By George Liu - May 30, 2012 | Tickers: ALXN | 0 Comments

George is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinions of our bloggers and are not formally edited.

The Overview

On May 24, 2012, Alexion Pharmaceuticals(NASDAQ: ALXN) became the latest company to be included in the S&P 500 index, replacing Motorola Mobility (which has been acquired by Google). Upon news of this selection, Alexion's stock gained 5.2%, an increase which follows a long string of successes for the company and its stock. In fact, Alexion Pharmaceuticals has seen its stock price rise 29.3% YTD on positive developments such as its 2012 first quarter results.

On Tuesday, April 24, Alexion Pharmaceuticals announced its 2012 first quarter results. Its EPS handily beat estimates by $0.07 while its revenue of $245M beat estimates by $4M and constituted a 47.3% YOY gain. Net profit also increased 69% to $45.4M. These results show the continued strength of Alexion Pharmaceutical's core business and are positive indicators of Alexion Pharmaceutical's ability to grow and develop in the future.

The Niche

Alexion Pharmaceuticals is abiopharmaceutical company with a $17.28B market cap that generates revenues through its development of "orphan drugs" for ultra-rare and severe disorders. Orphan drugs, as mentioned on my analysis of Salix Pharmaceuticalshere, arepharmaceutical agents developed specifically to treat rare medical conditions. These drugs gain special exclusivity rights from the government; companies that successfully develop orphan drugs can usually market them for seven years without market competition. Alexion Pharmaceutical's orphan drug and key profit-driver is a drug known as Soliris.

Soliris is a drug approved in the US, EU, and Japan for patients with a rare blood disease known as PNH. Moreover, it is also approved in the US and EU as the first and, currently, only treatment for patients with a genetic disease known as aHUS. Soliris is the bread-and-butter for Alexion Pharmaceuticals, and it seen significant demand. In fact, in the first quarter of 2012, Alexion reported net product sales of Soliris increasing 47% YOY to $244.7M. The number of patients using Soliris for PNH continue to rise, especially in Alexion's core territories of the US, Western Europe, and Japan. The sales of Soliris will also be positively affected by of another significant catalyst:Alexion expects to begin serving aHUS patients with Soliris in initial European countries later in 2012. This will mark the opening up of an entirely new market of aHUS patients that will greatly benefit from Soliris.Moreover, other areas of treatment Soliris could be utilized for are currently being explored; recently published studies in theNew England Journal of Medicinehighlighted the success of Soliris in treating rare kidney diseases.

Although Soliris is Alexion's marquee drug, Alexion is currently expanding its other avenues of profitability, mainly through acquisitions and research. On December 28, Alexion agreed to acquire biotech firm Enobia for $1.08B. With its purchase of Enobia, Alexion gained full worldwide development and commercial rights to Enobia's lead product candidate, asfotase alfa. This treatmentwas awarded orphan drug designation in the U.S. and EU in 2008 and Fast Track status in the U.S. in 2009. Current clinical trials of asfotase alfa, which is in Phase II clinical development, show positive results. Alexion also currently has "lead development programs underway with five highly innovative therapeutics, including eculizumab (Soliris), being investigated across eight severe and ultra-rare disorders beyond PNH and aHUS." These trials as well as the acquisition of Enobia stand to significantly expand Alexion's pipeline and decrease its dependence on its flagship drug Soliris.

The Results

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Potential in Alexion Pharmaceuticals

A short philosophical history of personal music

If you are reading this on a computer, there is an excellent chance that you are wearing, or are within arm's reach of, a pair of headphones or earbuds.

To visit a modern office place is to walk into a room with a dozen songs playing simultaneously but to hear none of them. Up to half of workers listen to music on their headphones, and the vast majority thinks it makes us better at our jobs. In survey after survey, we report with confidence that music makes us happier, better at concentrating, and more productive.

Science says we're full of it. Listening to music hurts our ability to recall other stimuli, and any pop song -- loud or soft -- reduces overall performance for both extraverts and introverts. A Taiwanese study linked music with lyrics to lower scores on concentration tests for college students, and other research have shown music with words scrambles our brains' verbal-processing skills. "As silence had the best overall performance it would still be advisable that people work in silence," one report dryly concluded.

If headphones are so bad for productivity, why do so many people at work have headphones? And why are our bosses letting us drive ourselves to distraction?

There is an economic answer: The United States has moved from a farming/manufacturing economy to a service economy, and more jobs "demand higher levels of concentration, reflection and creativity." This leads to a logistical answer: With 70 percent of office workers in cubicles or open work spaces, it's more important to create one's own cocoon of sound. That brings us to a psychological answer: There is evidence that music relaxes our muscles, improves our mood, and can even moderately reduce blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety. What music steals in acute concentration, it returns to us in the form of good vibes.

That brings us finally to our final cultural answer: Headphones give us absolute control over our audio-environment, allowing us to privatize our public spaces. This is an important development for dense office environments in a service economy. But it also represents nothing less than a fundamental shift in humans' basic relationship to music.

A SHORT HISTORY OF PRIVATE MUSIC

In 1910, the Radio Division of the U.S. Navy received a freak letter from Salt Lake City written in purple ink on blue-and-pink paper. Whoever opened the envelope probably wasn't expecting to read the next Thomas Edison. But the invention contained within represented the apotheosis of one of Edison's more famous, and incomplete, discoveries: the creation of sound from electrical signals.

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How Headphones Changed the World

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YKsZpH7r1I

29-05-2012 21:38 Ja`el is giving Life Coaching Lesson on the beach about living a life filled with peace and serenity. To book your Life Changing-Life Coaching sessions today, email me @ Follow me @jaelthegreat. Thank you.

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How to live a life of PEACE and SERENITY-Book your Life Coaching Sessions Today - Video

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark., May 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- TCM, Inc. d/b/a NWA Executive Coaching Solutions, an executive coaching, leadership development,and team building organization, has been awarded a GSA Schedule 874 contract and are now certified to provide services to the Federal Government. Acknowledging the growth in federal spending through the General Services Administration (GSA), NWA Executive Coaching Solutions has placed their professional services on the government's electronic ordering system, GSA Advantage!.

"As a women owned small business, the opportunity to service federal agencies and help them take control of some of their costs opens up significantly more markets throughout the country," states Teresa Ray, President and Senior Executive Coach at NWA Executive Coaching Solutions. She continues, "Coaching is most effective when practiced in person, on the client's turf and over several months. Our company can now expand our reach beyond the federal level to numerous state and municipal governments throughout the country as they will be able to take advantage of our services at set government pricing and enjoy the same leadership development, team building, and coaching services as private enterprise."

NWA Executive Coaching Solutions provides top-tier coaching and organizational development services. They consider themselves the athletic coaches of the business world. Ms. Ray adds: "While a senior executive may possess all of the fundamental hard skills they need to succeed, often times they may need to fine tune the soft people skills in order to be a more effective leader; outside guidance and coaching gives them another perspective that raises their level of effective leadership and helps guide the company's growth." NWA Executive Coaching Solutions provides Executive, Personal, Team, and Career Coaching as well as facilitating and training in areas such as Leadership, Conflict Resolution, Change Management, Building High Performance Teams, and a host of other workshops and customized services.

About NWA Executive Coaching Solutions: NWA Executive Coaching Solutions emphasizes Leadership, Emotional/Social Intelligence, Effective Communication, and High Performing Teams. They build on their client's strengths and help them to reach their peak performance while maintaining a valuable work/life balance. A founding partner of the John C. Maxwell Team, the company's president, Teresa Ray, is also an adjunct professor at the University of Arkansas, College of Education, where she lectures on leadership and effective team building. Visit: http://www.nwacoach.com for more information.

Contact for NWA Executive Coaching Solutions: Teresa Ray, President at 479.966.9102

GSA Applications managed the tender process on behalf of NWA Executive Coaching Solutions, facilitating the application preparation, submission and negotiations with government buyers at the GSA. With over 800 schedules awarded to date, Tampa FL based GSA Applications leverages its industry-leading experience and in-house staff of specialists to deliver professional government marketing services to businesses. Visit http://www.gsaapplications.com for more information.

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NW Arkansas Executive Coaching Solutions Secures GSA Award, Expands Reach

Last weekend marked the 35th anniversary of the release of George Lucas cultural phenomenon Star Wars. How I got to age 50 without seeing it I dont know, but I decided to finally watch the famed trilogy because a kindred spirit told me I would particularly enjoy it at this point in my life.

He was absolutely correct. The spiritual aspects were like a golden sermon from a wise preacher and, frankly, would have been lost on me 35 years ago. Or maybe Im selling myself a little short.

If you strike me down Ill become more powerful than you could possibly imagine, Obi-Wan Kenobi says to Darth Vader.

That kind of thinking has been motivating me for a long time. I just had never thought to actually voice it in such a spectacular way. It ebbs and flows, comes and goes.

Star Wars was a reminder, but this feeling came roaring back over the last week from another source, too. I received a request from a sweet high school student to be interviewed for a project she was working on about a career as a journalist/columnist. She sent me 10 questions to answer and I really enjoyed providing her with thoughtful, informative answers.

But what also emerged from the project, in reading between the lines of how some of her questions were worded, was a distinct feeling she was being discouraged from a writing career by one or more of the adults in her life. Suddenly it brought to mind that feeling of charting my own career path over the years and how I had to keep doing what I thought best despite those who -- lets be real -- had no idea what was best for me and my life.

Make no mistake about it, I have had some stellar mentoring and nurturing support in my career, and I have immense gratitude around that. But I learned very early on that its crucial to take all the counsel under advisement and then do what you want really, need to do. This is about big moments, big picture, and big decisions that ultimately rest with us. I can tick off choices I made that didnt seem all that smart to anyone else. I regret not one of them.

That is what I was thinking about when I hit send on the email to that student. I hoped she would read between my lines and follow her gut regardless of what anyone else thought. Further, the more I pondered it, I hoped my dear student would take that Obi-Wan Kenobi quote, print it in big bold letters and hang it next to her desk. Or wear it on a shirt. Maybe memorize it and unholster it like a light saber when someone questions why she wants to be a writer when there are better paying jobs. Or discourages her in any way from pursuing what clearly interests her.

What a fun club that is, the well-paid, miserable, slave to material possessions set. Cruise through some neighborhoods with perfect lawns and 2.3 cars in the driveway and take a peek behind the walls there are some sad, stuck souls behind them. Theyre the ones who went the societal or parental pressure route instead of the guy next door who became an accountant because he actually has a mind for numbers.

The key is to pursue a life purpose, to develop a natural skill or interest and see where it takes you. It doesnt have to all be mapped out in advance. It doesnt have to follow anyone elses prescribed route. When I was in college and even working in my field already, there was no Internet. I could not have prepared for the precise work I am doing now because I couldnt have known it would even exist. Who knows what technology will bring 20 to 30 years after todays students graduate?

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Life Advice From Obi-Wan Kenobi

BloodCenter of Wisconsin

Blood Drive: Racine Moose Lodge, 5530 Middle Road, Caledonia, 2-7 p.m. June 4. Donors must be age 17 (or 16 with parental consent), in good health and have a photo ID. Names of those who attempt to make a donation will be entered in a drawing to win the opportunity to deliver the first pitch at a Milwaukee Brewers baseball game. To schedule an appointment, call Graham Insurance at (262) 637-4468. Walk-ins are welcome.

American Red Cross

Classes are held at the Red Cross, 4521 Taylor Ave., Mount Pleasant. Register online at http://www.redcross.org or call (888) 733-2767.

CPR/AED for the Professional: This comprehensive training gives professional responders the knowledge and skills necessary to work as an emergency medical responder until more advanced medical personnel take over. 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. June 9. Fee: $110.

CPR/AED Adult: Learn how to give immediate care to a suddenly injured or ill person until more advanced medical personnel arrive. 6-9:15 p.m. June 13. Fee: $90.

Midwest College of Oriental Medicine

Lecture and Open House: Lecture topic is Eating for the Summer Season. Tour the campus and learn about offered programs. Refreshments will be served. Noon-2 p.m. June 10, Midwest College of Oriental Medicine, 6232 Bankers Road, Mount Pleasant. Free. For reservations, call (800) 593-2320 or email mwc2010@aol.com.

City of Racine Health Department

Immunization Clinics and TB tests: The City of Racine offers walk-in immunization clinics in the City Hall Room 4, 730 Washington Ave., from 1:30-4 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of the month.

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Health & Fitness File, May 30

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

As part of its long-standing commitment to improving the health and well-being of older adult members, Highmark Inc. has agreed to a two-year extension through 2013 to offer the Healthways (HWAY) SilverSneakers Fitness Program to eligible members. SilverSneakers, an exercise program designed to keep older adults active and healthy, is offered to more than 460,000 eligible Highmark Medicare Advantage members in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Using proven methodologies based upon more than 16 years of science and outcomes, the SilverSneakers Fitness Program increases physical activity in older adults, resulting in higher well-being and lower health care costs. The program engages participants in active behavior change through access to a variety of physical activity venues and senior-specific programming that incorporates physical activity, nutrition and cognitive and social experiences.

In some of our service areas, Highmark is the only health insurance provider to offer SilverSneakers, and this relationship provides a value-added benefit that ultimately keeps our members healthy and happy, said Cindy Dellecker, senior vice president of Highmark Senior Markets.

Recent findings from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index indicate that older adults participating in SilverSneakers enjoy significantly higher overall well-being despite the increasing disease burden that comes with old age. A study in a recent edition of Population Health Managementalso indicates that respondents with higher well-being scores demonstrate lower utilization and hospital admittance rates.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index findings demonstrate that we are on the right track by addressing the well-being among older adults in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, as lower well-being directly influences health status and utilization of health services, said Ben R. Leedle, Jr., Healthways president and chief executive officer. By continuing to offer SilverSneakers to its Medicare Advantage members, Highmark is demonstrating their ongoing commitment to their older adult members through a time-tested, proven solution that provides a unique combination of exercise and social support to improve not only the physical health of their members, but also their overall well-being.

Highmark has provided SilverSneakers access to eligible Medicare Advantage members since January 1, 2004. In 2011, more than 50 percent of new Highmark enrollees stated that their SilverSneakers membership was their first fitness center membership, with 70 percent citing personal health concerns as their reason for joining.

The SilverSneakers Fitness Program was founded in 1993 and serves more than 9 million eligible members. The Healthways fitness center network offers convenient access to 14,000 participating fitness and wellness facilities nationwide.

About Highmark

Highmark Inc., based in Pittsburgh, is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans. Highmark serves 4.9 million members in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware through the company's health care benefits business and is one of the largest Blue plans in the nation. Highmark has 20,000 employees across the country and provides a broad range of health and wellness related services through subsidiary and affiliate companies. For more information, visit http://www.highmark.com.

Continued here:
Highmark Extends Relationship with Healthways to Continue to Offer SilverSneakers® Fitness Program Through 2013

Quincy Bioscience is providing a free online memory testing resource available for anyone wishing to track their memory performance over time. Information is available at http://www.freeonlinememorytest.com

MADISON, Wis., May 30, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Quincy Bioscience, the makers of Prevagen(R), celebrate National Senior Health and Fitness Day by advocating for senior health and announcing a brand new free resource for your memory.

Senior Health and Fitness Day (May 30, 2012) is a day of the year when the public turns it eyes towards our most valuable asset; our senior generation. It is important to note the latest research shows that between the ages of 25 and 55, we lose up to 50 percent of our brain power! By the age of 40 two-thirds experience occasional memory lapses and by the time we reach 65 years old, 25 percent of us will suffer from mild cognitive impairment.

The Free Online Memory Test is now available in an easy-to-use format that allows visitors to gauge the health of their brain, and to track changes in short-term and working memory over time. The assessment is based on patient reported outcomes, an exciting and innovative new technology in the world of research.

"The Free Online Memory Test allows individuals to take a scientifically-based assessment that can pinpoint potential problems with their cognitive functioning," says Quincy Bioscience co-founder and President, Mark Underwood. "We are excited to offer this resource as a free service to those who are concerned about how optimally they are aging."

Prevagen, recently voted #1 Brain Health Supplement on the market, is proven to improve cognitive functioning in areas such as memory, concentration, and sleep.

For more information, see the Free Online Memory Test website.

Media Contact: Todd Olson (608) 827-8134 tolson@quincybioscience.com

About Quincy Bioscience

Quincy Bioscience is a biotechnology company based in Madison, Wisconsin focused on the discovery and development of novel compounds to improve cognitive performance and therapeutics to treat age related memory loss and diseases of aging. The company's technology focuses on restoring calcium balance related to neurodegenerative disorders and other destructive age-related mechanisms.

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Free Online Memory Testing for Senior Health and Fitness Day

JACKSONVILLE, N.C., May 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- CKO Kickboxing, one of the fastest growing health fitness franchises, will celebrate the Grand Opening of its newest cardio kickboxing gym on Saturday, June 2, at 1368 Piney Green Road #9, Willis Plaza in Jacksonville, NC. The gym will serve the military and their families stationed in Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Cherry Point Air Station, Camp Geiger, Camp Johnson and Marine Corps Air Station New River.

The high-quality cross training gym provides a family-friendly setting to residents of Jacksonville who are looking for an alternative to Pilates, yoga, martial arts, cross-fit and spinning classes.

Grand Opening festivities are in the works for Saturday, June 2 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to CKO Kickboxing of Jacksonville owner Sarah Bentley, a former Marine Corps Sergeant who had once been stationed at Camp Lejeune.

Plans include a live broadcast from 99.5 the X and a big party atmosphere with refreshments, raffles, venders, balloon clown and demonstrations of kickboxing.

CKO Kickboxing, whose franchisees include many former military members, is offering a 10 percent discount to current and former service personnel as well as police and fire personnel.

For Ms. Bentley opening a CKO Kickboxing franchise was a dream come true.

"Like many other CKO Kickboxing franchise owners, I was a member first. I loved the workout. When my husband was transferred to Camp Lejeune, I found out that they didn't have kickboxing. They do have martial arts, but they don't focus on the exercise portion the way CKO Kickboxing does," she said.

While talking with CKO Franklin and CKO Augusta owner Darlene Palley, she found out how she could move to North Carolina and still do kickboxing the CKO way.

"Iheard about the news report on Fox News about CKO Kickboxing wanting to expand their franchise. I spoke to Joe Andreula, president of CKO Kickboxing, and everything worked out great," she said.

"I was going to go into nursing because I like helping people. Then I realized that I wanted to help people before they got to that point of needing a nurse," she said. "I love the energy in a kickboxing workout. You can definitely see the improvement. You can see their moods change. You can see their bodies change. Cardio kickboxing creates healthier, happier people."

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CKO Kickboxing Health Fitness Franchise Continues Rapid Growth with New Jacksonville, NC Gym Opening on June 2

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNHn2j63GLM

28-05-2012 22:36 Jason "Mayhem" Miller announced his retirement on The MMA Hour on Monday. He also said what happened backstage at UFC 146.

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Jason "Mayhem" Miller Announces Retirement - Video