Penny stocks are high risk, and because the health care industry is one of the most volatile areas even for large companies, biotech penny stocks carry higher risk than most. Medical penny stocks are attractive because investors who do their research can experience significant, rapid growth when they invest in the right small biotech firm. On the flip side, these small companies can quickly lose their market shares to more established competitors, especially if they experience slow sales.

What Are the Best Biotech Penny Stocks?

To mitigate risk, stick to firms that have an established track record in marketing and product development. When you put your money in medical penny stocks, keep a close watch for factors that may impact value, such as a surge of new competition or high-profile product failure. Review the company’s financials regularly to get an early glimpse of potential red flags.

Favor companies that have various products in different stages of development, which increases the chance that one of their Phase II programs will successfully come to market. Partnerships with larger firms can also boost the value of pharmaceutical penny stocks. Innovative treatments and drugs are also a good indicator that a small company will succeed long-term.

Investors who want to profit from biotech penny stocks have to be ready to play the long game. Brand-new drugs can take a full decade to go through clinical testing and FDA approval so they can land on the drugstore shelves. In addition, between 85% and 95% of new medications never make it to market because they fail either FDA approval or clinical testing. If you can wait out the volatility, however, you may be able to take advantage of significant unexpected gains.

These hot biotech penny stocks are a good place to start for investors who want to explore the potential rewards of this industry.

1. Adamis Pharmaceuticals
2. Agenus
3. China Pharma Holdings
4. Curis
5. Galena Biopharma
6. Ignyta Inc.
7. Immune Pharmaceuticals
8. Neuralstem, Inc.
9. Novavax

1. Adamis Pharmaceuticals

Based in San Diego, Adamis Pharmaceuticals is currently seeking FDA endorsement for an epinephrine syringe formulated in a prefilled version to treat hypersensitivity reactions. Because the company’s main competitor, Mylan, is currently under investigation for increasing the price of its similar product by more than 450% to $600 since 2004, this may be a good time for Adamis to claim a share of the market. In light of this news, the penny stock‘s price jumped by 13%, resulting in a trade volume of 6.63 million shares.

In addition, Adamis received a recent U.S. patent for Taper DPI, a medical device designed to allow patients to inhale dry powder treatments. The product is also patented in Europe.

2. Agenus

This small immuno-oncology biotech firm specializes in innovative drugs, such as an immunization adjuvant in development in collaboration with pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline. However, most of Agenus’s medications are in the preclinical stage, though the company has the benefit of major partners such as Incyte and Merck. Current products in the pipeline include antibodies under investigation to treat intestinal illness and shingles. The former drug, Mosquirix, would be the first medication of its kind to treat intestinal sickness and has been endorsed by both the World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency.

3. China Pharma Holdings

This Chinese biotech firm specializes in products and treatments for infectious diseases, neurological diseases, and cardiovascular issues. Most of its assets are currently receivables, so keep in mind that they may not necessarily collect the full value of those receivables when deciding whether to invest in China Pharma Holdings. However, many investors were pleased by the stock’s sharp breakout early in 2018 and hope that as the firm releases more drugs, the stock price will skyrocket again. If you are able to wait out the volatility, you may be able to take advantage of significant returns.
Be aware of geopolitical factors that could affect the stock price of China Pharma. Familiarize yourself with the close control of the Chinese government over firms based in the country.
Although this firm currently has low cash reserves, it’s expanding into several new markets, including health products. For example, at the end of 2018 they released Ararato, an alternative aging treatment made from noni enzyme, a popular ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine.

4. Curis

This biotech firm specializes in new cancer treatment medications, including research and development in collaboration with other major pharma companies. Its first drug with Food and Drug Administration approval, Erivedge, is prescribed to treat basal cell carcinoma in Europe, the United States, and several other nations. Fimepinostat, another drug, has been fast-tracked for clinical trials by the FDA.

With this investment, be aware of changes in stock price based on the results of drug trials and the FDA approval process. Although profits have been minimal because many of this firm’s products are still in the R&D phase, several new products are expected to hit the market soon, making this one of the best pharmaceutical penny stocks to set your sights on this year. Curis currently has two drugs in the pre-clinical phase and two in the clinical phase, in addition to those mentioned above.
Although Curis has displayed high volatility that may scare off risk-adverse investors, you can also take advantage of support levels to create a strong position. If you’re not sure, continue tracking the progress of the drugs currently in development from this firm.

5. Galena Biopharma

With a business sector cap of $240 million, Galena has one of the strongest showings among biotech penny stocks. Its innovative tumor immunization drug, NeuVax, is currently in phase 3 of clinical trials and is expected to gain a market share of at least $5 billion once it hits shelves. This company has proved its mettle as one of the biggest Russell 2000 gainers with an increase of 6.64% and nearly 2 million shares exchanged. The relative strength index (RSI) is 39.75, and the stock has an instability rating of 7.33% on a monthly basis.

6. Ignyta Inc.

With a $420 million market cap, Ignyta specializes in integrated diagnostic tests and treatments for oncology care. The firm gets attention for its streamlined basket model of clinical trials, which utilizes aggressive marketing and development, a large new product pipeline, and multiple points of data. Positive results on its recent products show significant promise for reducing the size of cancerous tumors. However, investors should be aware of the risk inherent in this company’s lack of liquidity.

7. Immune Pharmaceuticals

With a multifaceted program to develop immuno-oncology drugs to fight malignant tumors, Immune Pharmaceuticals boasts some of the most robust talent in the industry, including transfers from the Pfizer Oncology Research Unit. With aggressive pipeline growth, the company has gained note for Ceplene, which is used in Europe to treat regression in adults who have a poor prognosis with acute myeloid leukemia. This drug is currently in Phase 3 testing.

8. Neuralstem, Inc.

This biopharm organization specializes in focal sensory system treatments and has demonstrated significant clinical advancement with its main compound, NSI-189, which is currently in a second phase of testing. Neuralstem gained attention in 2016 when it earned $9.1 million from a private securities arrangement. The same year, the company restructed and refocused its methodology in order to streamline costs.

Early information on another compound by this firm, NSI-566, was presented at the annual meeting of the American Neurological Association in fall 2015. Eva Feldman, MD, PhD, Director of the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute and Director of Research of the ALS Clinic at the University of Michigan Health, is leading the clinical trials for this promising drug. A third compound, MDD, is currently in the second phase of clinical trials with about 225 test subjects.

9. Novavax

This hot pharmaceutical penny stock pick specializes in vaccines for individuals throughout the lifespan, including everyone from infants to the oldest seniors. Novavax is a smart choice for those concerned about investing in brand-new companies, since it was founded way back in 1987. Since then, the firm has introduced vaccines for prevention of various illnesses, including the Zika virus, the Ebola virus, and the seasonal flu.
Despite setbacks in the Novavax stock price in late 2017 and early 2018, this firm’s reputation is bolstered by the vaccines it currently has in development. For example, the company is currently working on a vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which is an often fatal illness affecting pediatric patients all over the world. Another product, the NanoFlu virus, is currently in the testing phase and shows promise, demonstrating that it is significantly more effective than the current flu vaccine and is well-tolerated by older adults.
As with all biotech penny stocks, keep an eye on clinical and FDA approval to get the full picture for this investment.