Nektar Therapeutics: A Sweet Or Sour Investment?

Summary

• In distancing itself from the failed inhaled-insulin Exubera, Nektar has been enjoying much corporate success.
• Having two FDA-approved products and its proven technology (licensed to various firms), Nektar is generating meaningful sales.
• Despite temporarily lowered its earnings, the increased spending on research and development will catapult sales prospects.
• With 150% share price appreciation in the past five years, valuation metrics indicate that the firm is still a bargain.

After a decade plus of failed investment in the inhaled insulin, Exubera, Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) cut the loses via terminating its partnership with Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) on Oct. 18, 2007. Next year, Nektar gave up the hope for inhaled insulin by terminating all negotiations (with potential marketing partners) for the "the bong."

Notably, Exubera failed due to user inconvenience, and more importantly, the increased incidence of lung cancer found in smokers. As if inhaled insulin is an albatross, MannKind Corporation (NASDAQ:MNKD is also struggling to generate meaningful sales for its FDA-approved inhaled insulin Afrezza (despite the drug's favorable efficacy and safety profiles).

Whether the higher cancer cases in patients who used Exubera is due to insulin or the tobacco's deleterious effects is still up to the jury. Nevertheless, Elam Nevan (the former Vice President of Pfizer Pulmonary Division in charge of the Exubera development) has moved on. The Harvard graduate is now focusing on innovating a once-weekly insulin for AntriBio (OTC:ANTB).

In similar fashion, Nektar has shed off the dead weight of inhaled insulin. For almost a decade, the firm has refocused its efforts to fruitful therapeutic designs.

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Nu Skin Enterprises: A Peter Lynch Stalwart With Uber Upsides

Summary

• As a leading wellness products seller with more than $2B in revenues, Nu Skin is generating attractive earnings, paying increasing dividends, and executing prudent share repurchases.
• Continued growth is expected due to its strong business moat in Asia.
• After tumbling from its peak share price in 2014, the stock is gaining momentum for past two years; yet valuation indicates it is undervalued with 19% upsides.

In 2012, Andrew Left (a notorious short seller with arguably unmatched accuracy) alleged that Nu Skin Enterprises (NYSE: NUS) - a firm that directly sells wellness products - was operating an illegal multi-level marketing ("MLM") business in China. Despite that shocking news, share price continues to levitate to its peak in H2 2013.

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Kite Pharma: How High Will It Fly?

Summary

• Engineered T cells therapy is showing highly promising early trials results as the next potential cancer breakthrough.
• After a twofold share price increase, the question remains whether such a growth trajectory will be sustained.
• The market value of a firm correlates with its intrinsic value, at least in the long haul, and thus we expect further upside in Kite Pharma.

Based in Santa Monica, California, Kite Pharma (NASDAQ: KITE) is dedicated to the delivery of cancer therapeutics through the innovative engineered T cell therapy ("ETCs") platform. With the dramatic results seen thus far in early clinical trials (and especially the cancer remission witnessed in refractory cases), the firm has reasons to pride itself as the leader in ETCs. This biotechnology can potentially deliver the biggest cancer treatment breakthrough since the introduction of chemotherapy more than half a century ago.

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Usana Health Sciences: Strong Moat, Highly Profitable, and Increasing Growth

Summary

• Founded by a world class scientist while marketing its products via Olympians, Dr. Oz., and strong sales associates, Usana created the entrenched moats of brand recognition and product awareness.
• With increasing expansion into the vast Asian markets, the firm is well-positioned for continuing sales growth.

• As the world population is aging, there is an increasing demand for personal wellness products to service degenerative diseases.

• Despite operating a highly profitable business, the company is on sales with the mouthwatering P/E of 17.

Background

According to research at the National Institute of Health, global life expectancy is projected to increase by almost eight years (from 68.6 years in 2015 to 76.2 years in 2050). Moreover, the number of people aged 80 and older (in some Asian and Latin America countries) are expected to increase as much as four folds by the same year. With the aging world population comes the rising demand for personal wellness products (aka herbal/dietary supplements) to service the degenerative diseases (like osteoarthritis or the usual "wear and tear") that come with aging. That being said, Usana Health Sciences (NYSE: USNA), a firm based in Salt Lake City, Utah, is poised to capture this niche of growing demand.

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