Bull Market Buys: 2 Growth Stocks to Own for the Long Term | The motley fool

The stock market is roaring higher, with Nasdaq AND S&P 500 recently extending gains to hit new record highs. But don’t worry. It’s not too late to get in on this rising market. Indices confirmed their presence in a bull market earlier this year, but these phases of market optimism tend to last quite a while — and history tells us that they generally last much longer than bear markets.

In a study spanning 1926 to 2017, the average bull market period lasted nearly nine years while bear markets lasted 1.4 years, according to Raymond James & Associates, citing First Trust data. So it’s likely that if you buy a stock today, you’ll have plenty of time to take advantage of the bull market’s gains. But your growth story won’t necessarily stop there. If you pick companies with solid long-term prospects, you can profit by holding their shares well beyond this bull market — and possibly into the next.

What makes a market better to buy? I always love a good growth story that’s just getting started. The biotech industry is ripe with opportunity, and two of my favorites are companies that recently won their first product approvals, a vote of confidence in their technologies and a key step on the road to revenue growth. Let’s examine these two bull market buys to own for the long term.

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1. CRISPR therapeutics

CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP -1.28%) recently scored a major win when regulators approved Casgevy, its treatment for the blood disorders sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia. This represents the world’s first approval of a treatment based on CRISPR gene editing — indicating that regulators are ready to give the nod to this new technology if clinical data is strong.

CRISPR gene editing involves correcting faulty genes responsible for diseases, so products using the technique have the potential to become functional cures. This is a game changer for patients — and could result in significant demand for the manufacturers of these products. CRISPR Therapeutics said more than 25 authorized treatment centers are ready to launch Casgevy and “many” patients have already started the process.

The company is also developing a lighter conditioning treatment, or preparatory phase, as well as in vivo gene editing of stem cells that would remove the need for conditioning. This could eventually make Casgevy easier to treat, increasing uptake and expanding treatment to other disease areas. Additionally, CRISPR has several candidates in the pipeline across specialty fields — so this growth story is just beginning.

CRISPR Therapeutics is trading much less than it was just a few years ago, when the product’s revenue potential was much more distant. So at today’s levels, with Casgevy’s launch underway, this biotech stock offers growth investors a tremendous buying opportunity.

2. Iovance Biotherapeutics

Iovance Biotherapeutics (IOWA -0.29%) specializes in tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) treatments, meaning it harnesses the body’s ability to fight cancer. TILs are naturally present in the body, and their job is to fight disease, but when they lose ground, Iovance gets involved. The idea of ​​TIL therapy is to collect the patient’s own TIL, revive these cells and administer them back to the person.

Regulators recently gave Iovance the nod for Amtagvi, making this the company’s first commercialized TIL product. Amtagvi is approved for advanced melanoma, the deadliest skin cancer — and it represents the only T-cell therapy approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for a solid tumor indication.

Momentum is looking positive for this new treatment. The company says more than 100 patients have already signed up for Amtagvi since the February approval. Iovance also says it aims to bring 50 authorized treatment centers on board by the end of this month and more than 70 by the end of the year.

Iovance also has good news when it comes to another key element that can determine the success of a treatment: reimbursements. Payers covering more than 200 million people have given Amtagvi the nod. This is positive because it shows that this treatment is accessible to many of those individuals who need it.

Finally, like CRISPR Therapeutics, Iovance is using its technology across its pipeline in other promising candidates — so additional growth drivers may be on the way. And all of this means that this innovative company is worth buying now and holding for the long term, to benefit from growth in a bull market and beyond.