The best minds in biotech are working round the clock on putting a stop to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project includes over 135 vaccine candidates and the profit potential here is massive.
This is literally about saving the world.
The thing is, though, vaccines are only one part of this project. There’s another dimension, a “silent partner” in the project that doesn’t get quite so much heroic headline ink but is just as important.
There’s a very good chance that one of them will be safe and powerful enough to begin mass distribution in early 2021.
But there are 328 million living Americans and 7.5 billion humans on planet earth. It will take time to vaccinate them all, and that’s where our “silent partner” comes in.
It’s blazing a trail towards the kind of better COVID-19 testing technology we will need to get things fully back to normal.
And not only that, it’s on a solid track to double your money in just two years…
Solving the Hidden Problem
Now then, there’s no doubt COVID-19 is a pernicious disease. It’s caused by a coronavirus that’s closely related to the ones behind the SARS and MERS diseases.
But unlike those, and unlike the many flu viruses that have been responsible for some of the largest pandemics in recent history, COVID-19 is stealthy.
See, with the flu and even with other coronaviruses, people who get infected only spread the virus to others after they start showing symptoms. It makes controlling the spread much easier.
If you have a cough, fever, stuffed or runny nose, or trouble breathing, stay at home or wear a mask, and the rest of us are safe. Problem solved.
With COVID-19, up to 40% of infected people show no symptoms at all but still spread the virus to others.
In short, there’s no easy way to tell whether a stranger can infect you – or whether you can infect a stranger. Feeling good just means you could be a silent carrier.
That’s why diagnostic testing is more important right now than it has ever been. Folks could have the disease and not even know it.
But people without symptoms generally don’t qualify for testing. There are not enough test kits out there for that.
But that means we’re leaving up to 40% of people spreading COVID-19 unchecked. We’re fighting the virus with one arm tied behind our backs.
Now, let me be clear. If the company I have in mind was a play only on COVID-19 testing, I wouldn’t be making this recommendation.
What we want is an established leader that can add this badly needed test to its arsenal of great products that ring up big profits.
And that’s exactly what we get with Quidel Corp. (QDEL).
Cutting Edge Diagnostics
The company provides diagnostic test equipment that helps clinics, doctors ‘ offices, and smaller hospitals quickly perform on-site testing for a number of conditions. It even checks prenatal health for both mother and fetus.
All handled on easy-to-use, small equipment that doesn’t require a whole research laboratory.
Quite naturally, the focus recently has been on Quidel’s tests for the COVID-19 virus. And the firm has had major breakthroughs there.
On March 17, after just a few weeks of development, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave Quidel’s COVID-19 test an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
Then on March 25, the FDA expanded Quidel’s EUA to allow their test to be analyzed on three additional makes of laboratory testing machines.
To help put into perspective how outrageously fast that is for the world of biotech, I can point to another very promising biotech that is emerging from behind the scenes after 11 years.
With 25,000 patients treated, a world-renowned physician at the helm, and 27 unique and highly profitable drug candidates in development, this tiny company is about to see outstanding growth.
But even for a company with potential like that, turning around a new product in just a couple of months in biotech is nothing short of a miracle.
Since each hospital lab has a different mix of these huge and expensive machines, this expansion was a massive boost for Quidel.
On April 22, the FDA expanded Quidel’s EUA again, allowing the company to deliver results 40 minutes faster than before. This also cut down on the use of rare chemical reagents that are in short supply as the whole world tests for coronavirus.
That same faster test received final approval for sale in Canada on August 12, making Quidel the global leader in accurate and quick COVID-19 testing.
The Broader Basis
But as I mentioned, Quidel isn’t just about COVID-19.
The firm also provides testing equipment that can quickly detect the seasonal flu virus, the parainfluenza virus that can cause severe breathing problems in infants, or the C. diff bacteria behind most hospital-acquired infections.
Not to mention rapid tests for autoimmune diseases such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, with results available within minutes.
By specifically targeting the smaller hospitals, emergency-care clinics, and doctors’ offices where medicine is moving, Quidel is riding a key trend in healthcare.
And the firm just gave us a nice new entry point. See, the stock recently got slammed on thin news, as a local TV report caused a massive overreaction.
But make no mistake, this stock is built for the long haul. Quidel is an earnings powerhouse that has grown earnings per share by an average of 76% over the past three years.
At that rate, they double in just a little more than 11 months.
But let’s cut that way back, just to be conservative. A double in, say 24 to 28 months seems reasonable. It’s also a fantastic growth rate.
It’s stocks like Quidel that I have in mind when I repeat my mantra: the road to wealth is paved with tech.
Cheers and good investing,
— Michael A. Robinson
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Source: Strategic Tech Investor