ASCO - A Big Deal For Biotechs (Pt 2)

This is the second of three articles previewing the ASCO meetings in Chicago next week.

One of the major biotech events of the year is fast approaching. The annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) will take place in Chicago June 4-8. This event is like Woodstock for biotechnology - if Woodstock were clean, air-conditioned and had plenty of restrooms. If you invest in biotechs or pharmaceuticals that want to play in the huge and well-reimbursed world of oncology, this is one of the major events of the year.

Ahead of the meeting, ASCO releases a list of abstracts that scientists and companies will present. In some cases, these abstracts give away at least most of the story (efficacy, safety, etc.), while other abstracts are embargoed until the meeting itself. In any case, investors can still look forward to follow-up data (abstracts are submitted well ahead of the meeting), and often the amount of attention garnered by a presentation reflects overall interest in the compound. (For more, see Stocks On Drugs: What It Takes To Get High.)

To read the full text of Part 2, please continue on to: 
http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2010/ASCO---A-Big-Deal-For-Biotechs-BMY-ARIA-ARQL-KERX-AEZS-NKTR-VNDA0527.aspx