15 Great Life Sciences Stocks to Buy and Hold

Practitioners of life sciences busy themselves with such matters as studying living organisms, including us, and all the things that go wrong and right with us. That naturally means this is a very big business. It was before COVID-19, and it will be long after.

The industry itself is full of start-ups, big names, and a vast array of public and private collaborations. It’s also a great place to look for stocks from companies with the records and prospects that make them good candidates to consider buying and holding for years to come.

Here are 15 good examples.

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Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) became even more of a household name as the developer of one of the first and most widely used vaccines against COVID-19. But this Manhattan-based biopharmaceutical giant has been around since 1849 and is also known for creating such blockbuster drugs as Advil, Viagra, Zoloft, Lipitor, and Xanax.

ALSO READ: Could Pfizer Stock Help You Become a Millionaire?

Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) has only been around since 2010 but is already known worldwide for its own COVID-19 vaccine. Along with vaccines, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biopharma company does pioneering work with messenger RNA technologies to create treatments for infectious and rare diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and autoimmune disorders.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities (NYSE: ARE) is a pioneer in life sciences property, owning large office/laboratory buildings and campuses in Boston; San Francisco; New York City; San Diego; North Carolina's Research Triangle; and Bethesda, Maryland. Among the major tenants of this San Diego-based real estate investment trust (REIT) are vaccine makers Pfizer and Moderna.

ALSO READ: These 4 REITs Are a Retiree's Best Friend

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) is the maker of the third COVID-19 vaccine that has seen widespread use so far, and it’s one of the world’s largest makers of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and consumer packaged goods. Based in Brunswick, New Jersey, Johnson & Johnson has been in business since 1886 and now has about 250 subsidiaries operating in 60 countries.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VRTX) isn't the household name that many in this list are, but the Boston-based biopharmaceutical company has made a name for itself by developing groundbreaking treatments for conditions including cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and some kidney diseases.

5 Stocks Under $49
Presented by Motley Fool Stock Advisor
We hear it over and over from investors, "I wish I had bought Amazon or Netflix when they were first recommended by The Motley Fool. I'd be sitting on a gold mine!" It's true, but we think these 5 other stocks are screaming buys. And you can buy them now for less than $49 a share! Click here to learn how you can grab a copy of "5 Growth Stocks Under $49" for FREE for a limited time only.

Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE: TMO) doesn't make drugs. It makes the stuff that other people use to make drugs. The Waltham, Massachusetts-based company has about 70,000 employees engaged in creating, manufacturing, and selling a vast range of laboratory products, analytical instruments, and specialty diagnostics tools for use in laboratories and on production lines alike.

ALSO READ: Investing in Life Sciences Stocks

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) was founded in Chicago, and it’s still based there. The company operates worldwide in four divisions -- established pharmaceutical products, diagnostic products, nutritional products, and medical devices -- and is responsible for a vast array of treatments, generic medications, and brand-name products including Glucerna and Pedialyte.

Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG) is best known for the da Vinci Surgical System, the Silicon Valley company’s flagship robotics-based technology for minimally invasive surgery. Among its other notable developments is its Ion endoluminal system for conducting biopsies of small, hard-to-reach nodules in the lung.

ALSO READ: Investing in Healthcare Stocks

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CRSP) is a gene-editing company based in Switzerland with Cambridge, Massachusetts, as the base for its U.S. research and development work. CRISPR's therapeutic programs are used to treat a range of common and rare diseases, including in the area of hemoglobinopathies, oncology, and regenerative medicine.

Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) lays claim to being the world’s largest producer of medical devices. The company is based in Minneapolis and Dublin, Ireland, and has a vast product line that includes insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring systems, pacemakers and stents, and surgical stapling devices.

5 Stocks Under $49
Presented by Motley Fool Stock Advisor
We hear it over and over from investors, "I wish I had bought Amazon or Netflix when they were first recommended by The Motley Fool. I'd be sitting on a gold mine!" It's true, but we think these 5 other stocks are screaming buys. And you can buy them now for less than $49 a share! Click here to learn how you can grab a copy of "5 Growth Stocks Under $49" for FREE for a limited time only.

Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) has grown from a 1980 Los Angeles start-up anchored by professors and researchers to one of the world's largest biotech companies. Its product lines include blockbusters such as Neulasta, used to prevent infections for chemotherapy patients, and Enbrel, a widely used treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.

ALSO READ: Investing in Biotech Stocks in 2022

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: REGN) develops, makes, and sells medicines worldwide aimed at treating a wide range of diseases. That includes macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, Ebola, and most recently, a widely used monoclonal antibody therapy for COVID-19. The company was founded in 1988 and is based in Westchester County just outside New York City.

Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) is 135 years old this year and is still based in New York City. The company is a worldwide leader in developing, manufacturing, and marketing biopharmaceutical therapies for use in hematology, oncology, fibrosis, neuroscience, cardiovascular, immunology, and now, COVID-19 treatment.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD) is based in Foster City, California, and focuses on creating antiviral drugs used to treat HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and influenza. Tamiflu is one of its best-known products, along with Vistide, used to treat eye infections in AIDS patients. Gilead Sciences also produced one of the first antivirals for treating COVID-19.

Last but far from least is Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY). Founded by Indiana druggist and Civil War veteran Eli Lilly in 1876, it is now one of the world's best-known developers and marketers of pharmaceuticals. Eli Lilly was the first mass producer of the Salk polio vaccine and insulin -- and one of the first to mass-produce penicillin -- and its later blockbusters include Prozac, Cialis, and COVID-19 antibody monoclonal therapies such as bamlanivimab.

5 Stocks Under $49
Presented by Motley Fool Stock Advisor
We hear it over and over from investors, "I wish I had bought Amazon or Netflix when they were first recommended by The Motley Fool. I'd be sitting on a gold mine!" It's true, but we think these 5 other stocks are screaming buys. And you can buy them now for less than $49 a share! Click here to learn how you can grab a copy of "5 Growth Stocks Under $49" for FREE for a limited time only.

The business of life sciences will continue to flourish as long as there's life and science. The stocks reviewed here are a mix of old and relatively new names, and it's just a glimpse of the investment opportunities this vast realm presents just among deeply established players alone.

Marc Rapport has positions in Alexandria Real Estate Equities. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends ABB, Bristol Myers Squibb, CRISPR Therapeutics, Intuitive Surgical, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The Motley Fool recommends Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Amgen, Gilead Sciences, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna Inc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.