Pharma IPOs Are Good Medicine

The only recent bomb so far was last year's Horizon Pharmaceuticals (HZNP). The stock came to market at $9, and closed Friday at $7.20, down 20%. The arthritis drug maker is expected to get some news this month from the FDA regarding its time-release formula for the steroid prednisone.

There are now 15 healthcare deals in the pipeline with two scheduled for the next two weeks. Hyperion Therapeutics which hopes to price in the range of $11-$13. They are developing a drug called Ravicti that reduces the amount of ammonia in the blood. It is under FDA review. Hyperion plans to use the proceeds for completing the clinical development of Ravicti and the commercial launch. They seem confident.

Meantime, Globus Medical is a medical device company that specializes in products that promote spinal healing. Its price range is $16-$18 per share and the company is hoping to go public in the first week of August.

The use of proceeds description in Globus Medical's prospectus is a bit of a red flag. The real purpose behind the offering seems to giving employees a way to sell their stock; otherwise, they have no plans.

The filing states, "We do not have any specific uses of the net proceeds planned, nor have we determined the amounts that we will actually spend on those uses." It goes on to ask investors to just trust management's judgment on how best to spend the money. If they aren't sure about how to use their proceeds, I would think investors might want to wait on that one.

Biotech offerings were once the darlings of the IPO world, but got pushed aside by hip Internet stocks. As a result of their wallflower status, investors are getting some great prices. That makes up somewhat for the risks they take buying drug companies that have yet to make any money or earn FDA approval.

Call it the wellness side effect.

--Written by Debra Borchardt in New York.



>To contact the writer of this article, click here: Debra Borchardt.

>To follow the writer on Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/wallandbroad.

>To submit a news tip, send an email to: [e-mail].

Disclosure: TheStreet's editorial policy prohibits staff editors, reporters and analysts from holding positions in any individual stocks.

« First ‹ Previous 1 2