Udovich]
The biotech sector has been pretty exciting this year�with small cap biotech stocks Prana Biotechnology Limited (NASDAQ: PRAN) and TNI BioTech (OTCMKTS: TNIB) having recently produced noteworthy news for investors�while Acceleron Pharma, Inc (NASDAQ: XLRN), Ophthotech (NASDAQ: OPHT) and BIND Therapeutics (NASDAQ: BIND) have just�set term sheets for their upcoming IPOs. Just consider all of the following recent news:
Best Investments In 2014: Excel Trust Inc (EXL)
Excel Trust, Inc., incorporated on December 15, 2009, is a vertically integrated, self-administered, self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company�� principal objective is to acquire, finance, develop, lease, own and manage value-oriented community and power centers, grocery anchored neighborhood centers and freestanding retail properties. The Company conducts all of its business through Excel Trust, L.P., a limited partnership, or its operating partnership. The Company operates through three reportable business segments: retail properties, multi-family properties and office properties. The multi-family segment consists of apartment units at one retail property, West Broad Village, which is located in Richmond, Virginia. The office segment consists of two properties, Excel Centre, a portion of which is utilized as its headquarters, and the Promenade Corporate Center. The Company is the sole general partner of its operating partnership. Excel Trust leases its properties to national and regional supermarket chains, big-box retailers and select national retailers that offer necessity and value oriented items and generate regular consumer traffic. In October 2012, the Company acquired six shopping centers. On January 24, 2013, the Company completed the acquisition of Tracy Pavilion, a retail shopping center with approximately 162,000 square feet of gross leasable area located in Tracy, California. In September 2013, the Company announced the sale of Grant Creek Town Center.
As of December 31, 2012, the Company owned a portfolio consisting of 30 retail properties totaling approximately 5.1 million square feet of gross leasable area, which were approximately 93.4% leased. The Company owns two commercial office properties, Excel Center, a portion of which is utilized as its corporate headquarters, and the Promenade Corporate Center. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had ownership interests in two unconsolidated retail properties totaling 225,113 square feet of gross leasable! area, which were approximately 65.5% leased.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Marc Bastow]
Commercial and retail property owner-operator and real estate investment trust Excel Trust (EXL) raised its quarterly dividend 3% to 17.5 cents per share, payable on Jan. 15 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 31.
EXL Dividend Yield: 6.04%
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