There are many types of biotech companies out there with tremendous value. Today, I will focus on the ones that target prostate cancer. Investors should look at these types of companies as they are starting to make good progress on their research. Another reason is that there is a huge billion dollar opportunity in this sector.
When I say a billion dollar opportunity, I mean it literally. The sector is set to grow from $1 billion now to $5 billion by the year 2015. I think there is a lot of opportunity, so I will discuss three biotechs that are creating treatments for prostate cancer.
A new treatment with hope
The first is Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), which is a big pharmaceutical company with a diverse range of products. It develops treatments for a number of diseases. The company is a good investment because it has a nice pipeline of drugs such as Velcade and Zytiga.
On July 16, 2013, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) reported sales of $17.9 billion. The company did well in the quarter, and the forward guidance was raised. The company is now expecting to earn $5.40-$5.47 per share for full-year 2013. As for Zytiga, peak sales of $1.8 billion are expected by 2015. So, the company still has growth with the Zytiga drug.
A good start, but tragic drop
Dendreon Corporation (NASDAQ:DNDN) had its first drug approval with Provenge. Provenge was approved on April 29, 2010, for the treatment of men with advanced prostate cancer who are resistant to standard hormone treatment. Dendreon has had Provenge on the market since then, but sales have been slipping lately.
Sales of Provenge have continued to drop considerably over the years. Just recently, on May 9, 2013, Dendreon Corporation (NASDAQ:DNDN) reported that Provenge earned $67.6 million in the first quarter, analysts were expecting at least $80 million at a minimum. A year prior, Dendreon earned $82 million from Provenge, which is a 17% drop year over year.
I will give one thing to Dendreon Corporation (NASDAQ:DNDN), it was the first company to have a therapeutic cancer vaccine to be approved by the FDA in the immunotherapy space. The company still continues to sell Provenge on the market, but struggles against competitors like Johnson & Johnson’s Zytiga, which was introduced in December of 2012.
A new treatment in town
The final biotech I will talk about is Medivation Inc (NASDAQ:MDVN). Medivation also has a drug to treat prostate cancer as well. Medivation’s drug is known as Xtandi. Xtandi was approved by the FDA on Aug. 31, 2012, for the treatment of men with prostate cancer who had failed both hormone therapy and chemotherapy. Wall Street analysts have estimated that Xtandi will earn $1.2 billion by 2017.
The reason for the low guidance is that Xtandi only targets patients who have failed all other therapies. The good news, though, is that the company is evaluating Xtandi in becoming first line therapy treatment for prostate cancer patients before chemotherapy and hormone therapy. This company still looks like a good long-term investment. The reason for this claim is that the prostate cancer market is expected to double by the year 2021 to $9.1 billion.
