In the first category, there are several drug company options. Risperidal, developed and distributed by Janssen Pharmaceutica, a division of the New York Stock Exchange traded company Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), is an antipsychotic medication which is used in lower doses to treat autistic disorders and has FDA approval for use of the drug for symptomatic treatment of irritability in autistic children and teenagers. Prozac [Fluoxetine hydrochloride] which is made by Eli Lilly and Company (LLY), also traded on the NYSE, has been approved by the FDA for both obsessive compulsive disorder and depression in autistic children age 7 and older. Ritalin is a Methylphenidate drug which, although generally used for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, has also been prescribed for children with autism. It is produced by the company Novartis AG (NVS), the ADR of which trades on the NYSE; however, the generic version of the drug far outsells Ritalin.
The other approach to autism stocks is Nastech Pharmaceutical Co. Inc. (NSTK), which is currently in a Phase 2 Trial of synthetic oxytocin through the use of a nasal spray. Autistic children have been found to have deficiencies of oxytocin. The company is also involved in the development of treatments for osteoporosis, obesity, inflammation, and metabolic diseases. As with many of these smaller pharmaceutical companies, they have negative earnings and a high price sales ratio of 9.65. Fortunately, year over year quarterly revenue growth was over 270%. Exercise caution before considering this stock since the market cap is only about $275 million.
As long as we are on this topic, I have two books I can recommend relating to autism. The first book is a novel and is called
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
, which is written by Mark Haddon. It is a mystery with the main character writing in first person is mildly autistic and a savant. It is a very unique writing style with the character writing in detail about what he sees and what he does and why he does it. Mathematics is also weaved into the story, but it is interesting math, not boring math. For example, a prime number is a number that can only be divided into evenly by itself or the number one. So, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, are all prime numbers. If you assign a letter of the alphabet to each regular number [i.e. a=1, b=2, c=3, d=4], then assign those values to the letters in the name ‘Sherlock Holmes’, the numbers will add up to a prime number. The same works for ‘Doctor Watson’. The author of the book, who is British, has treated thousands of autistic individuals.
The other book,
Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant
written by Daniel Tammet, who is also British, is an autobiography of a mildly autistic savant.Author has a nephew who is severely autistic and does not own any of the above stocks.
3 comments:
As a mother of a 3 year old with autism, I was horrified to come accross your site while looking for info on the use of prozac. You should be ashamed of your attempt to profit off of children who have autism. I'm not sure how you sleep at night. Autism has ruined my son's life and you see it as an investment. May you never have to live with this in your family. This is by far the worst thing I have come accross. There must not be a God with people like you here on earth. I hope your stocks drop out and you live poor for the rest of your life!
My wife is a Speech Therapist and has many autistic clients. I see the pain many parents go through trying to deal with this epidemic. I came across your article mentioning NASTECH's Phase I drug. It's not a cure but can reduce symtoms. Are they the lead company working on autism? Do you know of any others, aside from what was mentioned in posting? I'd like to invest in companies making a difference (also with real potential). Thanks.
I have a 16 year-old son with autism. I see no problem with investing and profiting off of stocks of companies which seek treatments for autism. In fact, I feel obliged to do so. The more money that flows through these companies, the better chance these companies will survive to find tenable treatments. Kcg, your son's life is not ruined. Autism is, of course, devastating. As a parent of an autistic son, I have spent sleepless nights and tear-filled, mind-numbing days with him. He is nonetheless the joy of my life. Through the nightmare, and exhausting efforts with him, he has become a bright young man with a beautiful soul. All who meet him have come to adore him. I know a three year old with autism is beyond words heart-breaking and seemingly impossible to bear, but I promise that if you focus on a happy future for him, and not think of his life as ruined, good things will happen. Maybe not the future you dreamed for your child, but a future of joy, love, and acceptance. Isn't that all we want for our children? For your information, the trick for my son -- after countless therapy and behavioral treatments -- was a combination of ritalin and slow release ritalin. Thank God for pharmaceutical companies and their investors. So yes, please inform everyone about such companies and their great investment possibilities!
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