Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
What: Shares of biotechnology company Horizon Pharma Inc. (HZNP) surged 32% today after acquiring the U.S. rights to arthritis treatment Vimovo from AstraZeneca (AZN 5.38%) for $35 million.
So what: AstraZeneca generated $5 million in Vimovo U.S. sales in the third quarter alone, so the acquisition certainly serves as a positive catalyst in Horizon's path to profitability. Of course, shares of Pozen (NASDAQ: POZN), which originally licensed the drug to AstraZeneca in 2010, also soared on the news as it will be receiving a 10% royalty from Horizon as part of the deal.
Now what: Horizon management now expects to be profitable in 2014 on a non GAAP basis, with full-year revenue in the range of $190 million-$205 million.
"The acquisition of VIMOVO is a major step forward in our strategy to leverage our business model and maximize our commercial infrastructure and we expect it to create significant value for our shareholders," said Chairman and CEO Timothy Walbert. "We anticipate that this transaction will significantly increase our revenues and accelerate the Company to profitable operations."
So while the stock is certainly too hot and speculative for average investors, Horizon's newly bolstered growth prospects might be something for biotech-savvy Fools to look into.
