Monday’s Top Biotech & Medical Stocks
by H.S. Ayoub
BioHealth Investor
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Biotechnology
ACORDA THERAPEUTICS [ACOR] +25.25%
TRANSDEL PHARMACTL [TDLP.OB] +17.47%
BIODELIVERY SCI INTL [BDSI] +14.52%
MEDIVATION INC [MDVN] +12.46%
I G I INC [IG] +8.97%
Diagnostic Substances
IMMUCELL CP [ICCC] +9.66%
ICAGEN, INC. [ICGN] +7.80%
IMMUNOMEDICS INC [IMMU] +7.58%
ISTA PHARMACTLS [ISTA] +7.20%
INTERLEUKIN GENETICS [ILI] +6.80%
Drug Delivery
EMISPHERE TECH [EMIS] +19.00%
DELCATH SYSTEMS INC [DCTH] +13.50%
PENWEST PHARM CO [PPCO] +11.88%
NEKTAR THERAPEUTIC [NKTR] +2.88%
BENTLEY PHARMACEUTIC [BNT] +2.84%
Drug Manufacturers
GAMMA PHARMACEUTICAL [GMPM.OB] +20.45%
AMARIN CORP ADS NEW [AMRND] +14.16%
MIDDLEBROOK PHARMACL [MBRK] +12.73%
SOMAXON PHARMACEUTIC [SOMX] +9.93%
ARYX THERAPEUTICS, I [ARYX] +9.86%
Drug Related Products
LABOPHARM INC. [DDSS] +33.58%
N B T Y INC [NTY] +8.17%
AUXILIUM PHARMACEUT [AUXL] +3.26%
MANNATECH INC [MTEX] +2.73%
SCHIFF NUTRIT INTL [WNI] +0.92%
Generic Drugs
HI-TECH PHARMACAL [HITK] +2.13%
BARR PHARMA INC [BRL] +1.30%
PHARMACUTICAL CO [PRX] +1.12%
MYLAN INC [MYL] +0.55%
WATSON PHARMACEUTCLS [WPI] +0.11%
Medical Appliances & Equipment
ARRHYTHMIA RES TECH [HRT] +18.29%
IVIVI TECHNOLOGIES, [IVVI] +7.54%
CUTERA, INC. [CUTR] +6.10%
SOMANETICS CORP [SMTS] +5.72%
IRIDEX CP [IRIX] +5.25%
Medical Instruments & Supplies
STEN CORPORATION [STEN] +33.61%
VICOR TECHNOLOGIES [VCRT.OB] +28.57%
ELECTRO-OPTICAL SCIE [MELA] +12.56%
TRANS1 INC. [TSON] +11.72%
VELCERA, INC. [VLCR.OB] +10.00%
Medical Laboratories & Research
BIO-IMAGING TECH [BITI] +7.12%
PHARM PROD DEV [PPDI] +1.97%
GENOPTIX, INC. [GXDX] +1.83%
ALLIANCE IMAGING INC [AIQ] +1.67%
MEDTOX SCIENTFIC INC [MTOX] +1.43%
- Friday’s Top Biotech & Medical Stocks
- Thursday’s Top Biotech & Medical Stocks
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The Tragedy of Nitromed
by Michael Shulman
BiotechBlitz
Skip this today if you are looking for investment ideas – I am venting today.
Two days ago I sat on a set of Fox Business Channel in Washington and was to be part of a discussion that never happened – and before I was to be on I listened to bumped as Magic Johnson and the president of Aetna (AET), Ronald Williams. It was a puff piece about some community health initiative targeting African Americans and as I listened to it I longed to be able to cut into this discussion – and cut these two frauds into pieces.
What does this have to do with disintegrating Nitromed (NTMD) — the company is laying off most of its employees and throwing in the toweltrying to market its drug BiDil. In 2005 the company got FDA approval for the first ever drug targeted at an ethnic group – African Americans with heart disease. The drug, BiDil, was no me too drug – it was a resounding success in clinical trials. Called the A-HeFT trial, this was a typical double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The trial was co-sponsored by the Association of Black Cardiologists — the right … no, the perfect group of influencers for this drug. More than a thousand patients were in the trial, which was abruptly halted in July 2004 on the recommendation of the independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board and the steering committee for the trial. Why? Were there problems? Did the molecules get stuck somewhere? No — long before the trial was scheduled to end, there were 43% fewer deaths and 39% fewer hospitalizations in the group receiving BiDil than the group taking a placebo. It was considered unethical to keep the placebo group on trial, so they were immediately switched to the real thing.
A hit you say? The drug has failed in the marketplace for a variety of reasons, one being the incompetence of the company in getting the right copayments from companies like Aetna and Medicare. And the lack of political support and pressure from public figures such as Magic Johnson, a man kept alive the last 16 years by HIV drugs – he, more than most, should understand the value of access to life saving drugs.
I asked a former CEO of Nitromed why they did not explicitly take the political route to get better co pays form Medicare and other payors – these are important because 80% of the target population has insurance. He shrugged as if embarrassed – remember, even morons get to be CEOs occasionally. And where are the members of the Congressional Black Caucus? Or the professional race baiters like Al Sharpton?
So, thousands of African Americans – oh, to hell with their heritage – thousands of my fellow citizens die needlessly every year because a drug that would help or save them is either unavailable to too expensive. Probably more needless deaths from heart disease since the drug was approved than have died in Iraq.
OK, I have vented. By the way, Ronald Williams of Aetna (AET) is African American. Ron, go home and explain to your kids how your company reimburses for BiDil.
BiotechBlitz is a regular contributor to BioHealth Investor
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Friday’s Top Biotech & Medical Stocks
by H.S. Ayoub
BioHealth Investor
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Biotechnology
GENETIC TECH SPON [GENE] +21.21%
COMBINATORX [CRXX] +17.31%
METABASIS THERAPEUTI [MBRX] +15.15%
TARGANTA THERAPEUTIC [TARG] +14.91%
TRUBION PHARMACEUTIC [TRBN] +13.30%
Diagnostic Substances
IMARX THERAPEUTICS [IMRX] +7.10%
ISTA PHARMACTLS [ISTA] +4.60%
AVIGEN INC [AVGN] +4.00%
IMMUCOR INC [BLUD] +2.71%
SCOLR PHARMA INC [DDD] +2.59%
Drug Delivery
DELCATH SYSTEMS INC [DCTH] +31.46%
QUIGLEY CORP THE [QGLY] +11.83%
ULURU INC [ULU] +5.70%
FLAMEL TECH SA ADR [FLML] +2.63%
COLUMBIA LABS INC [CBRX] +1.47%
Drug Manufacturers
LANNETT COMPANY INC [LCI] +16.13%
AMARIN CORP ADS NEW [AMRND] +15.90%
MARSHALL EDWARDS [MSHL] +9.69%
PRANA BIO LTD ADS S1 [PRAN] +5.96%
PHARMAXIS LTD ADR [PXSL] +5.63%
Drug Related Products
LABOPHARM INC. [DDSS] +14.53%
USANA HEALTH SCIEN [USNA] +3.41%
N B T Y INC [NTY] +2.42%
NUTRACEUTICAL INTL [NUTR] +2.03%
AUXILIUM PHARMACEUT [AUXL] +1.39%
Generic Drugs
CATALYST PHARMACEUTI [CPRX] +4.59%
CARACO PHARMA LABS [CPD] +1.70%
Medical Appliances & Equipment
MB SOFTWARE CORP [MBSB.OB] +32.00%
ARRHYTHMIA RES TECH [HRT] +16.96%
LANGER INC [GAIT] +15.79%
LECTEC CORP [LECT.OB] +14.29%
CELSION CORP [CLN] +12.12%
Medical Instruments & Supplies
PERKIN ELMER INC [PKI] +17.53%
NMT MEDICAL INC [NMTI] +12.73%
PROTHERICS PLC ADR [PTIL] +12.09%
ROCHESTER MEDICAL [ROCM] +9.13%
DEXCOM [DXCM] +9.08%
Medical Laboratories & Research
ERESEARCHTECHNOLOG [ERES] +3.48%
GENOPTIX, INC. [GXDX] +2.79%
BIO-IMAGING TECH [BITI] +2.38%
INSIGHT HLTH SVC HLD [ISGT.OB] +1.64%
PSYCHEMEDICS NEW [PMD] +0.51%
- Thursday’s Top Biotech & Medical Stocks
- Wednesday’s Top Biotech & Medical Stocks
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Image gently, or when the diagnostic is worse than the disease
by David E. Williams
Health business blog
From the time I was little I had an awareness of the potential dangers of medical X-rays. My mom was always careful to limit the number and frequency of dental x-rays she let us have, and luckily we rarely needed X-rays for anything else. Her concern was probably based on scientific awareness coupled with regret from playing with fluoroscopes in shoe-stores in the 1950s. I’m sure it also had something to do with the fact that a relative whom we saw a couple of times a year had a developmentally disabled daughter, most likely having something to do with working as an x-ray technician in the 1950s while pregnant.
So with the rise of imaging, especially high-radiation CT scanners, I’ve written about the possible dangers (see Saying no to CT). It’s shocking to me the number of CT scans that individuals receive, in some cases approaching or exceeding the radiation exposure from survivors of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
I’m glad to see that the Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging has announced an “image gently” campaign, designed to educate radiologists, technologists, medical physicists and parents to minimize radiation dose in children. They have an excellent website, which I recommend. See for example, the section for parents, which advises on how to be an advocate for your child. Even if you are shy about taking an active role in your own care, I urge you to do so when it comes to your kids.
The site lists five steps that radiologists should take to improve care:
1. Increase awareness for the need to decrease radiation dose to children during CT scanning. Protocol development recommendations are offered under What can I do? or directly here.2. Be committed to make a change in your daily practice by working as a team with your technologists, physicist, referring doctors and parents to decrease the radiation dose! Sign the pledge! Click on the link on the home page to join the image gently campaign today.
3. Contact your physicist to review your adult CT protocols and then use the simple CT protocols on this website to “down-size” the protocols for kids. More is not better….adult size KV and mAs are not necessary for small bodies.
4. Single phase scans are usually adequate. Pre- and post contrast, and delayed CT scans rarely add additional information in children yet can double or triple the dose! Consider removing multi-phase scans from your daily protocols.
5. Scan only the indicated area. If a patient has a possible dermoid on ultrasound, there is rarely need to scan the entire abdomen and pelvis. “Child-size” the scan and only scan the area required to obtain the necessary information.
Imaging is expensive and growing rapidly. My guess is that CT utilization could be better controlled if patients had a better awareness of what’s involved.
Health Business Blog is a regular contributor to BioHealth Investor
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PPD Opens Central Lab Services Unit in Beijing
by Richard Daverman, PhD
ChinaBio Today
PPD, Inc. (PPDI), a $5.3 billion CRO headquartered in Wilmington, NC, will expand its presence in China, opening a global central lab services unit in Beijing in conjunction with Peking Union Lawke Biomedical Development Limited (PUL).
Presently, PPD has central labs in Brussels, Belgium, and Highland Heights, KY. The Beijing lab is closely coordinated with these two facilities and will offer the same services.
The goal of the Beijing lab is to serve clients in China, rather than to provide low-cost outsourcing to Western biopharmas. This point was implied by Agostino L. Fede, Ph.D., senior vice president of PPD and head of PPD’s global central labs in a statement: “Chinese law makes it extremely difficult to export lab samples to other countries for testing,” he said.
To facilitate setup of the lab, PPD established a relationship with PUL, investing in laboratory equipment that is installed in PUL’s facility in the Beijing Zhong Guan Cun Life Sciences Park in Beijing. Because the equipment in Beijing has been cross validated and calibrated with PPD’s existing equipment, all lab data is combinable, no matter which lab produced it. When not being used for PPD work, PUL has the option to use the equipment for its own experiments.
The lab will be led by Jian Ho, M.D., Ph.D., medical director at PUL. PPD will lead project management and investigator services and help clients with study setup. PUL will conduct chemistry, hematology, urinalysis and hemoglobin A1c tests to support PPD’s clinical trials business in China.
In October 2007, PPD realigned the organization of its CRO services, establishing for the first time a vice president of clinical operation for Asia. Simon J. Britton was named as the first person to the post. Previous to the new central lab, PPD had opened facilities in Beijing and Hong Kong, plus India, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Indonesia.
PPD has offices in 30 countries and more than 10,000 professionals worldwide. In the last 12 months, PPD reported earnings of $163 million on revenues of $1.3 billion.
ChinaBio Today is a regular contributor to BioHealth Investor
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Thursday’s Top Biotech & Medical Stocks
by H.S. Ayoub
BioHealth Investor
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Biotechnology
METABASIS THERAPEUTI [MBRX] +17.86%
CYTRX CP [CYTR] +17.49%
ALFACELL CORP [ACEL] +15.45%
ATHERSYS INC [ATHX] +15.29%
GTC BIOTHERAP INC [GTCB] +12.87%
Diagnostic Substances
SCOLR PHARMA INC [DDD] +8.41%
HUMAN GENOME SCI [HGSI] +7.29%
MONOGRAM BIOSCIENCES [MGRM] +5.74%
RESPONSE GENETICS, I [RGDX] +5.43%
EPICEPT CORPORATION [EPCT] +3.25%
Drug Delivery
MATRIXX INITIATVS [MTXX] +9.78%
ACURA PHARMACEUTICAL [ACPH.OB] +3.20%
NEKTAR THERAPEUTIC [NKTR] +2.54%
BIOVAIL CORP [BVF] +2.22%
PENWEST PHARM CO [PPCO] +1.89%
Drug Manufacturers
MIDDLEBROOK PHARMACL [MBRK] +139.20%
GENTIUM SPA ADS [GENT] +15.08%
AMARIN CORP ADS NEW [AMRND] +7.73%
SOMAXON PHARMACEUTIC [SOMX] +5.48%
PRANA BIO LTD ADS S1 [PRAN] +5.18%
Drug Related Products
CHINA SHENGHUO PHARM [KUN] +10.25%
MANNATECH INC [MTEX] +5.20%
USANA HEALTH SCIEN [USNA] +4.86%
INTEGRATED BIOPHARMA [INBP] +4.20%
TIENS BIOTECH GR USA [TBV] +2.70%
Generic Drugs
WATSON PHARMACEUTCLS [WPI] +4.20%
CARACO PHARMA LABS [CPD] +0.06%
Medical Appliances & Equipment
MEDICALCV INC [MCVI.OB] +21.95%
PATIENT SAFETY TECH [PSTX.OB] +14.29%
IVIVI TECHNOLOGIES, [IVVI] +10.43%
VARIAN MED SYS INC [VAR] +9.10%
CANDELA CP [CLZR] +9.03%
Medical Instruments & Supplies
ABIOMED INC [ABMD] +12.89%
ROCHESTER MEDICAL [ROCM] +11.70%
CPC OF AMERICA INC [CPCF.OB] +10.00%
ELECTRO-OPTICAL SCIE [MELA] +8.86%
BIOLASE TECH INCS3 [BLTI] +8.74%
Medical Laboratories & Research
SPHERIX INC [SPEX] +16.22%
RADNET INC [RDNT] +4.79%
NEOGENOMICS INC [NGNM.OB] +4.55%
MEDTOX SCIENTFIC INC [MTOX] +2.14%
PSYCHEMEDICS NEW [PMD] +1.17%
- Wednesday’s Top Biotech & Medical Stocks
- Tuesday’s Top Biotech & Medical Stocks
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Hep C Developments Lead Biotechs Down
by H.S. Ayoub, DMD
BioHealth Investor
The Dow Jones was down by 450 points early Wednesday before finishing the day up by almost 300 points in a second wild trading session in a row since the Fed cut rates by 75 points early Monday. Nasdaq also gained big rising more than 1%.
But the major biotech indices did not follow along as the Amex Biotech Index (BTK), heavy with large cap biotechs, lossed more than 2%, while the Nasdaq Biotech Index (NBI) slipped 0.30%.
Leading biotechs downward was Human Genome Sciences (HGSI), whose stock lossed more than 40% on the day following a press release by the company announcing that it will have to lower the dosing of its experimental hepatitis C drug Albuferon currently in phase 3 clinical trials, due to serious lung-related adverse events. The stock closed the regular session at $5.62, down $4.40.
Coincindentally, Vertex Pharma (VRTX) finished the day down more than 10% as the company’s own hepatitis C experimental drug will be tested in further trials, as the previously announced clinical data in November had mixed results. This 10% drop added to the stock’s decline since November leading to a 2-year low of under $20 a share as analysts were expecting the initiation of new trials. New FDA filings for the drug are now expected by 2010. Shares closed at $20.02.
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___________________
Wednesday’s Top Biotech & Medical Stocks
by H.S. Ayoub
BioHealth Investor
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Biotechnology
OPEXA THERAPEUTICS [OPXA] +63.03%
HEMOBIOTECH INC [HMBT.OB] +16.36%
IMMTECH PHARM INC [IMM] +14.69%
KOSAN BIOSCIENCES [KOSN] +14.64%
CYTRX CP [CYTR] +14.38%
Diagnostic Substances
ASPENBIO PHARMA INC [APPY] +7.92%
IMARX THERAPEUTICS [IMRX] +6.21%
IMMUNOMEDICS INC [IMMU] +4.37%
MONOGRAM BIOSCIENCES [MGRM] +4.27%
SCOLR PHARMA INC [DDD] +3.88%
Drug Delivery
MATRIXX INITIATVS [MTXX] +5.23%
NEKTAR THERAPEUTIC [NKTR] +2.90%
BIOVAIL CORP [BVF] +2.36%
GENEREX BIOTECH CORP [GNBT] +0.73%
PETMED EXPRESS INC [PETS] +0.30%
Drug Manufacturers
ACCESS PHARMACEUTICL [ACCP.OB] +26.09%
NEUROGEN CP [NRGN] +18.01%
NOVOGEN LTD ADS [NVGN] +12.60%
TELIK INC [TELK] +8.36%
DURECT CORP [DRRX] +8.25%
Drug Related Products
CURATECH INDUSTRIES [CUTC.OB] +17.86%
MANNATECH INC [MTEX] +5.70%
PRESTIGE BRAND HLGS [PBH] +4.87%
TIENS BIOTECH GR USA [TBV] +4.72%
INTEGRATED BIOPHARMA [INBP] +3.62%
Generic Drugs
CARACO PHARMA LABS [CPD] +0.44%
Medical Appliances & Equipment
CYTOCORE INC [CYOE.OB] +26.94%
MB SOFTWARE CORP [MBSB.OB] +16.67%
IRIDEX CP [IRIX] +15.47%
SOMANETICS CORP [SMTS] +12.88%
SONIC INNOVATIONS [SNCI] +8.92%
Medical Instruments & Supplies
ISORAY INC [ISR] +17.09%
EP MEDSYSTEMS INC [EPMD] +12.99%
MEDPRO SAFETY PD [MPSP.OB] +10.00%
ENCISION INC [ECI] +8.79%
SENORX, INC. [SENO] +7.68%
Medical Laboratories & Research
ENZO BIOCHEM INC [ENZ] +5.02%
AETERNA ZENTARIS [AEZS] +4.49%
NEOGENOMICS INC [NGNM.OB] +3.77%
ALLIANCE IMAGING INC [AIQ] +2.25%
BIO-REFERENCE LAB [BRLI] +1.91%
- Tuesday’s Top Biotech & Medical Stocks
- Friday’s Top Biotech & Medical Stocks
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Nanomaterial Coatings Help Drugs Bypass Bodily Defenses
by Doug Cress
Med Tech Sentinel
A new study published in the January issue of ACS Nano offers insight into cutting edge world of drug delivery research. In the study, UCLA and Northwestern University researchers used nanoscale polymer film coatings to circumvent typical bodily defenses while delivering a drug payload.
An inert nanoscale polymer film (‘orders of magnitude thinner’ than conventional drug deliver coatings, say researchers) was used to coat sandwich-like chips which held the anti-inflammatory drug Dexamethasone.
The film was designed to ‘hide’ the chips from the body’s natural defenses.
In experiments with lab mice, coated chips suppressed the expression of cytokines, proteins released by the body during an immune system response. Uncoated implants generated an inflammatory response in the tissue surrounding the implant.
The nanomaterial coating shielded the implant from bodily defenses so effectively that tissue in the mice with no implants was virtually identical to that of mice with coated implants.
Such technology might be particularly applicable to surgically implanted devices like cardiac stents or pacemakers to avoid inflammation and redundant surgeries. Said Dean Ho, the study’s senior author,
“As implantable devices continue to find widespread application in cardiovascular medicine, neural disorders and diabetes, the nano-cloaking capabilities can serve as a widely applicable approach to enhance the lifetime of these devices. The nanomaterial technology serves as a non-invasive and biocompatible platform for the delivery of a broad range of therapeutics.”
Because of their size, nanowires and other nanomaterials hold promise in future drug delivery systems. Nanomaterials can penetrate tumors more easily and could be coated with antibodies or other materials that selectively target cells while avoiding others.
An article published in a September issue of ACS Nano reported the development of a protein coating that could turn nanowires into a drug delivery system. Gregory Bohach, David McIlroy, and Carolyn Hovde used of the coating to enable silica nanowires to enter cultured human cells and deliver a lethal dose of toxin.
The researchers report nanowires coated with the protein fibronectin penetrate cells more easily than uncoated nanowires. In experiments with human and animal cells, they showed that coated nanowires can enter and deliver a toxic agent called StxA1 that killed the cells.
Med Tech Sentinel is a regular contributor to BioHealth Investor
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Tuesday’s Top Biotech & Medical Stocks
by H.S. Ayoub
BioHealth Investor
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Biotechnology
CARDIUM THERAPEUTICS [CXM] +10.61%
MICROMET INC [MITI] +10.59%
GTX, INC. [GTXI] +6.72%
GPC BIOTECH AG [GPCB] +6.09%
ARTES MEDICAL, INC. [ARTE] +4.78%
Diagnostic Substances
IMARX THERAPEUTICS [IMRX] +12.40%
MERIDIAN BIOSCIENC [VIVO] +3.94%
ROSETTA GENOMICS LTD [ROSG] +2.83%
RESPONSE GENETICS, I [RGDX] +2.71%
PRESSURE BIOSCIENC [PBIO] +1.87%
Drug Delivery
PETMED EXPRESS INC [PETS] +21.24%
COLUMBIA LABS INC [CBRX] +1.91%
Drug Manufacturers
ADOLOR CORP [ADLR] +8.00%
COLLAGENEX PHARM I [CGPI] +6.00%
NEURO-HITECH INC [NHPI] +4.00%
KING PHARMACEUTICALS [KG] +3.74%
KERYX BIOPHARM INC [KERX] +2.18%
Drug Related Products
N B T Y INC [NTY] +4.11%
USANA HEALTH SCIEN [USNA] +1.15%
ARGAN INC [AGX] +0.18%
Generic Drugs
BARR PHARMA INC [BRL] +0.97%
Medical Appliances & Equipment
BIOFORM MEDICAL, INC [BFRM] +9.64%
PATIENT SAFETY TECH [PSTX.OB] +5.22%
CYTOCORE INC [CYOE.OB] +4.26%
ARTHROCARE CP [ARTC] +4.00%
ENDOCARE INC [ENDO] +3.28%
Medical Instruments & Supplies
OCULUS INNOVATIVE SC [OCLS] +4.38%
VENTANA MED SYSTEM [VMSI] +4.35%
BIOMERICA INC [BMRA.OB] +4.17%
BIOSPHERE MEDICAL [BSMD] +3.52%
CRYOCOR, INC. [CRYO] +3.20%
Medical Laboratories & Research
MEDTOX SCIENTFIC INC [MTOX] +2.41%
BIO-IMAGING TECH [BITI] +0.52%
- Friday’s Top Biotech & Medical Stocks
- Thursday’s Top Biotech & Medical Stocks
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