The Best Drug Stock for 2007 Revisited

Back in January, we ran a series of articles in which our biotech writers and analysts made their pitches for what would be The Best Drug Stock for 2007. As we cruise through June and the midpoint of the calendar year is quickly approaching, I thought I'd take a look and see how our six contestants are faring. The scorecard isn't completely accurate, as it doesn't take into account dividends, but it does give a general idea of who's out in front and who has a lot of ground to make up.

Thus far, the results haven't been pretty. The leader, Endo Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ:ENDP), is head and shoulders above the rest in this lot. It's actually the only one of these six stocks in positive territory at this point, with a return of 14.1% since the call on Endo was made. Credit goes to Brian Lawler for making this timely pick. The company recently reported strong Q1 numbers, which included profits that more than doubled from the year-ago quarter on higher sales from its branded products.

Unfortunately, I have myself to thank for picking one of the laggards in the group. My pick, Forest Laboratories (NYSE:FRX), has seen its price decline by 14.1% and is trailed only by Momenta Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:MNTA). Momenta would have to be considered the dark horse to win what is evolving into a battle of minor league performances by the group. It's currently running in last position with a return of (31.9%).

Forest has seen impressive sales growth out of its hallmark drug Lexapro, but the company recently swung to a Q4 loss as the result of its acquisition of biotech drugmaker Cerexa. The company met with more resistance when it reported that its drug desmoteplase was no more effective than a placebo for improving the clinical outcome for acute ischemic stroke patients in a mid-stage trial.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK) are running neck and neck. Despite Pfizer's announcement that Q1 revenues grew by 6%, the company had to reduce its full-year revenues estimates to reflect the loss of patent exclusivity for Norvasc. Glaxo recently took a bit of a hit after the FDA said it will reconsider safety data on Avandia, the company's diabetes drug, and that it could change the drug's warning label or recall it.

Genentech (NYSE:DNA) has seen its price gradually decline since January, but it may be in the process of preparing for a mid-season rally. At the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting earlier this month, promising studies were released that the company's colon cancer drug, Avastin, can slow the growth of both kidney cancer and lung cancer when used in conjunction with other treatments.

Here are the full results at the all-star break:

With half of the season left, anything can happen and no lead is safe -- especially in the biotech/pharmaceutical industry. The Fool would like to hear who you think will emerge victorious as The Best Drug Stock in 2007. Will Brian's Endo Pharmaceuticals continue to run away with this one? Could one of the megacaps such as Pfizer or GlaxoSmithKline push into the black and close the gap? Could Momenta do the unthinkable and pull off a comeback of Cal vs. Stanford proportions?

Go to our Motley Fool CAPS community intelligence database that already has more than 29,000 members and cast your rating for each of these stocks. Fortunately for me, we still have a long season ahead of us.

Fool contributor Billy Fisher doesn't own shares of any of the companies mentioned. Pfizer is a Motley Fool Inside Value choice. GlaxoSmithKline is an Income Investor pick. Momenta is a Motley Fool Rule Breakers pick. The Fool has a disclosure policy.