Mark Vickery

Zacks Web Content Editor

312-265-9380

Visit: www.zacks.com

Zacks.com releases the latest Analyst Interview. Today's interview is with senior analyst Jason Napodano, who discusses Abbott Labs (NYSE: ABT), Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) and Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=2678.

Given the challenges in the market right now, are you seeing areas to invest in pharma / biotech?

Well, that's a good question, Mark, and the answer is absolutely we are. The ole "baby and bathwater" move seems to be the prevailing scenario in the market right now. But, I think things should settle down soon, so let's talk about two different strategies that we have right now for investors looking to put money to work in healthcare.

The first is the long-term, big, safe, blue-chip strategy. Here I really would recommend Abbott Labs (NYSE: ABT). It's our top-pick in large-cap pharmaceuticals. The stock has held up very well over the past three months in this turbulent market. In fact, it's actually up around 10% since mid-June.

The reasons we like Abbott are numerous, but the key points are simple. The core business is solid. Products such as Humira, TriCor, Kaletra and Niaspan are all growing double-digits. Humira is really picking up significant market share against Amgen's (Nasdaq: AMGN) Enbrel and J&J's (NYSE: JNJ) Remicade in the anti-inflammatory space. It's on track to become one of the top-five largest pharmaceutical products in the world over the next few years.

But besides the pharmaceutical business, Abbott's vascular, diagnostics and nutritional business are all also growing at double- digit rates. The company recent entered the drug-eluting stent (DES) market with its Xience V product. Based on clinical data, Xience V looks like the best product out there and should again significant share over the next few quarters against J&J's Cypher and Boston Scientific's (NYSE: BSX) Taxus. We think it could be No. 1 in market share by 2009. That's truly amazing considering Cypher and Taxus have been on the market for years now.

About Zacks Equity Research

Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.

Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.

Zacks Profit from the Pros e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today by visiting http://at.zacks.com/?id=2679.

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leonard Zacks. As a PhD in mathematics Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros at http:/ /at.zacks.com/?id=4581.

Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

Disclaimer: Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investors should always research companies and securities before making any investments. Nothing herein should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security.

(c) 2008 BUSINESS WIRE. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.