These two drugmakers tap into high R&D

Article Excerpt

We think the drug industry will enjoy great success over the next decade. But due to the nature of the business, results will vary widely and unpredictably from one drug company to another. A volatile market like the one we expect for drug stocks will include winners and losers. Here are two that we expect to be among the big winners. MERCK & CO. INC., $101.35, is a buy. The drugmaker (New York symbol MRK; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average) (www.merck.comwww.merck.com; Shares outstanding: 2.5 billion; Market cap: $258.9 billion; Dividend yield: 2.9%) is a leader in oncology, acute-care and animal-health drugs as well as vaccines. Merck continues to make savvy acquisitions. Most recently, it bought Prometheus Biosciences Inc. for $10.8 billion. Prometheus is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on autoimmune treatments such as PRA023. It treats illnesses such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Prometheus could provide significant growth in a key new area. Autoimmune drugs are some of the industry’s biggest sellers and can command high…