Healthcare Business Recap: Vivus is a Target, Novartis EU Update

ISIS Pharmaceuticals’ (NASDAQ:ISIS) revenue of $32.4 million (up 22.7 percent year-to-year) exceeds expectations by $2 million, but its fourth quarter earnings per share of $0.20 misses consensus by $0.07.

Investing Insights: Healthcare Stocks With Falling Profits in Latest Earnings Reports.

Final FDA approval is awarded Hi-Tech’s (NASDAQ:HITK) seizure treatment Levetiracetam, which is a generic version of UCB Pharma’s Keppra oral solution. The latter treatment enjoyed combined brand and generic sales revenue of $62 million in 2011

As analysts still mark Vivus (NASDAQ:VVUS) as a target for purchase, its shares are up as a result of publicity following an FDA panel’s thumbs up for its weight-loss drug.

A premarket trading halt causes Horizon Pharma (NASDAQ:HZNP) shares to move downwards after it was revealed that there was a private placement of 14 million units by the company at $3.62 per share.

The European Commission approves an update of Novartis’ (NYSE:NVS) Glivec label to include 36 months of post surgery treatment for adults with a type of gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

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To contact the reporter on this story: Mark Lawson at staff.writers@wallstcheatsheet.com

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Damien Hoffman at editors@wallstcheatsheet.com