NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / January 4, 2017 / The Biotech Industry posted a sharp loss in 2016 as concerns over price gouging plagued the Industry. The iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index ETF (IBB) fell over 21 percent last year. While the Biotech Industry did experience a spike immediately following Donald Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton in the Presidential Election, the rally faded after President Trump stated, "I'm going to bring down drug prices. I don't like what has happened with drug prices," in an Interview with Time Magazine.

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According the Reuters, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved only 22 new drugs in 2016, which was less than 50 percent of the 45 new drugs approved in 2015. The number of drugs approved in 2016 was the lowest mark seen since 2010. President Trump has previously stated he would like to quicken the approval process.

Let's Take a Closer Look at Biotech Stocks to Watch in 2017

Enanta Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ENTA)

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Enanta Pharmaceuticals' shares increased 2.54 percent to close at $34.35 a share Tuesday. The stock traded between $33.63 and $34.64 on volume of 227,048 shares traded. Enanta's research and development efforts are currently focused on four disease targets: Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and Hepatitis B Virus (HBV).

On December 19th, the company announced that AbbVie has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its investigational, pan-genotypic, fixed-dose combination of glecaprevir (ABT-493) and pibrentasvir (ABT-530) (G/P), being evaluated for the treatment of chronic HCV. Glecaprevir is Enanta's second protease inhibitor being developed through its collaboration with AbbVie and is one of the two new direct-acting antivirals in G/P.

EXACT Sciences Corporation (NASDAQ: EXAS)

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EXACT Sciences' shares increased 0.37 percent to close at $13.41 a share Tuesday. The stock traded between $13.05 and $13.66 on volume of 1.85 million shares traded. EXACT Sciences is a molecular diagnostics company focused on the early detection and prevention of the deadliest forms of cancer. The company has intellectual property protecting its non-invasive, molecular screening technology for the detection of colorectal cancer.

On December 12th, the company announced that under a recently-signed contract, Humana Inc. agreed to cover Cologuard as an in-network service for its members, effective January 1, 2017. Cologuard is indicated to screen adults of either sex, 50 years or older, who are at average risk for colorectal cancer.

"As demand for Cologuard grows, this contract marks an opportunity to increase access to colon cancer screening among Humana's beneficiaries who now can choose Cologuard and its wrap-around compliance service," said Kevin Conroy, chairman and CEO of Exact Sciences. "We believe this decision by one of the nation's largest health insurers reflects a growing understanding that Cologuard can detect more cancers earlier and reduce costs in the health system."

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