In this article, we take a look at two very up and coming stocks in Johnson & Johnson and Sarepta Therapeutics. Keep an eye out for Johnson & Johnson (NYSE JNJ) and Sarepta Therapeutics (NASDAQ SRPT). While at one hand, analysts are optimistic about Johnson & Johnson’s second quarter earnings, Sarepta Therapeutics would be looking to bounce back after some dismal showing recently.

With J&J set to reveal second quarter earnings next Tuesday, July 15, Wall Street analysts are predicting that the company will beat consensus earnings per share of $1.54, fueled by better than expected pharma sales. In the first-quarter, J&J surprised the Street with stellar sales of its hepatitis C drug, Olysio, which helped propel pharmaceutical growth by 10.8% year over year and compensate for weakness in its other business segments.

Sarepta saw a strong sell-off recently following a 144-week clinical update for its open-label extension study of its exon-skipping Duchenne muscular dystrophy, or DMD, drug eteplirsen. Specifically, patients participating in the open-label portion of the study declined by about 8.5% on average from baseline in walking ability, which was the biggest decrease in walking performance observed thus far. This has led to a decline in the stock level.

Johnson & Johnson and Serapta Therapeutics

For Serapta,the main concern is that eteplirsen will turn out to be ineffective at improving walking ability over the long term in DMD patients, perhaps even lowering its chances of gaining a regulatory approval.

For J&J, while the analysts are on target with their optimistic expectations for the second quarter, J&J does have major competition to worry about for some of its key drugs like Zytiga and Olysio. AbbVie’s hepatitis C drug, for instance, should gain approval later this year and poses a major threat to Olysio’s commercial performance going forward.

Johnson & Johnson and Serapta Therapeutics News Video

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Johnson & Johnson and Serapta Therapeutics Financial News

Despite a strong second quarter, Johnson & Johnson may find it hard to continue their bullish run. Serapta on the other hand, have struggled in the past, but they would be looking to overcome their problems and come up with more positive news.

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