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The Swiss drugmaker has received FDA emergency approval to allow medical professionals to use its antibody test to determine if people have ever been infected with the virus. The test looks for antibodies in someone's blood that are used to fight off the virus that causes. Those exposed to Covid-19, even if they showed no symptoms, may have some immunity to it. The test would allow scientists to learn more about the disease, monitor how the Covid-19 is evolving, and help economies reopen. Roche plans to produce 60 million tests by the end of this month, while analysts expect the company to raise that to 100 million monthly by the end of the year. It looks like this news is already baked into the stock. Shares have returned to their mid-February peak, trading around $43-45. Roche Holding AG pays a 2.6% dividend with a forward PE of 13.69x. Revenue growth YOY stands at 5.48%.

In Canada, this smallcap (C$210 million) biotech in Halifax submitted its antibody test to the FDA. Since April 22, MedMira has soared from 6 cents/share to over 30. There's scant coverage or even stock metrics to report. Also MedMira is one of many companies to submit such tests to the FDA, but it's worth keeping on your radar. At this stage of pandemic, I wouldn't rule out any stock that could effectively fight the virus.

In the race to find a treatment, Gilead currently leads with its remdesivir. It's the name on every investor's lips and trading screens. Tests so far indicate that remdesivir shortens the recovery time of some Covid-19 patients, specifically those who take remdesivir recover after 11 days, which is four days faster than those who did not take it. Last week, the American FDA allowed doctors to use this drug on an emergency basis on patients hospitalized with Covid-19. However, the FDA has not formally approved remdesivir, because it requires more testing. Currently, there are several ongoing clinical trials to test whether the drug can stop Covid-19 from replicating. In other words, remdesivir helps some patients heal faster, but isn't the magic bullet, at least not yet. In this horse race, Gilead is out front, but will it cross the finish line faster. Gilead pays a 3.4% based on a payout ratio of 65.9%, and trades at a PE just under 20x, with a forward PE of 13x.

JNJ aims to produce 600-900 million doses of its pending cure by the end of Q1-2021. The pharma giant has invested over US$1 billion in partnership with Washington to co-fund vaccine research. Phase I trials are intended for September. If all goes right, JNJ plans to produce at least one billion doses annually. I stress the word “pending,” because JNJ's vaccine is still in development and is not a done deal. However, credit JNJ for beginning research back in January this year. The company has identified a leading vaccine candidate and two backups. I sincerely hope they deliver on their promises. Definitely keep an eye on JNJ's progress. Analysts including Brian Acker and Paul Harris have enough faith in JNJ to recommend it as a top pick during this pandemic. JNJ pays a 2.56% dividend and trades at 16.7x earnings. It's a stable stock and has recovered from the late-March market plunge to return to previous high around $150. It's stable and its range of health and personal care products will remain in consistent demand during post-lockdown. Of course, if JNJ develops a vaccine, shares will skyrocket.

This week, Pfizer began vaccine trials in America. It has developed the MRNA vaccine with the German biotech BioNTech who will supervise trials in that country. Before, BioNTech was developing mRNA-based treatments for cancer. As trials continue, Pfizer says it will scale up its manufacturing capacity to ensure it can roll out the final, approved product if and when it is ready. Pfizer pays a robust 4% dividend and trades at 13x earnings at a profit margin over 31%. Like JNJ, Pfizer has returned to its highs.

There are general concerns that any pharma company can mass-supply its vaccine, but Moderna vows to begin its still-unapproved vaccine “as early as July.” Moderna is partnering with Swiss drugmaker, Lonza, to accelerate production on mRNA-1273, which was the first candidate to enter a phase 1 human trial back in March, though results are pending. A week ago, Moderna submitted an application to the FDA to start a phase 2 trial. The company says phase 3 could happen as soon as the fall. Moderna is developing mRNA-1273 with partner NIH (the National Institutes of Health). The federal NIH explains that the partners developed a candidate early, because they were already researching “related coronaviruses” together. Unlike JNJ and Pfizer, Moderna's sole focus is vaccines to battle infectious diseases. Unlike those peers, Moderna did not suffer much of a plunge during the March bottom, and is currently trading at highs around $50. It pays no dividend and has an EPS of -1.55x and revenue growth of -55.42%. While JNJ and Pfizer can thrive if they don't find the vaccine, Moderna would have more to lose and the most to gain for this breakthrough.