Biogen Idec (BIIB): Successful biotechnology practitioner

Biotechnology firms are judged on the basis of how successful they are at shepherding drug candidates through the clinical trial/regulatory approval process. With several approved formulations and more than twenty products currently in clinical development, there is a Cambridge, Massachusetts outfit that ranks with the best.

Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) specializes in drugs for neurological disorders, autoimmune disorders and cancer. Products include multiple sclerosis treatments Avonex and Tysabri; psoriasis drug Fumaderm; cancer radioimmunotherapy Zevalin; and Rituxan, a cancer formulation developed with Genentech (NYSE: DNA). The company was formed in 2003, by the merger of Biogen and Idec Pharmaceuticals.

The firm pleased investors last week, when it affirmed expectations for full year EPS of $2.60-$2.70 and revenues of $3.12-$3.16 billion. Analysts had been looking for $2.68 and $3.13 billion. Management also said it expects to grow revenue by 15% each year from 2007 to 2010 and will increase earnings per share, before charges and expenses, by 20% annually for those years. The news kept BIIB shares cycling through a positive seven-week trading channel. The price is currently at the base of that channel, where oversold Stochastic and MACD technical parameters suggest the potential for a rise back toward the top.