Top 5 Defensive Stocks To Invest In 2015

Top 5 Defensive Stocks To Invest In 2015: Hospira Inc (HSP)

Hospira, Inc. (Hospira), incorporated on September 16, 2003, is a provider of injectable drugs and infusion technologies. Hospira's portfolio includes generic acute-care and oncology injectables, as well as integrated infusion therapy and medication management products. Hospira's portfolio of products is used by hospitals and alternate site providers, such as clinics, home healthcare providers and long-term care facilities. Hospira conducts operations worldwide and is managed in three reportable segments: Americas; Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and Asia Pacific (APAC). The Americas segment includes the United States, Canada and Latin America; the EMEA segment includes Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and the APAC segment includes Asia, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. In all segments, Hospira sells a line of products, including specialty injectable and other pharmaceuticals and medication management products.

Specialty Injectable Pharmaceuticals

Hospira's specialty injectable pharmaceutical products consist of generic injectable pharmaceuticals. The other drugs' therapeutic areas include analgesia, anesthesia, anti-infectives, cardiovascular, oncology, and other areas. All of Hospira's generic injectable pharmaceuticals in the United States include unit-of-use bar-code labels that can be used to support medication delivery. Hospira primarily procures the active pharmaceutical ingredients in these products from third-party suppliers. During the year ended December 31, 2011, Hospira portfolio included 87 injectable drug launches consisting of 13 compounds. Among these launches included, in the United States, docetaxel (an oncolytic drug used to treat a variety of cancers), topotecan (an oncolytic drug used for the treatment of small cell lung cancer) and imipenem-cilastatin (a beta-lactam antibiotic). Hospira also launched a solution formulation of gemcitabine (an oncolytic drug used to treat a ! variety of cancers), which augmented Hospira's portfolio of gemcitabin! e products. New-to-country launches in EMEA in 2011, included topotecan, meropenem, gemcitabine, imipenem-cilastatin, remifentanil, docetaxel and levofloxacin. New-to-country launches in APAC in 2011, included docetaxel, piperacillin tazobactam, oxaliplatin, meropenem and gemcitabine. Hospira's specialty injectable pharmaceutical products also include Precedex (dexmedetomidine HCl), a sedative. Precedex is licensed to Hospira by Orion Corporation in the Americas and APAC segments, and in the Middle East and Africa.

Hospira sells and markets Precedex for use in non-intubated patients requiring sedation, as well as intubated and mechanically ventilated patients. Hospira's specialty injectable pharmaceuticals also include biologic products, which are molecules derived from cells that are demonstrated to be similar to an approved originator product. Hospira's biosimilar, Retacrit, was available in 20 EMEA countries during 2011. Its second biosimilar, Nivestim, was launched during the year ended December 31, 2010, and was available in 21 countries, including Australia, where the biosimilar filgrastim product was launched in 2011. Hospira's drug delivery formats include offerings in ampules and flip-top vials, which clinicians can use with standard syringes. Hospira's drug delivery options include Carpuject and iSecure prefilled syringes, AnsyrTM prefilled needleless emergency syringe systems, First Choice ready-to-use premix and the ADD-Vantage system for preparing drug solutions from prepackaged drug powders or concentrates.

Other Pharmaceuticals

Hospira's other pharmaceuticals primarily consist of intravenous (I.V.) solutions, nutritionals and contract manufacturing services. Hospira offers infusion therapy solutions and related supplies that include I.V. solutions for general use, I.V. nutrition products, and solutions for the washing and cleansing of wounds or surgical sites. All of Hospi! ra's inje! ctable I .V. solutions in the United States include unit-of-use bar-c! ode label! s that can be used to support medication management efforts. Hospira also offers infusion therapy solutions in its VisIV non-PVC, non-DEHP I.V. container, an I.V. bag. Hospira's contract manufacturing services are offered through its One2One services group, which provides formulation development, filling and finishing of injectable and oral drugs worldwide. Hospira works with its pharmaceutical and biotechnology customers to develop injectable forms of their drugs, and Hospira fills and finishes those and other drugs into containers and packaging selected by the customer. The customer then sells the finished products under its own label. Hospira's One2One manufacturing services group generally does not manufacture active pharmaceutical ingredients, but offers a range of filling and finishing services in a variety of delivery systems.

Medication Management

Medication management products include electronic drug delivery pumps, safety software and di sposable administration sets dedicated to Hospira pumps. These sets are used to deliver I.V. fluids and medications. Hospira also offers software maintenance agreements and other service offerings. Hospira's electronic drug delivery pumps include Hospira's general infusion system, Symbiq; the Plum A+ line of infusion pumps; Hospira's patient-controlled analgesia device, LifeCare PCA; the GemStar ambulatory infusion pump; and the Plum XLD infusion pump. Hospira offers the Hospira MedNet safety software system, which has been designed to enable hospitals to customize intravenous drug dosage limits and track drug delivery to prevent medication errors. The wireless network version of the Hospira MedNet system establishes real-time send-and-receive capability and can interface with select hospital and pharmacy information systems. The Hospira MedNet system is standard in the Symbiq infusion system, and is also available as an additional feature for the ! Plum A+ l! ine, and LifeCare PCA devices. Hospira also offers safety software with its Ge! mStar pum! p.

Medication management includes TheraDoc, Inc. products, which are module-based clinical surveillance systems that provide patient safety surveillance and clinical decision support. Medication management also includes gravity administration sets and other device products, including needlestick safety products and programs to support Hospira's customers' needlestick prevention initiatives. LifeShield CLAVE and LifeShield MicroCLAVE connectors are one-piece valves that directly connect syringes filled with medications to a patient's I.V. line without the use of needles. ICU Medical's CLAVE connectors are a component of administration sets sold by Hospira to its customers in the United States and select markets outside the United States.

The Company competes with Baxter International Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim, Fresenius Kabi, Pfizer, Sandoz, Sanofi, Teva Pharmaceuticals, B. Braun Melsungen AG, CareFusion, Terumo, Actavis, Intas Pharmaceuticals, Ltd, Medac GmbH, Mylan Inc., Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd. and Aspen.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon] ra is the worlds largest producer of specialty generic injectable pharmaceuticals, and is a leading provider of contract manufacturing services to proprietary pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for producing injectable pharmaceuticals.

  Hospiras share price had been falling gradually since its high of about $58 in April 2011, and began trading under $30 by mid-October. Owens, who held the stock since before 2008, had been selling shares as the price went up. In the fourth quarter of 2011, when the price fell to an average of $31.50, he bought 1 million shares, increasing his position by more than 91%. He now owns 2,095,070.

  The October drop was due in large part to disappointing fourth-quarter earnings reported on October 26. The companys diluted earnings per share fell to a loss of $! (0.54), c! ompared to $0.42 in the fourth quarter of 2010. The results were impacted by developments related to our quality-improvement initiatives, according to the companys CEO, F. Michael Ball. Diluted earnings per share for the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2011, were $1.21, down 31% from $1.75 in the first nine months of 2010.

  Sales increased 2.9% to $977 million, compared to $949 million in the fourth quarter of 2010, mainly due to continued strong U.S. sales of the companys oncolytic docetaxel product, but partially offset by the impact of quality actions in response to an FDA 2010 warning letter and subsequent observations related to the companys manufacturing facility in Rocky Mount, N.C., and device quality and supply-related issues.

  The company announced on October 18 that sales and earnings per share would be lower than anticipated due to actions they had to take to improve quality at the plant which caused a slowdown of production.

  CVS Caremark (CVS)

  CVS/Caremark is the nation's premier integrated pharmacy services provider, combining one of the nation's leading pharmaceutical services c ompanies with the cou

• [By Sean Williams]

  Drug developer Hospira (NYSE: HSP  ) also had a notably impressive day, advancing 6% after receiving a positive opinion on inflectra in Europe. Designed to treat rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and plaque psoriasis, inflectra, a biosimilar of Johnson & Johnson'sRemicade, received a positive opinion from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, meaning it would recommend the European Medicines Agency to approve the drug. This could be a key win for Hospira, because J&J's Remicade was responsible for roughly $6 billion in annual revenue, and could be a huge bottom-line boost for Hospira.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/top-5-defensive-stocks-to-invest-in-2015.html