Top 5 High Tech Stocks To Buy For 2016

Top 5 High Tech Stocks To Buy For 2016: Enanta Pharmaceuticals Inc (ENTA)

Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc., incorporated on July 25, 1995, is a research and development-focused biotechnology company. The Company uses its chemistry-driven approach and drug discovery capabilities to create small molecule drugs in the infectious disease field. The Company is discovering and developing novel inhibitors designed for use against the hepatitis C virus (HCV). These inhibitors include members of the direct acting antiviral (DAA) inhibitor classes-protease (partnered with AbbVie, the former research-based pharmaceutical business of Abbott Laboratories), NS5A (partnered with Novartis) and nucleotide polymerase, as well as a host targeted antiviral (HTA) inhibitor class targeted against cyclophilin. ABT-450, discovered through its collaboration with AbbVie, is a protease inhibitor that has demonstrated in vitro potency against known resistant HCV mutants.

In Phase I studies, ABT-450 co-administered with ritonavir, a commonly used boosting agent to increase the blood concentrations of many protease inhibitors, was shown to be safe and well tolerated. Co-administration of ABT-450 with ritonavir, which it refers to together as ABT-450/r, has enabled once-daily dosing of ABT-450. Phase II studies have demonstrated the efficacy of ABT-450/r in patients with chronic HCV, and other interferon-free Phase II studies of ABT-450-containing regimens continue. AbbVie is developing a next-generation protease inhibitor discovered within the Enanta-AbbVie collaboration. EDP-239 is the NS5A inhibitor discovered by the Company. The Company also has a program to develop nucleotide inhibitors to HCV NS5B polymerase, which is another DAA mechanism considered to have a barrier to resistance. The Company's Bicyclolide antibiotic product candidate is EDP-788, which it is developing for use as an intravenous drug in the hospital! setting and for oral dosing in the home setting. EDP-788 is a prodrug, which means that it is inactive until it is converted in the body into an active compound. EDP-788 is! a water-soluble molecule which, when administered in preclinical models, is cleanly and rapidly converted into the active compound.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  The fundamentals of the biotech industry appear strong as measured by a robust list of ongoing and expected product launches. Large-cap biotech companies under our coverage (Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Amgen, Celgene, Gilead, Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX)) all have ongoing or anticipated product launches in 2015. These launches…AbbVie (ABBV) / Enanta Pharmaceuticals (ENTA) Viekirax + Exviera for hepatitis C…Other high-visibility launches include the expected launches of PCSK9 antibodies, evolocumab from Amgen and alirocumab from Sanofi (SNY) / Regeneron (REGN) for high cholesterol, anticipated in 3Q:15. Although the expectation is for a slow ramp-up until cardiovascular outcome data (no later than 2017), the market is large enough to allow fast launches. For Celgene, Gilead, Medivation (MDVN) and Vertex, the launches are for their most important products; therefore the progress of the launches will be particularly important to watch.

• [By George Budwell]

  Normally, such strong efficacy results would be hailed as a major achievement. However, these results are actually less impressive than those by competing drug's developed by AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV  ) , Enanta Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ENTA  ) and Gilead. Bristol-Myers' therapy also has a treatment duration double that of Gilead's drug Sovaldi for genotype 1 patients. So, while these results are impressive in their own right, the therapy's commercial prospects may be limited due to the presence of superior competitors in the market. 

• [By Sean Williams]

  The next big thing in treating hepatitis-C
  The o! ther curr! ently experimental therapy very likely to make it onto the FDA's desk before the midpoint of 2014 is AbbVie's (NYSE: ABBV  ) direct-acting antiviral combo drug. In similar fashion to Sovaldi, this DAA-combo therapy, which includes ABT-450 from Enanta Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ENTA  ) , is running six confirmatory late-stage trials on various genotypes. There are, however, two primary differences between AbbVie's DAA-combo therapy and Sovaldi.

• [By James Fink]

  And lastly I'll go into healthcare, which is kind of a growth cyclical type name. It's partially defensive, partially growth. I think the more growth-oriented section of healthcare would be biotech, and right now, a very promising biotech stock is Enanta Pharmaceuticals. That's a NASDAQ stock; ticker symbol (ENTA).

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-high-tech-stocks-to-buy-for-2016.html