Company

Bank

Analyst

Coverage

Opinion

Wk chg

4/16 cls

Acorda Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:ACOR)

Leerink

Joshua Schimmer

Upgrade

Market outperform (from market perform)

7%

$37.85

Schimmer upgraded based on feedback from multiple sclerosis specialists indicating Ampyra dalfampridine is "launching quickly and penetrating deeply in a highly concentrated MS population." He increased his sales estimate for 2010 and 2011 to $83M and $442M, respectively, from $66M and $253M. Acorda has rights to the sustained-release formulation of 4-aminopyridine drug from Elan Corp. plc (NYSE:ELN).

Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ALXN)

Jefferies

Eun Yang

Price target

Buy

0%

$54.87

Yang raised her target to $62 from $54 based a sales estimate assuming a Japanese approval for Soliris eculizumab to treat paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH); the approval followed two days after her note. She expects the humanized mAB targeting complement 5 (C5) could have $130M in annual sales in Japan. Soliris also is approved in Australia, Canada, the U.S. and EU to treat PNH (see B7).