Biotech Stocks March 7, 1999. Let me mention some biotech stocks that in a few years may prove to be a nice money maker for anyone who is able to put a few dollars into this type of market. This is not for the faint of heart. As in my earlier articles I mentioned that an investor should not be putting monies into something that may cause him to lose sleep over. But on the other side of the coin, this is where some of the biggest gains have been made and over night millionaires are still grinning about their windfall. Oh, I forgot to mention, that in order to make a lot of money, you have to invest a lot of money! Here are my picks for the long term (5 yr+) on biotech stocks. ICOS (ICOS): Price as of 3/5/99, $25.75. Icos could wind up taking four products to market in 2001. Pafase for pancreatitis is likely to be first, followed by LeukArrest for ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic shock, and IC351, the company's competitor to Viagra. Approval of LeukArrest for heart attacks and ICM3 for psoriasis could follow in 2002. That adds up to one of the best pipelines in the biotech industry. ISIS (ISIS): Price as of 3/5/99, $16.625. The company's trials for ISIS 2302 for Crohn's disease seems to be ahead of schedule. Phase 2 trials for ISIS 3521 and 5132 for cancer are likely to be wrapped up by the end of 1999. Isis had limited success in trials for treating rheumatoid arthritis with ISIS 2302, and has decided to move to a second generation compound of the drug that can be administered orally. Vertex (VRTX): Price as of 3/5/99, $25.625. Vertex should have its first product, Agenerase, on the market in the U.S., Europe, and Canada this year. Merrill Lynch estimates that this HIV drug could hit a peak of about $500 million in annual sales, enough to put the company in the black in 2002. Seven other potential drugs are in trials now, including VX-497 in phase 2 trials for hepatitis C, Incel in phase 2 trials for breast, prostate and lung cancers, and VX-853 on phase 1 and 2 trials for multi-drug resistant tumors. Microcide (MCDE): Price as of 3/5/99, $4.375. This company specializes in developing drugs that will kill bacteria that have developed resistance to existing antibiotics. That's a huge potential market as reports show that bacteria are increasingly immune to even the most powerful of the current generation of drugs. I like this company because it is very inexpensive and has a lot of potential. But don't take out a second mortgage to make a purchase. Biotech stocks are where your mad money should be invested. It would be a good idea to buy small quantities of each one instead of trying to make a killing in one particular stock. Biotech stocks are for the long term and are risky for the average investor, but the potential is tremendous. George

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