Pfizer, Sartorius, Defence Therapeutics: Health as an investment opportunity

Pfizer: Better to invest in big brother?

The fact that biotech companies are on the verge of finding a holy grail in many areas is something that even the big pharmaceutical multinationals, such as Pfizer, are aware of. Not for nothing did the US Company enter into a partnership with the German Company BioNTech early on when it came to mRNA vaccines. But Pfizer also shines in other areas: last year, sales of cancer drugs went up. Rare disease drugs also contributed to the strong results, generating 30% sales growth on their own. Although some former box-office hits, such as the drugs Lipitor and Norvasc, weakened in 2020, the overwhelming success of BioNTech and its vaccine should compensate for this in the current year.

Pfizer is making money with every dose. It is now clear that BioNTech is even a little better than AstraZeneca's product, which is also very good. It protects against the new virus variants and is therefore likely to remain on the shopping lists of countries and companies for some time to come. When it comes to renewing existing vaccine doses, BioNTech/Pfizer is also likely to have a strong position with customers. The share is extremely solid and should also have potential in the medium and long term.

Sartorius: The pandemic stock par excellence

One Company that quickly emerged as a winner in the pandemic is Sartorius. The specialist for disposables, laboratory instruments and consumables is the Corona stock par excellence. You do not need to look at the annual report to see that. The frequency with which we have all come into contact with Coronatests and other side effects of the pandemic in recent months alone proves the relevance of the Company from Göttingen.

In 2020, Sartorius' total sales revenue climbed a whopping 20%. Order intake even rose by more than 40%. Even though the pandemic currently seems to be under control, vaccination rates below 80% are likely to cause one or the other stutter in the economy and everyday life again in the fall - Sartorius products will continue to be needed. After the rally of the first wave, the share price has turned sideways a little. However, the fundamental direction is positive.

Defence Therapeutics: Vaccines against cancer become more likely

Unlike Pfizer and Sartorius, one Company that is not yet familiar to every market participant is Defence Therapeutics. The Company has developed its patented Accum™ technology designed to deliver active ingredients precisely to the source of infections or diseases. The technology can "piggyback" on specific agents using antibodies. These antibodies block a receptor at the affected site and guide the active ingredient into the cell. Accum™ specifically ensures that the antibody used is equipped with an amino acid chain that increases the cell nucleus concentration of the respective active ingredient, thus making it easier for it to enter the affected cells. As a second mainstay, Defence Therapeutics develops vaccines and a few weeks ago announced promising results of the vaccine AccuVAC-D001 in the treatment of mice suffering from cancer. The pre-clinical study showed that 70% of cases in mice with established solid tumors were cured.

Now, mice are not humans, and a pre-clinical study is not yet a breakthrough in the fight against cancer. But the results show that Defence Therapeutics is making promising progress around one of humanity's worst diseases. The Accum™ technology can be considered promising. Using partially aggressive drugs in a targeted manner can reduce side effects and possibly make certain forms of treatment worthwhile in the first place. The share price has already risen in recent weeks and is currently consolidating. Investors should take a closer look at Defence Therapeutics.