Readers Pick Seven That Could Double

Other supposedly sure things that many readers call out are biotechs. These are so very enticing -- every single one of them has an amazing story. They cure cancer, they resurrect libidos, they banish eczema, they -- well, you get the picture. There is not one mammalian ailment for which there is not a tiny, low-priced public biotech company in the hunt for a solution with a protein, a molecule, a compound or a cream.

It seems that one of these hits the jackpot with clinical trials or a successful conference presentation every few weeks, but very few of these cures ever get approved by the Food and Drug Administration. And it seems that you don't hear so much about the many, many losers. In fact, there are so many fewer winners than losers in biotech that I personally find it too close to call. Since I am a sucker for every hard-luck story that these drugs solve, I find it necessary to just stay away.

For those of you who are gamblers, scientists or biology students who have more experience at winning the biotech lottery than I, here are two names proposed by readers:

CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals(CGPI Quote), with a candidate for the oral treatment of rosacea, now trades at $7.88, down from $16.80 two years ago and $31 in 2000.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals(BCRX Quote) now at $7.20, was formerly as high as $34 and as low as 60 cents. Its key product is Fodosine, which is said to be a potent purine nucleoside phosphorylase inhibitor progressing through clinical trials to treat refractory T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Double or Nothing

Several reader ideas comprise what some analysts call bimodal stocks: There's an event on the horizon that will, when resolved, either make them go up 300% or 400%, or down more than 50%. Reader Kevin Ashworth suggests consideration of Boston Communications Group(BCGI Quote), a service provider for wireless carriers. It has lost the first phase of a patent-infringement lawsuit and has seen its shares plunge from $22 in 2003 to as low as $1.28 a month ago. They're now fetching $1.82.