Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images WASHINGTON -- U.S. consumer prices rose marginally in February, but the lack of inflation pressures will probably not dissuade the Federal Reserve from dialing back its monetary stimulus. The Labor Department said Tuesday its consumer price index nudged up 0.1 percent as a decline in gasoline prices offset an increase in the cost of food. The CPI had ticked up 0.1 percent in January and last month's gain was in line with economists' expectations. In the 12 months through February, consumer prices increased 1.1 percent, slowing from a 1.6 percent rise in January. The February increase was the smallest rise since October last year. Stripping out the volatile energy and food components, the so-called core CPI also rose 0.1 percent for a third straight month. In the 12 months through February, core CPI rose 1.6 percent after rising by the same margin in January. Consumer inflation is running below the Fed's 2 percent target, which suggests interest rates will probably remain near record low levels even as the U.S. central bank cuts back on the amount of money it is injecting into the economy each month. With job growth accelerating and industrial production and consumer spending strengthening, economists expect the Fed to announce another $10 billion reduction to its monthly bond purchases when policymakers end a two-day meeting on Wednesday. Last month, food prices rose 0.4 percent, the largest increase since September 2011. That accounted for more than half of the increase in the CPI last month. There were big increases in the prices of meat, fish, poultry, eggs, vegetables and fruits. Gasoline prices declined for a second month, helping to offset sharp gains in the price of heating oil and natural gas. Within the core CPI, a 0.2 percent rise in the cost of shelter was the major contributor for the rise in the index. There were also increases in medical care, recreation and new vehicle prices. Prices for tobacco, used cars and trucks, apparel and household furnishings and operations fell.
Top Tech Companies To Buy For 2016: Antares Pharma Inc (ATRS)
Antares Pharma, Inc. (Antares) is a pharma company that focuses on self-injection pharmaceutical products and technologies and topical gel-based products. The Company�� subcutaneous and intramuscular injection technology platforms include Vibex disposable pressure-assisted auto injectors, Vision reusable needle-free injectors, and disposable multi-use pen injectors. In the injector area, it has licensed its reusable needle-free injection device for use with human growth hormone (hGH) to Teva, Ferring Pharmaceuticals BV (Ferring) and JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. (JCR), with Teva and Ferring being its two primary customers. The Company has also licensed both disposable auto and pen injection devices to Teva for use in certain fields and territories and is engaged in product development activities for Teva utilizing these devices.
In the gel-based area, it received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in December 2011 for its oxybutynin gel 3% product, Anturol, for the treatment of overactive bladder. Antares also has a licensing agreement with Watson Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Watson) under which Watson will commercialize its topical oxybutynin gel 3% product in the United States and Canada. Its gel portfolio also includes Elestrin (estradiol gel) in the United States for the treatment of moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause. Antares has designed disposable, pressure assisted auto injector devices to address acute medical needs, such as allergic reactions, migraine headaches, acute pain, emesis and other daily therapies.
Pressure Assisted Injection Devices
The Company�� Pressure Assisted Injection Devices consists of three products: reusable needle-free injectors, disposable pressure assisted auto injectors and disposable pen injectors. Reusable needle-free injectors deliver precise medication doses through high-speed, pressurized liquid penetration of the skin without a needle. The injector employs a disposable pl! astic needle-free syringe, which offers liquid medication delivery through an opening that is approximately half the diameter of a standard, 30-gauge needle.
Disposable pressure assisted auto injectors is a technology of controlled pressure delivery of drugs into the body utilizing a spring power source. The Vibex is designed to provide fast subcutaneous or intramuscular injections of up to 0.5ml with minimal discomfort and improved convenience in conjunction with the enhanced safety of a shielded needle. Disposable pen injectors are needle-based devices designed to deliver multiple injections from multi-dose drug cartridges. The devices contain mechanisms that specify the dose to be delivered by defining the amount of movement by the stopper in the cartridge with each device actuation.
The Vision/Tjet has been sold for use in more than 30 countries to deliver either insulin or hGH. The product features a reusable, spring-based power source and disposable needle-free syringe, which acts as the pathway for the injectable drug through the skin and allows for viewing of the medication dose prior to injection. The product is also reusable, with each device designed to last for approximately 3,000 injections (or approximately two years) while the needle-free syringe, when used with insulin or hGH, is disposable after approximately one week when used by a single patient for injecting from multi-dose vials. The Vision/Tjet administers injectables by using a spring to push the active ingredient in solution or suspension through a micro-fine opening in the needle-free syringe. The opening is approximately half the diameter of a 30-gauge needle. The Vision/Tjet is primarily used in the United States, Europe, Asia and Japan.
Antares has designed disposable, pressure assisted auto injector devices to address acute medical needs, such as allergic reactions, migraine headaches, acute pain, emesis and other daily therapies. Its Vibex disposable product combines a low-energy, spr! ing-based! power source with a hidden needle, which delivers up to 0.5ml of the needed drug solution subcutaneously or intramuscularly. Antares is also developing a Vibex MTX auto injector for delivery of methotrexate for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. The Company�� multi use, disposable pen injector complements its portfolio of single-use pressure assisted auto injector devices. The disposable pen injector device is designed to deliver drugs by injection through needles from multi- dose cartridges. The disposable pen is in the stage of development where devices are being used in clinical evaluations.
Transdermal Products
The Company�� ATD system penetrates the skin to deliver a variety of treatments. The gels consist of a hydro-alcoholic base, including a combination of permeation enhancers. Products being developed/ commercialized include Anturol, Elestrin and Nestragel. Elestrin is a transdermal estradiol gel for the treatment of moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause. Its other injectable drugs that are presently self-administered and may be suitable for injection with its systems include therapies for the prevention of blood clots and treatments for multiple sclerosis, migraine headaches, inflammatory diseases, impotence, infertility, acquired immune deficiency symdrome (AIDS) and hepatitis.
The Company competes with Ypsomed AG, SHL Group AB, OwenMumford Ltd., West Pharmaceuticals, Becton Dickinson, Haselmeir GmbH, Elcam Medical, Vetter Pharma, Bioject Medical Technologies Inc., The Medical House PLC, Watson, Abbott, Eli Lilly, Auxillium, Inc., Endo Pharmaceuticals, Teva, Mylan, Roxane, Bedford Labs, APP Pharmaceuticals, Hospira, Pfizer, GSK/Astellas, Warner Chilcott and Allergan.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Keith Speights]
Antares Pharma (NASDAQ: ATRS ) announced its first-quarter results �Wednesday morning but failed to impress the market. Shares were down around 3% in midday trading. Here are the highlights from the company's results.
Hot Medical Companies To Watch In Right Now: Oramed Pharmaceuticals Inc (ORMP)
Oramed Pharmaceuticals Inc., incorporated on March 10, 2011, is a development-stage pharmaceutical company. The Company is engaged in the research and development of pharmaceutical solutions, including an orally ingestible insulin capsule or tablet to be used for the treatment of individuals with diabetes, use of orally ingestible capsules, tablets or pills for delivery of other polypeptides. The Company owns oral dosage form drug portfolio, it is, on an on-going basis, considering in-licensing and other means of obtaining additional technologies to complement and/or expand the product portfolio. The Company�� products include ORMD-0801 - Oral Insulin Capsule and ORMD-0901 - Oral Exenatide.
The Company focuses to conduct research and development on the technology covered by the patent application Methods and Composition for Oral Administration of Proteins. Through its research and development efforts, it focuses to develop an oral dosage form that will withstand the chemical environment of the stomach and intestines and will be effective in delivering active insulin for the treatment of diabetes. It intends to conduct the clinical trials to file an Investigational New Drug (IND), application with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It also focuses to conduct research and development by deploying its drug delivery technology for the delivery of other polypeptides in addition to insulin, and to develop other pharmaceutical products.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lisa Levin]
Oramed Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ORMP) shares moved up 15.68% to $17.85. The volume of Oramed Pharmaceuticals shares traded was 971% higher than normal. Oramed received patent allowance in Israel, Australia for platform technology in oral delivery of proteins.
- [By Lisa Levin]
Oramed Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ORMP) shares moved up 21.26% to $14.20. The volume of Oramed Pharmaceuticals shares traded was 621% higher than normal. Oramed shares have jumped 187.01% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 28.75% in the same period.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Oramed Pharmaceuticals (ORMP) has dropped 19% to $12.11 after the company said it would sell nearly 1.6 million shares of stock for $10 a share.
BP plc (BP) has fallen 0.7% to $47.24 after a U.S. judge refused its request to revise the way damages from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill are calculated.
Hot Medical Companies To Watch In Right Now: Tandem Diabetes Care Inc (TNDM)
Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc., incorporated on July 1, 2008, is a medical device company with an approach to the design, development and commercialization of products for people with insulin-dependent diabetes. The Company designed and commercialized its flagship product, the t:slim Insulin Delivery System, or t:slim, based on its technology platform and consumer-focused approach. Its technology platform features Micro-Delivery Technology, a miniaturized pumping mechanism, which draws insulin from a flexible bag within the pump�� cartridge rather than relying on a syringe and plunger mechanism. The Company also applies the science of human factors to its design and development process, which seeks to optimize its devices to the intended users, allowing users to successfully operate the devices in their intended environment.
The Company developed t:slim to offer the specific features that people with insulin-dependent diabetes seek in a next-generation insulin pump. The Company designed it to have the look and feel of a modern consumer electronic device, such as a smartphone. It is the insulin pump to feature a high resolution, color touchscreen. It is also the slimmest and smallest durable insulin pump on the market, and can easily and discreetly fit into a pocket, while still carrying a cartridge with 300 units of insulin.
The Company designed its flagship product, t:slim, to have the look and feel of a modern consumer electronic device, such as a smartphone. t:slim is the slimmest and smallest durable insulin pump on the market. With its narrow profile, which is similar to many smartphones, t:slim can easily and discreetly fit into a pocket. Its technology platform allows for the use of a vivid touchscreen and easy-to-navigate software architecture, which provide users simple access to the key functions of t:slim directly from the Home Screen. Insulin pump users can quickly learn how to efficiently navigate t:slim�� software, thereby enabling healthcare providers to spend! less time teaching a person how to use the pump and more time improving management of their diabetes. Its software also features numerous shortcuts, including a simple way to return to the Home Screen and view critical information for therapy management. Its technology is specifically designed to help prevent the unintentional delivery of insulin and reduce fear associated with using a pump.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Paul Ausick]
Insulin pump maker Tandem Diabetes Care Inc. (NASDAQ: TNDM) sold 8 million shares on Thursday at an IPO price of $15. The stock began trading at around $19 before closing about flat to the opening bid and then shooting up more than 13% on Friday to close at $21.84.
Hot Medical Companies To Watch In Right Now: Conmed Corp (CNMD)
CONMED Corporation (CONMED), incorporated on February 10, 1970, is a medical technology company/ The Company emphasizes on surgical devices and equipment for minimally invasive procedures and monitoring. The Company's products are used by surgeons and physicians in a range of specialties, including orthopedics, general surgery, gynecology, neurosurgery, and gastroenterology. The Company operates in five segments: CONMED Endoscopic Technologies, CONMED Endosurgery, CONMED Electrosurgery, CONMED Linvatec and CONMED Patient Care.
Arthroscopy
The Company offers a range of devices and products for uses in arthroscopic surgery. The Company's arthroscopy products include powered resection instruments, arthroscopes, reconstructive systems, tissue repair sets, metal and bioabsorbable implants as well as related disposable products and fluid management systems. The Company also offers a line of video Endoscopy products suitable for uses in multi-specialty clinical environments beyond orthopedic arthroscopy, including laparoscopy, ear, nose and throat (ENT), gynecology and urology, as well as integrated operating room systems and equipment.
Powered Surgical Instruments
Electric, battery or pneumatic powered surgical instruments are used to perform orthopedic, arthroscopic and other surgical procedures where cutting, drilling or reaming of bone is required. Each power system consists of one or more handpieces and related accessories as well as disposable and limited reusable items (e.g., burs, saw blades, drills and reamers). Powered instruments are categorized as either small bone, large bone or specialty powered instruments. Specialty powered instruments are utilized in procedures such as spinal surgery, neurosurgery, ENT, oral/maxillofacial surgery, and cardiothoracic surgery.
The Company's line of powered instruments is sold principally under the Hall Surgical brand name, for use in large and small bone orthopedic, arthroscopic, oral/maxillofaci! al, podiatric, plastic, ENT, neurological, spinal and cardiothoracic surgeries. Large bone, neurosurgical, spinal and cardiothoracic powered instruments are sold primarily to hospitals while small bone arthroscopic, otolaryngological and oral/maxillofacial powered instruments are sold to hospitals, outpatient facilities and physicians offices.
The Company's powered instruments product line includes the MPower battery system. This orthopedic power system is specifically designed to meet the requirements of orthopedic applications. The MPower battery system allows a facility to purchase a single power system to perform total joint arthroplasty, trauma, arthroscopy, and small bone procedures. The system also provides a multitude of battery technologies to meet the varying needs of hospitals worldwide.
Electrosurgery
The use of electrosurgical units and associated surgical tools is commonplace in the hospital surgical suite, surgery centers, clinics and physician offices. Electrosurgery is routinely used to cut and coagulate tissue and small vessels in open and laparoscopic procedures using energy produced through radio frequency (RF) technology. Electrosurgery can be used in almost all surgical procedures including specialties, such as general, gynecology, orthopedics, cardiology, thoracics, urology, neurology, and dermatology. The Company�� portfolio consist of energy-based products is the Argon Beam Coagulation (ABC) technology. ABC technology combines the use of argon gas and electrosurgical energy to allow the surgeon to produce a surface coagulation which results in less tissue damage.
Patient Care
The Company's patient care product line includes a line of vital signs and cardiac monitoring products, including pulse oximetry equipment and sensors, electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes and cables, cardiac defibrillation and pacing pads and blood pressure cuffs. The Company also offers a line of suction instruments and tubing for use in the! operatin! g room, as well as a line of intravenous (IV) products for use in the critical care areas of the hospital.
Endosurgery
Endosurgery (also referred to as minimally invasive surgery or laparoscopic surgery) is surgery performed without a incision. The Company's Endosurgical products include the Reflex and PermaClip clip appliers for vessel and duct ligation, Universal S/I (suction/irrigation) and Universal Plus laparoscopic instruments and specialized suction/irrigation electrosurgical instrument systems for use in laparoscopic surgery. The Company also offers cutting and dilating trocars, suction/irrigation accessories, laparoscopic scissors, dissectors and graspers, active electrodes, insufflation needles and linear cutters and staplers for use in laparoscopic surgery. The Company's disposable skin staplers are used to close large skin incisions with surgical staples, thus eliminating the time consuming suturing process. CONMED Endosurgery also offers a uterine manipulator called VCARE for use in increasing the efficiency of laparoscopic hysterectomies and other gynecologic laparoscopic procedures.
Endoscopic Technologies
The Company offers a line of minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic products used in conjunction with procedures, which requires flexible endoscopy. The Company's principal customers include gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopists, pulmonologists, and nurses who perform both diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic procedures in hospitals and outpatient clinics.
The Company's primary focus is to identify, develop, acquire, manufacture and market differentiated medical devices, which improve outcomes in the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal and pulmonary disorders. The Company's diagnostic and therapeutic product offerings for GI and pulmonology include mucosal management devices, forceps, scope management accessories, bronchoscopy devices, dilatation, stricture management devices, hemostasis, biliary devices, and ! polypecto! my.
The Company competes with Smith & Nephew, plc, Arthrex, Inc., Stryker Corporation, ArthroCare Corporation, Johnson & Johnson: DePuy Mitek, Inc., Biomet, Inc., Medtronic, Inc. Midas Rex and Xomed, Synvasive Technology, Inc., Synthes, Inc., MicroAire Surgical Instruments, LLC, Zimmer Holdings, Inc., Covidien Ltd.; Valleylab, Medline Industries, Inc., ERBE Elektromedizin GmbH, Megadyne, Kendall, 3M Company, Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc, U.S.Surgical, Boston Scientific Corporation, Wilson-Cook Medical, Inc, Olympus America, Inc. and STERIS Corporation.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Seth Jayson]
Margins matter. The more CONMED (Nasdaq: CNMD ) keeps of each buck it earns in revenue, the more money it has to invest in growth, fund new strategic plans, or (gasp!) distribute to shareholders. Healthy margins often separate pretenders from the best stocks in the market. That's why we check up on margins at least once a quarter in this series. I'm looking for the absolute numbers, so I can compare them to current and potential competitors, and any trend that may tell me how strong CONMED's competitive position could be.
- [By James Brumley]
Shares of MDT stock have fallen 6% since their early January peak, but have been in an uptrend since late 2011 … one of the few stocks in the medical device world that has been rock-solid in a rocky environment.
Medical Devices: ConMed Corp. (CNMD)With a market cap of only $1.2 billion, ConMed Corp. (CNMD) isn’t exactly a household name. That doesn’t mean CNMD stock can’t be a potent addiction to a portfolio, though.
- [By ovenerio]
In the medical devices business (83% of FY 13 sales), the company competes with good health care companies such as Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), C.R. Bard (BCR) and ConMed (CNMD).
Hot Medical Companies To Watch In Right Now: Therapeutic Solutions International Inc (TSOI)
Therapeutic Solutions International, Inc., formerly Friendly Auto Dealers, Inc., incorporated on August 6, 2007, is a development-stage company. The Company is focused in establishing itself as a specialized brand promotional merchandising company. It would identify a range of casual apparel and consumer products that can be manufactured and resold with the product endorsement of corporate logos. In April 2011, the Company acquired Splint Decisions Inc.
The Company concentrates its efforts in the People�� Republic of China and its retail automotive industry. As of December 31, 2009, the Company had no operations and had not generated any revenues.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Peter Graham]
Small cap medical device or biotech related stocks Therapeutic Solutions International Inc (OTCMKTS: TSOI), diaDexus, Inc (OTCMKTS: DDXS) and Spherix Inc (NASDAQ: SPEX) have been getting some attention lately in various investment newsletters with the good news being that it appears none are the subject of paid promotions from stock promoters. So why are these three stocks all of a sudden getting some attention and what else do you need to know about them before you make a short or a long term bet on one? Here is a closer look at the whole picture and what you might be missing:
Hot Medical Companies To Watch In Right Now: ZELTIQ Aesthetics Inc (ZLTQ)
ZELTIQ Aesthetics, Inc. (ZELTIQ), incorporated on March 22, 2005, is a medical technology company. The Company is focused on developing and commercializing products utilizing its controlled-cooling technology platform. Its commercial product is the CoolSculpting System that reduces stubborn fat bulges. The Company generates revenues from capital sales of its CoolSculpting System and from procedure fees its physician customers pay for each CoolSculpting procedure they perform. As of March 31, 2011, it had an installed base of 346 and 475 CoolSculpting Systems worldwide and over 88,000 CoolSculpting procedures had been sold to its physician customers. The Company markets CoolSculpting to the dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and aesthetic specialists. As of March 31, 2011, ZELTIQ�� North American direct sales force consisted of 23 professionals, and over 88,000 CoolSculpting procedures were sold to ZELTIQ�� physician customers.
CoolSculpting System
ZELTIQ generates revenues from capital sales of its CoolSculpting System and from procedure fees its physician customers pay for each CoolSculpting procedure they perform. Capital sales of ZELTIQ�� CoolSculpting System include the CoolSculpting control unit and its CoolSculpting vacuum applicators. ZELTIQ generates procedure fees through sales of CoolSculpting procedure packs, which include its consumable gelpads and liners and a disposable computer cartridge that it markets as the CoolCard. The CoolCard contains enabling software that permits its physician customer to perform a fixed number of CoolSculpting procedures.
The CoolSculpting control unit is the base of the CoolSculpting System. ZELTIQ�� CoolSculpting control unit also contains software that tracks and collects data about each procedure performed and any error messages that may be generated during the procedure. CoolSculpting System includes three CoolSculpting vacuum applicators. ZELTIQ�� CoolSculpting procedure packs facilitate the pay-per-procedu! re feature of its CoolSculpting System. Its CoolSculpting procedure packs include CoolCard and its consumable gelpads and liners.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By CRWE]
ZELTIQ Aesthetics, Inc. (Nasdaq:ZLTQ), a medical technology company focused on developing and commercializing products utilizing its proprietary controlled-cooling technology platform, together with the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), reported that the Mercantile Court in Spain on May 4 ruled in their favor regarding the patent infringement lawsuit jointly filed in Spain against Clinipro and Aquaestetica, its Spanish distributor.
- [By Garrett Cook]
Wednesday morning, the healthcare sector proved to be a source of strength for the market. Leading the sector was strength from ZELTIQ Aesthetics (NASDAQ: ZLTQ) and Aegerion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: AEGR).
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