Health Stocks in Motion

Shares of AVI BioPharma(AVII Quote) were among the best-performing health-related stocks Friday, rising 12% after the drug developer said a report showed that its proprietary Neugene product was successful in combating the Ebola virus in animals.

The study showed that a combination of Neugene agents protected rodents in both pre- and post-exposure therapeutic regimens, the company said. What's more, a trial showed that 75% of rhesus macaque monkeys were protected from the virus when they received the treatment before lethal exposure to Ebola. "These findings serve as the basis for development of a whole class of gene-specific drugs that can be quickly produced in response to known, emerging or genetically engineered bioterrorism threats," the company said. Shares were trading up 55 cents to $5.17.

HCA(HCA Quote) rose 3% after the hospital operator said fourth-quarter results could be better than Wall Street forecasts. The company expects to report earnings of 72 cents to 76 cents a share on sales of $6.2 billion. Results include a pretax gain of 4 cents a share and a reduction in estimated insurance reserves of 7 cents a share. The forecast also includes costs of 4 cents a share related to facilities affected by the hurricanes. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call had projected fourth-quarter earnings of 65 cents a share and sales of $6.1 billion. For all of 2005, HCA estimates earnings of $3.17 to $3.21 a share, with sales of $24.5 billion. Analysts are projecting earnings of $3 a share and sales of $24.4 billion. ...