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Pharmaceutical industry

Xtremepicks.com Alerts for Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Xtremepicks.com, a leading resource for evaluating investment opportunities in small and microcap stocks, has profiled several companies in its alert for Tuesday, June 30, 2009. Geron Corporation (Nasdaq:GERN), Vical Incorporated (Nasdaq:VICL), XenoPort, Inc. (Nasdaq:XNPT), Compugen Ltd. (NASDAQ:CGEN), and Halifax Corporation of Virginia (NYSE Amex: HX) were among the companies highlighted in the alert.

Geron Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing first-in-class therapeutic products for cancer and chronic degenerative diseases, has entered into a global exclusive license and alliance agreement with GE Healthcare to develop and commercialize cellular assay products derived from human embryonic stem cells. The agreement will utilize stem cells from the NIH Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Registry.

Vical Incorporated, a company researching and developing biopharmaceutical products based on its patented DNA delivery technologies, announced that its vaccine against A/H1N1 pandemic influenza (swine flu) has produced robust immune responses well above the accepted protection threshold in 100% of vaccinated mice and rabbits after a standard two-dose vaccine regimen. The company is ready to advance to large-scale cGMP manufacturing of the vaccine for human clinical trials, subject to securing external funding.

XenoPort, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing a portfolio of internally discovered product candidates that utilize the body's natural nutrient transport mechanisms to improve the therapeutic benefits of existing drugs, announced positive preliminary results from a Phase 2 clinical trial of arbaclofen placarbil (AP) for the treatment of patients with spasticity due to spinal cord injury (SCI).

Compugen Ltd., a leading drug and diagnostic product candidate discovery company, received approximately $3.6 million from the private sale of 1,000,000 Evogene shares to a single purchaser. The funds will be used for general corporate purposes through mid-2010.

Halifax Corporation of Virginia, an enterprise logistics and maintenance solutions company, announced its financial results for the quarter and fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, with revenues of $34.0 million compared to $43.9 million for the prior year.

Key Takeaways:

  • Geron Corporation has entered into a global exclusive license and alliance agreement with GE Healthcare to develop and commercialize cellular assay products derived from human embryonic stem cells.
  • Vical Incorporated's vaccine against A/H1N1 pandemic influenza (swine flu) produced robust immune responses in 100% of vaccinated mice and rabbits.
  • XenoPort, Inc.'s arbaclofen placarbil (AP) demonstrated statistically significant improvements compared to placebo for the primary endpoint in a Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of patients with spasticity due to spinal cord injury (SCI).
  • Compugen Ltd. received approximately $3.6 million from the private sale of 1,000,000 Evogene shares to a single purchaser.
  • Halifax Corporation of Virginia's revenues decreased to $34.0 million in fiscal year 2009 compared to $43.9 million in the prior year due to the termination of certain large nation-wide enterprise maintenance contracts.

Statistics:

  • Geron Corporation's stock opened Tuesday at $7.73 per share on trading volume of 12,590,000 shares.
  • Vical Incorporated's stock opened Tuesday at $2.74 per share on trading volume of 5,410,000 shares.
  • XenoPort, Inc.'s stock opened Tuesday at $21.85 per share on trading volume of 244,263 shares.
  • Compugen Ltd.'s stock opened Tuesday at $2.10 per share on trading volume of 452,014 shares.
  • Halifax Corporation of Virginia's stock opened Tuesday at $1.00 per share on trading volume of 188,950 shares.
  • Vical Incorporated's vaccine produced robust immune responses in 100% of vaccinated mice and rabbits.
  • XenoPort, Inc.'s arbaclofen placarbil (AP) demonstrated statistically significant improvements compared to placebo for the primary endpoint in a Phase 2 clinical trial.

Sources:

  • Xtremepicks.com: www.Xtremepicks.com
  • Geron Corporation: www.geron.com
  • Vical Incorporated: www.vical.com
  • XenoPort, Inc.: www.XenoPort.com
  • Compugen Ltd.: www.cgen.com
  • Halifax Corporation of Virginia: www.hxcorp.com

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