Sonoma Up On FDA Approval Of Antimicrobial Post-Therapy Gel

Shares of Sonoma Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:SNOA) surged 14.6% after the company received FDA‘s approval for an antimicrobial post-therapy gel.

Sonoma’s shares have declined 14.4% in the last six months against the industry’s gain of 6.6%.

The gel is indicated for the management of post-non-ablative laser therapy procedures and post-microdermabrasion therapy as well for use following superficial chemical peels. It can also be used to relieve itch and pain from minor skin irritations, lacerations, abrasions and minor burns.

We note that Sonoma is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapeutic solutions in medical dermatology to treat skin conditions, such as acne, atopic dermatitis and scarring. The company has a robust portfolio of six non-steroidal products for treatment of atopic and seborrheic dermatitis, surgical procedures, severe acne, skin repair, descaling and scar management.

There has been a significant surge in recent times for medical and aesthetic skin procedures. Per the stats, dermatologic surgeons have performed more than 9.5 million treatments, up 22% from the previous year, with a large number of treatments involving skin resurfacing in the areas of laser/light/energy-based procedures (2.25 million), chemical peels (1.1 million), and microdermabrasion (974,000).

Hence, the market potential for such treatments is huge.

The company’s key products in the United States are Celacyn, Ceramax, Mondoxyne, Alevicyn, Sebuderm, Loyon and Microcyn. The latest approval will further broaden the company’s portfolio and boost sales.

However, the dermatology market is highly competitive. The company faces stiff competition in the United States from several prescription products including Novartis’ (NYSE:NVS) Elidel Cream and Astellas’ Protopic.

Zacks Rank & Other Stocks to Consider

Sonoma currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Other top-ranked stocks in the healthcare sector are Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:REGN) and Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) . While Regeneron sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Ligand carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Regeneron’s earnings per share estimates have moved up from $18.65 to $18.68 for 2018 in the last 30 days. The company pulled off a positive earnings surprise in three of the last four quarters, with an average beat of 9.15%.

Ligand’s earnings per share estimates have moved up from $3.78 to $4.20 and from $4.75 to $5.32 for 2018 and 2019, respectively, over the last 30 days. The company delivered a positive earnings surprise in three of the trailing four quarters, with an average beat of 24.88%.

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