Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS), Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ALNY), Alere Inc (ALR): Health Care Companies Built for Growth

Counting on a new field in medical science

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALNY) has a list of drugs in its pipeline that have the ability to take this company to new heights. The company’s focus is on developing fresh therapies based on RNA interference, or RNAi. RNAi is a new field of medical science that targets particular RNA (an information molecule similar to DNA), either to silence them or adjust their expression. RNAi-based therapies can become the next big thing in the biotech industry.

The company’s stock rocketed in July. This is because the company’s early-stage clinical results showed great signs of improvement. Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALNY) is working on a development therapy known as ALN-TTRsc. This therapy is targeted toward a rare genetic disorder known as transthyretin, or TTR, amyloidosis disease. The early-stage clinical results showed that the therapy reduced the levels of the disease by a staggering 80%. Not only this, but the company’s clinical subjects reported no problems while they received the experimental batch of drugs.

Another drug by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALNY) that has garnered attention is the ALN-PCS. This RNAi therapy was able to reduce LDL cholesterol levels by 50% and PCSK9 protein levels by 84% in a phase 1 demonstration trial. After further testing, the drug will be taken into mid-stage development. The drug might just become a successful treatment for high cholesterol. This is one exciting biotechnology company to invest in.

Foolish takeaway

I believe that there are many tailwinds for the health care sector going forward. Investors often take a cautious approach and get exposure to the sector by investing in ETFs like the one mentioned above. However, they can take a more proactive (and riskier) approach by constructing a portfolio that can provide better returns. I believe that Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS), Alere Inc (NYSE:ALR), and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALNY) are growth stocks poised to perform well over the long term.

The article Health Care Companies Built for Growth originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Usman Ghani.

Usman Ghani has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Alnylam Pharmaceuticals.

Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.