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A New Index of Emerging Biotech & Pharma Companies

The accompanying table includes the Top 40 rated companies in the ETF Innovators [ETFI] Emerging Bio-Pharma Index, which includes U.S.-listed companies with market caps between $150M-$1.5B and factors in each companies approved products, late-stage clinical pipeline, trailing 52-week stock price performance, and market cap weighting to calculate a stock rating.

The index has performed much better than its peers over the past year for both the Top 40 Rated (-9%) and all 76 companies (-15%) – doing bett

Who's Next in the Biotech Buyout Frenzy?

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, engages in RNA-based drug discovery and development for its product pipeline and for its partners. The company’s drug development programs are focused on treating cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, as well as cancer, and inflammatory and other diseases. It primarily offers an antisense drug, Vitravene, to treat cytomegalovirus retinitis in AIDS patients. The company and its partners have approximately 18 drugs in development, including Mipomersen (ISIS 301012) for familial hypercholesterolemia patients; ISIS 113715 for type 2 dia

Logic may dictate that Isis Pharmaceuticals' largest multibillion-dollar blockbuster drug is its anti-lipid drug Mipomersen. After all, Genzyme (GENZ) has already paid Isis 325 million dollars upfront, and is scheduled to pay an additional 1.575 billion dollars in milestone payments.

True, Mipomersen has already proven to reverse atherosclerotic plaques in the murine model at unprecedented efficacy (up to 92%). It has also been able to lower lipid levels never achieved with traditional medicines in patients afflicted with homozygous hyperlipidemea.