Here's where the experts are placing their bets for next year.

Biotech investors interested in seeing more details about these companies and a full list of their related stories can do so by typing the stock ticker symbol into the Stock Quotes box on the right side of the page.AVANIR Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVNR) announced the Company will present at the Lazard Capital Markets 6th Annual Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, November 18th at 3:15 p.m. Eastern time (12:15 p.m. Pacific time) at the St. Regis in New York.Adamis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (OTC:ADMP), announced it’s wholly owned subsidiary, Adamis Labs has now secured distribution contracts and initial stocking orders from the three major wholesalers of prescription drugs in the U.S.Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:ALXN) announced Dr. Leonard Bell, Chief Executive Officer of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, will present at Lazard Capital Markets 6th Annual Healthcare Conference in New York City at 10:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, November 18, 2009.

Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ:BRKR) announced it will present at the Lazard Capital Markets 6th Annual Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, November 17, 2009, at 10:55 AM Eastern Standard Time in New York City.

Covidien (NYSE:COV) will present at the Lazard Capital Markets 6th Annual Healthcare Conference in New York on Wednesday, November 18, 2009.

Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRIS), a drug development company seeking to develop next generation targeted small molecule drug candidates for cancer treatment, announced the Company will be presenting at the Lazard Capital Markets 6th Annual Healthcare Conference at 3:45 p.m. EST on November 18, 2009, in New York City.

Enzo Biochem, Inc. (NYSE:ENZ), a leading vertically integrated clinical lab, life sciences and therapeutic biotechnology company, announced Barry Weiner, President, and David Goldberg, Vice President, Corporate Development, will be presenting at the Lazard Capital Markets 6th Annual Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 3:40 PM at The St. Regis Hotel in New York, N.Y.

IMS Health (NYSE: RX), the world’s leading provider of market intelligence to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, announced the upcoming launch of IMS Oncology QuantifierTM, a comprehensive, clinically rich analytical tool that enables the company’s clients to assess treatment opportunities and guide commercial decisions in the $48 billion global oncology market.

ImmunoGen, Inc. (Nasdaq:IMGN), a biotechnology company that develops targeted anticancer products, announced Howard Pien was elected to its Board of Directors at today’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

LecTec Corporation (OTC:LECT) announced it has reached a settlement with Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. on outstanding patent litigation related to LecTec’s U.S. Patent Nos. 5,536,263 and 5,741,510.

MS Health (NYSE:RX), the world’s leading provider of market intelligence to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, announced the upcoming launch of IMS Oncology QuantifierTM, a comprehensive, clinically rich analytical tool that enables the company’s clients to assess treatment opportunities and guide commercial decisions in the $48 billion global oncology market.NexMed, Inc. (Nasdaq:NEXM), a developer of innovative transdermal products based on the NexACT® drug delivery technology, announced it raised $750,000 in gross proceeds from the issuance of new convertible notes due December 31, 2011 (the “Notes”), which are secured by a mortgage on NexMed’s facility in East Windsor, New Jersey.

Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX) a clinical-stage vaccine company, announced today that John Trizzino, Senior Vice President, International and Government Alliances, will be presenting at the Influenza Congress USA 2009.

Chief Research Officer Morris S. Whitcup, Ph.D., of ORC Guideline (NASDAQ:IUSA) will present findings of the company’s recent research on the impact of social media on fair balance and pharmaceutical marketing at a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) public hearing later this week.

PPD, Inc. (Nasdaq:PPDI) announced its board of directors declared a cash dividend for the fourth quarter of 2009 under its annual cash dividend policy. The quarterly cash dividend will equal $0.15 per share.

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. (NASDAQ:SNTA), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing small molecule drugs to treat severe medical conditions, announced the Company will be presenting at the Lazard Capital Markets 6th Annual Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, November 18 at 10:00 a.m. (ET) at the St. Regis New York.Tongjitang Chinese Medicines Company (NYSE: TCM), a leading specialty pharmaceutical company focusing on the development, manufacturing, marketing and selling of modernized traditional Chinese medicine in China, announced it plans to announce its third quarter 2009 financial results before the market opens on Wednesday, November 18, 2009.

Biotech investors interested in seeing more details about these companies and a full list of their related stories can do so by typing the stock ticker symbol into the Stock Quotes box on the right side of the page.Akorn, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRX) a specialty pharmaceutical company, reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2009.Allos Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALTH), a biopharmaceutical company committed to the development and commercialization of innovative anti-cancer therapeutics announced management will present at two upcoming conferences: the Lazard Capital Markets 6th Annual Healthcare Conference and the Windhover Therapeutic Area Partnerships event, where the Company’s Pralatrexate for Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma project was named as one of Windhover’s Top 10 interesting oncology projects.ArQule, Inc. (Nasdaq:ARQL) announced it will present at the Lazard Capital Markets 6th Annual Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 5:10 p.m. eastern time.Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:ALXN) announced researchers are scheduled to present data relating to Soliris® (eculizumab) as a treatment for patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) during the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), to be held December 5 – 8, 2009 at the Ernst N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.Biogen Idec Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB) announced its presentation at the Lazard Capital Markets 6th Annual Healthcare Conference will be webcast live, via the internet, on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 10:55a.m. EST.Elan Corporation, plc (NYSE:ELN) announced it will present at the Lazard Capital Markets 6th Annual Healthcare Conference, on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at; 9:55 a.m. Eastern Time and 2:55 p.m. GMT.Genoptix, Inc. (Nasdaq:GXDX), a specialized laboratory services provider, announced the Company's participation at the Lazard Capital ManaGement 6th Annual Healthcare Conference at The St. Regis Hotel in New York City on November 17-18, 2009.Impax Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:IPXL) announced the Company will present at the Credit Suisse 18th Annual Healthcare Conference on Friday, November 13th, at 10:00 a.m. Mountain Standard time.ImmunoGen, Inc. (Nasdaq:IMGN), a biopharmaceutical company that develops targeted anticancer therapeutics, announced several ImmunoGen poster presentations will be made at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics to be held in Boston, MA, on November 15-19, 2009.The positive mix lift expected as farmers choose to upgrade to next-generation technologies allows Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON) to reconfirm its commitment to double its 2007 gross profit in 2012, Monsanto President and CEO Hugh Grant will tell investors.Santarus, Inc. (NASDAQ:SNTS), a specialty biopharmaceutical company, announced Gerald T. Proehl, president and chief executive officer, will make a presentation at the Lazard Capital Markets 6th Annual Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, November 17, 2009, at 10:55 a.m. Eastern time (7:55 a.m. Pacific time) at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City.S3 Investment Company, Inc. (OTC:SIVC) announced the company's wholly owned Redwood Capital subsidiary has received payment valued at over $500,000 in the form of cash and stock from the recent closing of a client equity offering.Sigma-Aldrich® (Nasdaq:SIAL) announced it has entered into an exclusive worldwide distribution agreement with Stemgent, Inc. to offer Stemgent's portfolio of lentivirus-based delivery systems for the generation of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Nasdaq:TEVA) announced the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware has issued a decision in its litigation over the Company's Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) to market its generic version of Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc.'s Prevacid® (Lansoprazole) SoluTab.Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Nasdaq:TEVA) announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted final approval for the Company's Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) to market its generic version of Tap Pharmaceutical's proton pump inhibitor Prevacid® (lansoprazole) Delayed-Release Capsules, 15 mg and 30 mg. Customers will begin receiving product on November 11, 2009.Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq:VRTX) announced holders of its 4.75% Convertible Senior Subordinated Notes due 2013 have agreed to exchange approximately $109.0 million in aggregate principal amount of those notes and accrued interest for approximately 4.8 million shares of the Company’s common stock, which is approximately 140,000 shares more than the number of shares into which the notes were convertible under their original terms.

Analysts speculated that those two companies, which have similar specialties to Medarex, could be the next to be acquired.

The $2.4 billion deal for antibody technology specialist Medarex, announced late on Wednesday, marked the latest in a string of windfalls for biotech investors this year.

The industry has also seen a wave of out-sized share price gains in 2009 on the back of positive clinical data and deals.

Regeneron was up 9 percent at $19.60 in afternoon trading, while Seattle Genetics was 6.9 percent higher at $9.97.

Like Medarex, both of those companies specialize in monoclonal antibodies. Shares of ImmunoGen (Nasdaq:IMGN) another monoclonal antibody specialist, were up 3.9 percent.

"In the wake of the Medarex acquisition, I see Regeneron as one of the last remaining companies with a true (monoclonal antibody) platform that is still stand alone," ThinkEquity analyst Jason Kolbert said.

Just as Medarex had struck partnership deals, Kolbert said Regeneron has ties to large companies such as Bayer and Sanofi-Aventis.

"They have a great balance sheet, great partnerships with pharma giants," Kolbert said. "It's got all of the same ingredients that a Medarex has."

Regeneron and Seattle Genetics are the most likely next candidates to be acquired, said Mark Monane, an analyst at Needham & Co.

Monane said other characteristics that define likely biotech takeout targets included companies with hematology and oncology products, medicines in late-stage development and existing partnerships with other companies.

Monane said that other companies that could be put in play, although somewhat less likely, include Alexion Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:ALXN), Allos Therapeutics (Nasdaq:ALTH), AMAG Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:AMAG), ArQule (Nasdaq:ARQL), Celldex Therapeutics (Nasdaq:CLDX),  Dendreon (Nasdaq:DNDN) and Poniard Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:PARD).

Dendreon shares rose 6.6 percent to $24.57 after a source told Reuters the biotech company hired JPMorgan Chase as an adviser to help it find an international licensing partner for its prostate cancer vaccine Provenge.

Many other large drugmakers are scrambling to buy promising biotechnology companies to fill their late-stage pipelines as they confront generic competition to big-selling products.

Indeed, Bristol-Myers CEO James Cornelius said the company remains financially able to pursue more deals even with the Medarex deal.

Earlier this month, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) completed its $930 million purchase of Cougar Biotechnology Inc, just days after agreeing to pay $1 billion for an 18 percent stake in Irish drugmaker Elan Corp (NYSE:ELN) and to acquire a major stake in Elan's portfolio of experimental treatments for Alzheimer's disease.

Several biotech companies have seen their shares soar this year after surprising investors with positive clinical data or regulatory approvals.

Just this week, Human Genome Sciences (Nasdaq:HGSI) shares jumped more than 200 percent after the company announced positive data for its experimental lupus drug.

Dendreon and MAP Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:MAPP) are among the other companies with positive surprises this year.

(Reporting by Lewis Krauskopf and Bill Berkrot; Editing by Ted Kerr and Richard Chang)

Biotech investors interested in seeing more details about these companies and a full list of their related stories can do so by typing the stock ticker symbol into the Stock Quotes box on the right side of the page.

Array BioPharma Inc. (Nasdaq:ARRY) will report financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 on Monday, November 2, 2009, and will hold a conference call on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. eastern time to discuss these results.

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:ALXN) announced Dr. Leonard Bell, Chief Executive Officer of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, will present at the 20th Annual Healthcare Conference in New York City at 3:55 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 4, 2009.

Clinical Data, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLDA) announced it has raised gross proceeds of approximately $47.4 million through the public offering of 2,750,000 newly issued shares of its common stock at a price of $17.25 per share.

Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:SOMX) announced it will release its 2009 third quarter financial results after the market closes on Thursday, November 5, 2009.

SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:SCLN) announced a corporate restructuring will reduce its U.S.-based workforce by approximately 17%, primarily in research and development.

Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. (NYSE:SFE), a holding company builds value in growth-stage life sciences and technology companies, announced it led a $17.4 million Series B financing round for Quinnova Pharmaceuticals, Inc., with participation from existing investors Thomas, McNerney & Partners and H.I.G. BioVentures.

A.P. Pharma (Nasdaq:APPA), a specialty pharmaceutical company, announced on October 26, 2009, the Company received notice the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel (Panel) has granted the Company’s request to transfer the listing of the Company’s common stock from The Nasdaq Global Market to The Nasdaq Capital Market, which will take effect with the opening of the market on Wednesday, October 28, 2009.

CardioNet, Inc. (NASDAQ:BEAT) announced the U.S. Patent and Trademark office has granted patent number 7,587,237 (“Biological Signal Management”) to CardioNet.

Neoprobe Corporation (OTC:NEOP), a diversified developer of innovative oncology surgical and diagnostic products, announced it would report its financial results for the third quarter of 2009 on Monday, November 2, 2009 after the close of the financial markets.

Alcon, Inc. (NYSE:ACL) reported global sales rose 5.9 percent to $1,614 million for the third quarter of 2009, or a 9.0 percent increase excluding the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations.

Antares Pharma, Inc. (NYSE:AIS) announced Dr. Paul K Wotton, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, will present at the 20th Annual Oppenheimer Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 4:30 pm ET (Eastern Time).

Nektar Therapeutics (Nasdaq:NKTR) announced it has completed enrollment ahead of schedule in its Phase 2 clinical study of NKTR-102 in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.NKTR-102 is Nektar's investigational proprietary compound currently being evaluated in Phase 2 clinical development in ovarian, breast and colorectal cancers.

Arrayit Corporation (OTC:ARYC) announced the sale of a system to the Center of Excellence for Nucleic Acid-Based Technologies (CENAT) in Poznan, Poland.

Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENZN) announced it will report its financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2009, on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at approximately 8:00 am Eastern Time (ET).

Advaxis, Inc., (OTC:ADXS), the live, attenuated Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) biotechnology company, completed a second Company-run debt financing, as of October 26, 2009.

BioSphere Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ:BSMD) – the pioneer in the use of bioengineered microspheres to treat uterine fibroids, hypervascularized tumors and vascular malformations by a minimally invasive, image-guided medical procedure called embolotherapy –reported financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2009.

Phase Forward Incorporated (NASDAQ:PFWD), a leading provider of data management solutions for clinical trials and drug safety, announced it will be hosting an analyst session on Wednesday, November 4, 2009, in conjunction with the Phase Forward 8th Annual International Users Conference in Boston, MA.

SurModics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SRDX), a leading provider of drug delivery and surface modification technologies to the healthcare industry, announced it will host a live webcast of its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2009 conference call on Wednesday, November 4, at 4:00 p.m. CT.

Genta Incorporated (OTC:GETA) announced the Company will host a conference call and live audio webcast to review top-line results of its Phase 3 trial of Genasense® in patients with advanced melanoma.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) announced the company has appointed both Christopher J. Walsh and Mitchell Zamoff to the position of executive vice president and general counsel, effective immediately.

CNS Response, Inc. (OTC:CNSO) announced that the company will present top-line results from its multi-site clinical trial next week at the U.S. Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress.

Bio Solutions Corp. (OTC:BISU) announced the introduction of their new website:  http://www.bio-solutionscorp.com".

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Companies featured in this segment: American Electric Power Company (NYSE:AEP), Dowpharma (NYSE:DOW), Alexion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ALXN), ExxonMobil Corporation's (NYSE:XOM), BP PLC (NYSE:BP)