National Health Investors: Shelter from the hurricane

These days it is hard to know where to put your money. Enter National Health Investors (NYSE:NHI). | NYSE: NHI |Comment

SXC Health Solutions: A clean bill of health

The way SXC Health Solutions (Nasdaq:SXCI) sees it, even through current market malaise, the company is standing firm with its feet planted in two complementary arenas. | Nasdaq: SXCI |Comment

The Medicines Company: Good for what ails you

If financial headlines are making you queasy, The Medicines Company (Nasdaq:MDCO) has something for what ails you: a strong dose of good news. | Nasdaq: MDCO |Comment

Kendle International: Clinicial trials and tribulations

Kendle International (Nasdaq:KNDL) has established itself in reputation and in performance as a leading clinical research organization. | Nasdaq: KNDL |Comment

Allion Healthcare: Taking care of business

Not only is Allion Healthcare (Nasdaq:ALLI) taking care of business, the business of healthcare may just take extra good care of it. | Nasdaq: ALLI |Comment

Volcano Corp.: Not exactly dormant

While the rest of the market looks like Pompeii after Mount Vesuvius erupted, Volcano Corp. (Nasdaq:VOLC) has not buried its shareholders. Instead the small cap is growing against all odds. | Nasdaq: VOLC |Comment

Shamir Optical: Beginning to see the light

Shares of Shamir Optical Industry (Nasdaq:SHMR) have literally seen better days, but it's now starting to flex its optic muscles, turning in first-half 2008 results that suggest an end to the lows... | Nasdaq: SHMR |Comment

CONMED: Putting the competition under the knife

An aging population and increased spending on medical care has meant big money for CONMED Corporation (Nasdaq:CNMD). | Nasdaq: CNMD |Comment

Gentiva Health Services: The cat's pajamas

Would you rather spend your remaining days in your own bed with your cat at your feet, or in a sterile room with a sing-along piano across the hall? Gentiva Health (Nasdaq:GTIV) is betting on the cat. | Nasdaq: GTIV |Comment

GoAmerica up 21% in pre-market trading after Q2 earnings

GoAmerica, Inc. (Nasdaq:GOAM) was up 21% to $8.70 in pre-market trading following the 8:00 a.m. ET release of second-quarter earnings. | Nasdaq: GOAM |Comment

Syneron spikes on Q2 earnings that beat Street estimates

Shares of Syneron Medical Ltd. (Nasdaq:ELOS) were up 5% this morning after the company reported before the opening second-quarter earnings and revenue that topped analysts’ estimates. | Nasdaq: ELOS |Comment

Healthy outlook for Sinovac Biotech

One player in China's race to innovate the biotechnology industry is Sinovac Biotech Ltd. (AMEX:SVA). | AMEX: SVA |Comment

Idera Pharmaceuticals: On simmer

People say Idera Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:IDRA) is interesting, promising, an intriguing trailblazer. But, like last night’s fish dinner, look how they push the plate away. | Nasdaq: IDRA |Comment

LHC Group: The leader in home-health care

It doesn’t take a CAT scan to figure out the U.S. health-care system is sick. Companies such as LHC Group Inc. might be the prescription to help make it--as well as your portfolio--better. | Nasdaq: LHCG |Comment

LHC Group

It doesn’t take a CAT scan to figure out the U.S. health-care system is sick. Companies such as LHC Group Inc. might be the prescription to help make it--and your portfolio--better. | Nasdaq: LHCG |Comment

Micromet: Taking a BiTE out of cancer

Micromet’s success hinges on its BiTE antibody technology platform, which is designed to direct the body’s cell-destroying T cells against tumor cells. It may be on to something. | Nasdaq: MITI |Comment

athenahealth Inc.: A smooth operator

athenahealth Inc.'s (Nasdaq:ATHN) business software and services are selling so fast that surgical precision will be needed to meet high expectations. | Nasdaq: ATHN |Comment

USANA gains 9% on lawsuit settlement

USANA Health Sciences Inc. (Nasdaq:USNA) is up 9% today after the company said before the opening that it had settled its lawsuit with Barry Minkow and his Fraud Discovery Institute. | Nasdaq: USNA |Comment

Affymetrix tumbles after swinging to Q2 loss

Genetic analysis systems developer and manufacturer Affymetrix Inc. (Nasdaq:AFFX) is off 28% today after announcing after the close on Thursday that its second quarter earnings had swung to a loss. | Nasdaq: AFFX |Comment

Quidel reports better-than-expected Q2 results; shares up 11%

Diagnostic solutions provider Quidel Corporation (Nasdaq:QDEL) is up 11% in today’s trading after posting better-than-expected second quarter results after the close on Wednesday. | Nasdaq: QDEL |Comment

GE to buy Vital Signs for $860M; Vital Signs shares up 25% in pre-market

Medical device maker Vital Signs Inc. (Nasdaq:VITL) is up 25% in pre-market trading today after General Electric Co. (NYSE:GE) announced it would buy the company for $860 million. | Nasdaq: VITL |Comment

Check on China: 3SBio Inc.

One Chinese company capitalizing on the spike in health-care spending while avoiding drug safety problems is 3SBio Inc. (Nasdaq:SSRX), a biopharmaceutical products company that specializes in... | Nasdaq: SSRX |Comment

Prestige Brands drops 14% on bleak Q1 outlook

Prestige Brands Holdings Inc. (NYSE:PBH) has lost more than 14% in today’s trading after announcing before the open its first-quarter revenues and net income will decline 7% from the previous year. | NYSE: PBH |Comment

Sector Watch: Home health-care stocks

Many of today’s elderly, disabled or ailing may not choose to spend countless months in hospitals or clinics. Now they have the option of in-home care by companies including Almost Family Inc.... | Nasdaq: AFAM |Comment

Acura Pharmaceuticals: To the rescue

Hooked on oxycodone, morphine, codeine or tramadol? Acura Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:ACUR) is on the way, intent on saving the world from addiction while defeating acute pain. | Nasdaq: ACUR |Comment

Allos Therapeutics hits 52-week high after advancing bladder cancer study

Biopharmaceutical company Allos Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:ALTH) said before the opening today it had started its phase two study of its drug pralatrexate in patients with advanced or metastatic... | Nasdaq: ALTH |Comment

Power Medical up 14% in pre-market on successful incision-free procedure demonstration

Power Medical Interventions Inc. (Nasdaq:PMII) is up more than 14% in pre-market trading after announcing earlier in the day the successful demonstration of incision-free bowel resection and... | Nasdaq: PMII |Comment

Medivation drug shows positive results in Alzheimer’s patients; shares up 3% in pre-market

Biopharmaceutical company Medivation Inc. (Nasdaq:MDVN) said after Thursday’s close it had positive results in its testing of the drug Dimebon in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. | Nasdaq: MDVN |Comment

Acura Pharmaceuticals: Climbing onto institutional investors' radar

More than 75 million Americans suffer from pain — more than the number of people with diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined. | Nasdaq: ACUR |Comment

Almost Family up 5% after securing $75M line of credit

Home health service provider Almost Family Inc. (Nasdaq:AFAM) is up 5% today to a 52-week high after the company announced Wednesday it had secured a new senior multi-bank facility, worth $75... | Nasdaq: AFAM |Comment

eResearch Tech drops 13% on analyst downgrade

eResearch Technology Inc. (Nasdaq:ERES) is down more than 13% today after analysts at Leerink Swann downgraded the company to “underperform” from “market perform.” | Nasdaq: ERES |Comment

Merit Medical up 6% to 52-week high on analyst upgrade

Merit Medical Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:MMSI) is up 6% today after analysts at C.L. King upgraded the company to “accumulate” from “neutral.” | Nasdaq: MMSI |Comment

ViroPharma tumbles 20% on announcement of Lev Pharma acquisition

ViroPharma Incorporated (Nasdaq:VPHM) is down more than 20% today after announcing before the opening it would acquire Lev Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OTC:LEVP) for $443 million in cash and stock. | Nasdaq: VPHM |Comment

Aceto sales reach $100M in Q4, sets new quarterly record for the company

Aceto Corporation (Nasdaq:ACET) reported ahead of the opening today that its fourth quarter fiscal 2008 sales had soared past $100 million, a new quarterly record for the company. | Nasdaq: ACET |Comment

Dyax enters into negotiation period with Dompe for European license for DX-88

Dyax Corp. (Nasdaq:DYAX) announced ahead of today’s opening it had entered an exclusive negotiation period with Dompe Farmaceutici S.p.A. for a European license to DX-88 in angioedema indications. | Nasdaq: DYAX |Comment

Luminex inks licensing deal with ViroNovative for intellectual property

Luminex Corporation (Nasdaq:LMNX) announced today it had signed a licensing agreement that gives it the rights to use ViroNovative BV’s human metapneumovirus intellectual property. | Nasdaq: LMNX |Comment

Sequenom jumps 7% to 52-week high on lifted price target

Sequenom Inc. (Nasdaq:SQNM) is up more than 7% to a 52-week high in today’s trading after Lazard Capital raised its price target to $26 from $20. | Nasdaq: SQNM |Comment

Cardiome Pharma up 30% in pre-market on positive drug trial results

Cardiome Pharma Corp. (Nasdaq:CRME) shares are up more than 30% in pre-market trading today after the company’s early report of positive clinical results from its Phase 2b study of vernakalant, a... | Nasdaq: CRME |Comment

Hi-Tech Pharma up 11% on profitable Q4 earnings

Hi-Tech Pharmacal Co. (Nasdaq:HITK) is up more than 11% today after the company reported ahead of the opening that its fourth-quarter earnings had swung to a profit. | Nasdaq: HITK |Comment

Momenta Pharma up 12% on FDA acceptance of application for generic drug

Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq:MNTA) is up nearly 12% in trading today after the biopharmaceutical company announced ahead of the opening that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration accepted... | Nasdaq: MNTA |Comment

Repros Therapeutics up on positive results from drug trial

Repros Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:RPRX) is trading 6% higher today after the company announced ahead of the opening its uterus drug Proellex showed a substantial decrease in pain in patients during... | Nasdaq: RPRX |Comment

Micrus Endovascular gets approval to market Cerecyte microcoils in Japan

Micrus Endovascular Corporation (Nasdaq:MEND) is 11% higher in today’s pre-market trading after the medical device manufacturer announced earlier in the day it had received approval to market its... | Nasdaq: MEND |Comment

Check on China: China Medical Technologies, Inc.

See why investing in biotech company China Medical Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:CMED) could prove to be a healthy move. | Nasdaq: CMED |1 Comment

CardioNet: Charting its own course

CardioNet Inc. (Nasdaq:BEAT) has developed a real-time, outpatient heart monitor that's a quantum leap forward for the industry. | Nasdaq: BEAT |Comment

Medivation shares rise in pre-market on positive results in drug trial

Medivation Inc. (Nasdaq:MDVN) is up more than 3% in pre-market trading today after the biopharmaceutical company announced after the close on Monday that Dimebon, an investigational drug, had... | Nasdaq: MDVN |Comment

Noven Pharma sheds 10% on analyst downgrade

Noven Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq:NOVN) is down 10% today after analysts and Jeffries & Co. downgraded the Miami, Fla.-based specialty pharmaceutical company to “underperform” from “hold.” | Nasdaq: NOVN |Comment

Orthofix falls 10% to 52-week low after analyst downgrade

Orthofix International N.V. (Nasdaq:OFIX) is down more than 10% today after analysts at Wachovia downgraded the orthopedics products company to “market perform” from “outperform.” | Nasdaq: OFIX |Comment

ARYx Therapeutics falls 18% after Procter & Gamble ends collaboration

Shares of ARYx Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:ARYX) dropped more than 18% Thursday after the biopharmaceutical company announced late Wednesday that consumer goods giant The Procter & Gamble Company... | Nasdaq: ARYX |Comment

Chindex receives Chinese regulatory approval; shares up 17% in pre-market

Chindex International Inc. (Nasdaq:CHDX) announced late Wednesday that it had received regulatory approval from China’s State Food and Drug Administration to sell new products, including the... | Nasdaq: CHDX |Comment

Northstar Neuroscience gains 23% on takeover offer

Northstar Neuroscience Inc. (Nasdaq:NSTR) shares soared 23% Wednesday after Tang Capital Partners made an offer to acquire the development stage medical device company. | Nasdaq: NSTR |Comment