Our Top Ebola-Fighting Pick Is Up 360%
I’m sure this was on many people’s minds a few months ago:
| “An outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus is currently raging in Africa. More than 700 people have died and hundreds more are infected. This outbreak is a nasty one — such to the point that the new concern should be about — wait for it — international travel. In one of those moves that make me wonder, “Who thought THAT was a smart idea?” some of the infected have even been sent to the United States for treatment. The virus, though contained, is on our soil…” |
That’s what our resident expert, Andy Obermueller, wrote back in his August 2014 issue of Game-Changing Stocks.
The controversial move to allow travel from an infected region in Africa to other countries seemed like a dangerous idea to many. It was only a matter of time before the virus would spread to other countries.
#-ad_banner-#Since August, we’ve heard about a nurse who was recently diagnosed with the virus in Spain, after coming home from treating Ebola patients in Africa. We’ve also seen the first diagnosed case, and death, from Ebola in the United States, just 200 miles from where I’m sitting in Austin, Texas.
In the coming days, the dozens of people who were in contact with the U.S. patient will anxiously wait for the critical “incubation deadline” — meaning symptoms could start appearing in those who were infected.
The next few weeks will reveal how big of a threat Americans face. As Andy warned his readers in August:
| “The kicker [with Ebola] is the incubation period. Normally, Ebola is so deadly so quickly that it kills itself off. That’s scary but a good thing, as it prevents the virus from spreading. But now, the latency period is up to three weeks. Someone with decent baseline health who traveled to Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone — or sat next to someone who had — could carry the virus for as long as 21 days. I don’t know about you, but the math there scares the hell out of me. Think how many people you come into contact with in three weeks: Everyone at the grocery store, church, the movies, the bookstore, the cleaners, the symphony — everywhere you go. In three weeks the average person probably eats out, what, at least six times? Boom — that’s six restaurants full of people who have now been exposed and might themselves become either sick or carriers. And so on and so forth. In just a few weeks, only the remotest spots in the United States and, indeed, the world, would be free from infection. This is a potential nightmare scenario.” |
It’s a scenario that no one wants to come true — or even think about. But it’s a possibility that we must be prepared to face.
The good news is, several pharmaceutical companies have been working on experimental drugs to treat the deadly virus. Many have seen promising results.
As we told you about in a previous essay, a subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc. (NYSE: RAI) has developed a tobacco plant-based treatment called ZMapp.
As we pointed out then, ZMapp was used to treat Dr. Kent Brantly — the American doctor that was brought back from Liberia a few months ago — as well as three other doctors in Liberia. Each of these patients reportedly showed remarkable signs of improvement after taking the drug (and it’s worth mentioning the doctor survived).
But there’s another more promising treatment in development by a company that Andy has been following for nearly four years.
The company has been developing a treatment technique called RNAi therapy.
While the details can be complex, this is essentially a treatment designed to work with a patient’s genetic code through their RNA (similar to DNA, for those who studied biology.)
Andy explained how big of a potential breakthrough RNAi treatment could be nearly four years ago in his January 2011 issue of Game-Changing Stocks:
| “The “I” in RNAi stands for “interference.” When the cell creates an RNA strand to initiate a specific function, the RNAi blocks that instruction. The cell is otherwise unharmed and continues to live normally. This advancement was deemed the breakthrough of the year in 2002 and its discoverers were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2006. One of those prizewinners is the founder of a leading RNAi therapy company. This platform is precise and it’s potent because the RNA instructions that are targeted are highly specific. Treatment for skin cells, for example, would have no effect on any other type of cells. And since we’re focusing on delivery mechanisms, it’s worth noting that the RNAi platform can be delivered locally, to certain tissue that’s affected, such as the liver, or it can be administered systemically to the entire body. These two approaches are astounding in their potential. The successful treatment of dozens of diseases and conditions with a genetic basis — heretofore medically confounding — are now squarely in researchers’ sights.” |
The Ebola-fighting company that’s developing this exciting RNAi technology is one that Andy recommended back in early 2011, by the name of Tekmira (Nasdaq: TKMR).
As Andy wrote back then:
| “Tekmira is focused on RNAi and is working on three candidates that target cholesterol, cancer and Ebola. It has partnerships with several major pharma companies, including Pfizer, Takeda, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Merck… The RNAi sector has a few more players, so investors need to look at preeminence, partners and pipeline. With that in mind, I especially like Tekmira for its industry ties and its cholesterol candidate…” |
As usual, Andy was early to the game.
Since the start of this year, investors have been very optimistic about the company’s developments in Ebola treatment.
And since Andy recommended readers buy the stock back in January 2011 for its Ebola-fighting promise and other treatments under development, its share price has gone through the roof — gaining over 360%.
The truth is, it’s too early to tell how bad this recent Ebola scare will get. But it’s nice to know that companies have been busy developing treatments and vaccines to protect us from this hellish virus.
We’ll see how developments with Tekmira’s Ebola-fighting treatments unfold over time. But until then, it may not hurt to consider picking up shares of this pioneer pharmaceutical for its RNAi treatment technology and pipeline of disease-fighting products in the works — which could send its stock higher depending on future pandemic scares.
But Tekmira isn’t the only company poised to benefit from increased demands for vaccines and treatments. In his latest research report, Andy explains there are two cutting-edge companies that are creating potentially groundbreaking new vaccines and drugs to fight the spread of future pandemic outbreaks.
The first is small, with less than $200 million in market cap. But public health officials have it on speed dial — and they’ve ordered massive quantities required for the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile. It’s already signed a $400 million contract to deliver 2 million doses of the smallpox antiviral Arestvyr to the U.S. government — even before the drug has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
The second company he’s found is a billion-dollar-plus company that has seen its top line grow to the $22 million range from just $330,000 in 2009. Its treatment for the H5N1 flu strain is in Phase II trials. It is also in the early testing stage for a dozen other compounds for seasonal and pandemic influenza.
Both have enormous upside in the unfortunate event that their products become immediately necessary. You’ll hear all about them in his latest report, The 11 Most Shocking Investment Predictions for 2015.