5 Top Biotech Stories of 2017

The biotech industry provided investors with new possibilities in terms of opportunities and exciting developments all year long.
The rise of personalized medicine, what companies improved their portfolios during 2017 and the work that gets put into regulatory applications constitute some of the stories that INN covered throughout the year.
Below, INN takes a look back at the five most-read biotech stories of the year. Scroll below to take a quick look at the stories that caught the attention of our investor audience during 2017.

1. Emerging Biotech Companies at Cantech 2017

Early in the year INN wrote on the details from the “Undervalued Emerging Biotech Companies Developing Breakthrough Therapies” panel at the Cantech Investment Conference 2017.
“Every entrepreneur and innovator in this room understands that there are much easier ways to make money than by spending a decade trying to develop a drug against Goliath competitors and then having uncertainty at the end of the road. But today, we have assembled a group of individuals that have actually pursued that path,” said Eden Rahim, Portfolio Manager of Next Edge Capital.

2. Titan Medical to Compete in Rapidly Growing Robotic Surgery Market, says CEO David McNally

INN spoke with David McNally, CEO of Titan Medical (TSX:TMD; OTCQB:TITXF) on the development of surgical robotics in the industry and the company’s progress.
“From an investment perspective, Titan Medical seeks to compete in a rapidly growing and very large robotic surgery market as confirmed by independent market research firms. Based on our evolving intellectual property portfolio, we believe that we are establishing a defensible position from a technology perspective,” McNally told INN.

3. RepliCel’s Electronic Injector One Step Closer To Market

Early in March INN took a closer look at the progress of RepliCel Life Sciences (TSXV:RP; OTCQB:REPCF) at the time on their medical device dermal injector prototype. The company wants this device to complement their novel cell therapies.
“With our first functional prototypes scheduled for this summer, we continue to work toward having this device ready for a CE mark application and in the hands of a licensing and commercial partner next year,” said RepliCel President and CEO Lee Buckler in a statement.

4. Paul Gudonis, CEO of Myomo, Talks IPO Launch and its MyoPro International Potential

INN caught up with Paul Gudonis, the CEO of Myomo (NYSE:MYO). At the time the company was preparing for the launch of their public stock and working on the development of their MyoPro robotic arm looking to support an unmet need.
“In the United States alone there are one percent (three million people) of the population that has some type of upper limb impediment due to a stroke, a spinal cord injury, MLS, ALS, traumatic brain injury, peripheral nerve injuries.  Our addressable market includes approximately 25 percent of those incidents as well as the 350,000 new incidents that occur each year,” Gudonis told INN.

5. Small Cap Biotech and Analyst Stock Picks

Hartaj Singh, Oppenheimer & Co. senior analyst and managing director in the biotech sector talked with INN about the potential for the biotech market in 2017. This article was actually the second part of INN’s interview with Singh.
“The thing with [the biotech industry] is, once you take the time and you develop that drug, then for the life of the patent it’s an annuity stream. It’s a very fast growing annuity stream that drops very rapidly to the bottom line. So which is why I tell people that I’m not going to waste your time by telling you how to invest in small-cap biotech because it would be a waste of your time. Unless you want to become a sell-side analyst or get a PhD or an MD in it. What I tell them is buy the index, the worst that you can do is what I’m just against, that’s the worst you can do,” Singh told INN.
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This is an updated version of an article first published on the Investing News Network in 2015.
Securities Disclosure: I, Bryan Mc Govern, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.