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Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Got $200? 2 Biotech Stocks to Buy and Hold Forever
Good news for investors: You don't have to start out with tons of cash to grow wealth. Biotech stocks offer you a great opportunity to get in on innovators that may produce major growth down the road. 10 stocks we like better than Viking Therapeutics › Some potential investors hesitate to get started on building an investment portfolio because they think they need thousands of dollars to grow wealth. But I've got good news for them and for you: You don't have to start out with a huge pile of cash to invest in stocks that may significantly add value to your portfolio over time. In fact, with just $200, you can get in on players that could help you along the path to wealth. The industry of biotech is a great place to look for such stocks since so many of these companies are developing cutting-edge technologies that may lead to high-growth products, and revenue, down the road. Let's consider two that you might buy today -- a few shares of each for a total of $200 -- and hold forever to benefit from lasting growth stories. Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ: VKTX) aims to make its mark in one of today's (and tomorrow's) biggest healthcare growth areas: weight loss drugs. The biotech company is developing a dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist, known as VK2735, and has progressed into late-stage clinical trials. The candidate, in injectable form, just launched its phase 3 program and aims to enroll more than 4,000 participants with obesity and more than 1,000 volunteers with obesity and type 2 diabetes. VK2735 works by interacting with hormonal pathways involved in the control of appetite and blood sugar levels, much like the already commercialized Mounjaro and Zepbound, sold by Eli Lilly, and Ozempic and Wegovy, sold by Novo Nordisk. But the fact that similar drugs have reached the market first doesn't mean Viking can't succeed here. Demand for these sorts of products has been so high that it exceeded supply, until Lilly and Novo Nordisk increased manufacturing capacity. So there's plenty of room for a young company like Viking to succeed here too if all continues to go well in clinical trials. Viking also is testing VK2735 in oral form in a phase 2 trial, an important point since oral formulation could make these drugs easier to take, and it involves faster and cheaper manufacturing processes for the company. Data from that trial is expected later this year. Viking stock is known to soar on positive results. It surged more than 120% last year in just one trading session after reporting positive phase 2 data for VK2735. It's since given up the gains, offering investors a solid entry point, but any good news and a possible regulatory nod could prompt the stock to skyrocket. Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) used to be a favorite of investors during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic -- but since, it's had trouble bringing investors back into its potential growth story. The stock has lost more than 90% since its peak back in 2021, and the company has reported decreasing sales because of the drop in demand for its coronavirus vaccine and lower-than-expected sales of its more recently launched respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine. After Moderna's billions of dollars in revenue and profit just a couple of years ago and recent earnings declines, investors may find it difficult to get excited about Moderna again. But it's important to remember two things: First, it's unfair to compare revenue potential during ordinary times to revenue linked to a pandemic-related product. Those were exceptional times that don't occur often. Second, the approval of Moderna's coronavirus and RSV vaccines show that its technology -- the technology driving the rest of its pipeline -- works. The company now has many late-stage products in the works and aims to launch as many as 10 over the next few years. If Moderna even makes it partially to that goal, its revenue picture a few years from now may look very different from the picture today -- and set the company up for long-term growth. It's too early to predict when the market will recognize this and flock to Moderna shares. But at today's level, the stock offers investors a buying opportunity, making it a great place to park part of your $200 and hold on for the long-term as this growth story develops. Before you buy stock in Viking Therapeutics, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Viking Therapeutics wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $713,547!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $966,931!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,062% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 177% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 30, 2025 Adria Cimino has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Moderna, Novo Nordisk, and Viking Therapeutics. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Got $200? 2 Biotech Stocks to Buy and Hold Forever was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
FDA chocolate recall warns of ‘serious or life-threatening' risk
Americans eat an estimated 2.8 billion pounds of chocolate each year, which isn't surprising, given how many delicious forms the sweet treat comes in. That rounds out to around 11 pounds per person of chocolate each year. We don't hold the title for the most chocolate consumed, though. That belongs to the Swiss, although the United States does produce more chocolate than any other country in the world. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter The FDA has strict production standards for the chocolate that U.S. companies produce and sell, including regulating the minimum amount of cocoa solids that have to be present in chocolate for the products to carry the chocolate label. Beyond production issues, there are also many other rules in place to make sure people are not sickened by the chocolate they consume. Unfortunately, one company has failed to live up to these obligations recently, and its lapse is putting chocolate eaters at risk. The FDA recently issued an urgent safety recall. The chocolate company originally alerted customers on June 25, 2025, and the FDA published it on June 30, 2025, in order to sound the alarm to the public as a whole and make sure word got out. The FDA warned that the recall was a very serious one, with potentially life-threatening consequences. The recalled items were made by the Mellace Family Brands California, Inc. of Warren, Ohio, and include Wegmans Semi-Sweet Chocolate Nonpareils. The affected items were distributed through Wegmans grocery stores in eight different states: DelawareMarylandMassachusettsNorth CarolinaNew JerseyNew YorkPennsylvaniaVirginiaWashington D.C. The problem with the candies that prompted the recall is an undeclared allergen. It was discovered that the Nonpareils contained a milk allergen and were distributed in packaging that did not alert consumers to the presence of this ingredient. Related: CDC sounds the alarm on growing global travel concern A temporary breakdown in the supplier's manufacturing process caused the problem to occur, and as the FDA alert makes clear, "people who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product with the lot codes shown below." Fortunately, the issue was discovered before anyone had an allergic reaction and suffered health consequences. Customers who bought the affected items are now being urged to return them to the place where they were purchased to obtain a full refund. The impacted candies were sold in a plastic tub and include items with the following lot codes: 55021 BEST BY: DEC 28, 202555031 BEST BY: DEC 29, 202555491 BEST BY: FEB 13, 202655501 BEST BY: FEB 14, 202656061 BEST BY: APR 11, 202656071 BEST BY: APR 12, 2026 You can find your lot code and best by date on the left side of the candy tub. In 2024, 2,454 product recalls had already occurred in the United States across five key industries by the third quarter of the year, according to Sedgwick. These recalls affected a total of 580.4 million products. The five industries include medical devices, food, pharmaceuticals, consumer products, and automotive. Related: TSA issues stern warning forbidding popular summer item Food saw a 112.7% increase in recalls in 2024 year, a disturbing number for those who expect and hope the products they consume will be safe. Consumers should monitor the FDA for news of recalls to make sure they do not have affected products. The FDA has a searchable database of safety alerts online to help make that easier, with Wegman's chocolate products currently topping the list as the most recent recall. More Retail: Walmart CEO sounds alarm on a big problem for customersTarget makes a change that might scare Walmart, CostcoTop investor takes firm stance on troubled retail brandWalmart and Costco making major change affecting all customers Hopefully, consumers with serious milk allergies will see the news of the chocolate recall and return the items before any harm is done. Related: Veteran fund manager unveils eye-popping S&P 500 forecast The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Elon Musk's brain chip was put in a patient at Miami-area hospital. What to know
A paralyzed military veteran is one of seven people in the country — and the first patient at a Miami hospital — to be implanted with an Elon Musk-backed brain chip as part of a clinical trial underway in South Florida. The goal is to test whether the chip, created by Neuralink, a company co-founded by Musk, can give people who are paralyzed the ability to use their mind to control computers, smartphones and other electronic devices. Surgeons at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine implanted the device, known as the Link or Telepathy, in the patient's brain as part of the FDA-approved clinical trial. And so far, the tech seems to work. Video recently shared by UM shows the veteran, who was only identified as RJ, using his mind to wirelessly play a video game on a computer. Photos posted online also show Musk making the 'U' sign in celebration with UM medical staff at the hospital. 'They're giving me my spark back … my drive back. They've given me my purpose back,' RJ said in a statement. RJ, who has a spinal cord injury stemming from a motorcycle accident, received the Neuralink implant in April at UHealth Tower, the Miami flagship hospital of the University of Miami Health System. As of last week, RJ was one of seven people in the country who have received the Telepathy implant since clinical trials began last year, according to Neuralink co-founder and president DJ Seo. He's also the first patient to get the implant through The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at UM's medical school, which was tapped earlier this year to be the second site in the country to test the safety and effectiveness of the chip. The first patient, Noland Arbaugh, had his Link surgically implanted last year at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. 'We're very cautious with Neuralink in humans' and are working closely with regulators, Musk said during a June update on Neuralink's progress creating devices that improve or restore movement, vision and speech. 'That's the reason we're not moving faster than we are, is because we're taking great care with each individual to make sure we never miss and, so far, we haven't.' READ MORE: What's it like to use Elon Musk's brain chip? How does it work? 'Like using the Force' For the Telepathy trials, researchers are looking for volunteers 22 to 75 years old who have limited or no ability to use both hands to participate in the clinical trial. The paralysis must be from a cervical spinal cord injury or from ALS, a rare disease with no cure that causes nerve cells to stop working and muscles to become weak, leading to paralysis. Neuralink has also received approval to launch similar trials in Canada, the United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates, according to Seo. 'We hope this partnership is another significant step in finding meaningful solutions for the millions living with paralysis and other significant motor deficits,' Marc Buoniconti, president of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and the son of the late Miami Dolphins linebacker Nick Buoniconti, previously told the Miami Herald. Marc Buoniconti became a quadriplegic following a spinal cord injury while playing in a 1985 college football game. His father helped establish the Miami Project. And unlike other types of brain surgeries, the surgical implant of the Link is not as invasive, according to Dr. Jonathan Jagid, UM's principal investigator for the clinical trial and part of RJ's surgical team. How does Neuralink's brain chip work? Surgeons made a relatively small incision to implant a wireless, rechargeable coin-sized brain chip in the part of RJ's brain that handles thoughts and body movement. A Neuralink surgical robot with a needle that's thinner than a human hair is used to implant more than 60 flexible ultra-thin 'threads.' The threads are so fine that they can't be inserted by human hand, according to Neuralink. 'The surgery went perfect,' Jagid told the Herald in a phone interview this week while discussing RJ's procedure. The veteran was discharged from the hospital a day after his surgery, he said. The device records electrical signals sent between brain cells and wirelessly transmits it to Neuralink's software, which will be running on a computer or another device. The software will then decode and translate the neural data into actions, such as moving a cursor or a chess piece on a computer screen, playing video games and even using design software. Neuralink is also testing whether its brain chip can help patients control a robotic arm. 'I think my favorite thing's probably [being] able to turn on my TV, like the first time in two and a half years I was able to do that. That was a pretty sweet move,' RJ said during a recorded video call with several other Telepathy users. The recording was played during Neuralink's June 27 event. RJ, who identified himself as the fifth person in the country to receive the Link, was also shown playing Call of Duty and Mario Kart with the other Neuralink patients. All of it was done wirelessly using their minds. 'I like shooting zombies. That's kinda nice,' said RJ, whose shirt read: 'I do a thing called whatever I want.' For Jagid, the UM doctor, the technology is a step in the right direction for The Miami Project's mission to find a cure for paralysis from spinal cord injuries and help improve patients' quality of life. And RJ's involvement in the trial will help 'move the science forward in order to help everybody else who suffers with these types of injuries,' he said.
