As a major breakthrough for its vascular business, Abbott Laboratories ABT recently received a CE Mark for its High Sensitive Troponin-I diagnostic test. This Troponin blood test, the first to win this recognition, is claimed to accurately predict the chances of heart attack, months or years in advance among apparently looking healthy people.
At present, cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes for death globally. Per a WHO report, in 2016 alone, 17.9 million people died from cardiovascular diseases, representing 31% of all universal deaths. Of these, 85% was due to heart attack and stroke. Based on this data, we consider Troponin-I’s entry into the European market to be highly strategic and timely.
Troponin-I at a Glance
Notably, Troponin I is a cardiac and skeletal muscle protein. It is examined for laboratory diagnosis of heart attack. Thisdiagnostic test is applied for the quantitative measurement of cardiac troponin I in whole blood or plasma. According to Abbott,this life-changing technology uses a biomarker, specific to the heart. As a result, it has potential to help doctors detect prospective heart patients or identify those at risk for developing heart disease.
it is important to note that the European guidelines traditionally recommend indirect heart health factors to determine risk for developing heart disease. These factors include cholesterol levels, blood pressure as well as if the person is diabetic or a smoker. However, a substantial body of research has shown that measuring a person's troponin levels using Abbott's High Sensitive Troponin-I test provides better predictive information to indicate a person's chances of developing future heart disease.
Sluggish Vascular Arm Gets a Revamp
Over the last few quarters, Abbott has been witnessing a declining revenue trend in its core Vascular product line. This underperformance organically was partly the due to the divestment of Abbott's medical optics and St. Jude's vascular closure businesses. However, several recent developments including the latest European approval of Troponin-I are expected to be accretive to the company’s vascular business growth.
Share Price Performance
Over the past year, shares of Abbott have outperformed its industry. The stock has rallied 18.8% compared with the industry's 10.9% rise.
Zacks Rank & Key Picks
Abbott currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the broader medical space are Intuitive Surgical ISRG, Amedisys, Inc. AMED and Masimo Corporation MASI.
Intuitive Surgical’s expected long-term earnings growth rate is 14.7%. The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Amedisys’ expected long-term earnings growth rate is 19.4%. The stock sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at the moment. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Masimo’s expected long-term earnings growth rate is 14.8%. The stock has a Zacks Rank of 2 at present.
5 Medical Stocks to Buy Now
Zacks names 5 companies poised to ride a medical breakthrough that is targeting cures for leukemia, AIDS, muscular dystrophy, hemophilia, and other conditions.
New products in this field are already generating substantial revenue and even more wondrous treatments are in the pipeline. Early investors could realize exceptional profits.
Click here to see the 5 stocks >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Be the first to comment