Booming Biotechnology Industry Continues to Impress Investors in 2012

NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwire) -- 07/12/12 -- Despite the recent economic slowdown, the Biotech Industry has been home to some of the strongest performers in the market in 2012. The SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (XBI) and the First Trust NYSE Arca Biotech Index ETF (FBT) year-to-date are up 35 percent and 33 percent, respectively. As the world continues to face evolving health challenges the discoveries of new therapeutics and vaccines are critical. Five Star Equities examines the outlook for companies in the Biotech Industry and provides equity research on Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACHN) and AVI BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVII).

Access to the full company reports can be found at:

www.FiveStarEquities.com/ACHN
www.FiveStarEquities.com/AVII

Expiring patents have been a major dilemma for pharmaceutical companies. New products that are being introduced are not expected to generate the same level of revenues of the products that have lost patent protection. The Obama administration is currently analyzing a proposal in which the exclusivity period for biologics would be cut down by 5 years. Mergers & Acquisitions activity is expected to pick up in 2012 as companies scramble to look to make up for lost revenues. M&A allow companies to acquire products that are already proven in the market place without the hassle and costs associated with research and development.

"Many of the pharmaceutical companies started producing everything in-house out of their own R&D organizations and over time they've failed to produce enough that way. So the industry is now coalescing around a 50-50 model of half on your own and half bought in. There are some things we'll do for ourselves but we need to be constantly on the lookout for new technologies," said Angus Russell, Chief Executive of Shire PLC.

Five Star Equities releases regular market updates on companies in the Biotech Industry so investors can stay ahead of the crowd and make the best investment decisions to maximize their returns. Take a few minutes to register with us free at www.FiveStarEquities.com and get exclusive access to our numerous stock reports and industry newsletters.

Achillion is an innovative biopharmaceutical company dedicated to bringing important new treatments to patients with infectious disease. Achillion is focused on solutions for the most challenging problems in infectious disease -- HCV and resistant bacterial infections. The Company's focus is currently on developing three clinical candidates for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection.

AVI BioPharma is focused on the discovery and development of novel RNA-based therapeutics for rare and infectious diseases, as well as other select disease targets. Applying pioneering technologies developed and optimized by AVI, the company is able to target a broad range of diseases and disorders through distinct RNA-based mechanisms of action.

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