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7 Best Biotech Stocks to Buy for 2026

By U.S. News & World Report

Biotech stocks are considered extremely high-risk, high-reward investments. Many biotech companies are developing one or more therapies or technologies that, if effective, could improve treatments for common diseases and potentially be worth billions of dollars globally.

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At the same time, these therapies can fail at any step of the development process. Biotech data updates on pipeline drugs and approval decisions by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, and other regulators are among the most volatile catalysts in the entire stock market. Here are seven of the best biotech stocks to buy in 2026, according to Morgan Stanley analysts:

Stock Implied upside*
Argenx SE (ticker: ARGX) 39.9%
BeOne Medicines Ltd. (ONC) 41.2%
Iqvia Holdings Inc. (IQV) 28.4%
BioNTech SE (BNTX) 37.4%
Insmed Inc. (INSM) 99.9%
Ascendis Pharma AS (ASND) 16.9%
Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (IONS) 72.4%

*From June 1 close.

Argenx SE (ARGX)

Argenx is a biotech company developing therapies for autoimmune disease and cancer. The company’s approved drugs are Vyvgart for treating generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, and Vyvgart Hytrulo, a subcutaneous formulation for treating the same two conditions. In May 2026, the FDA approved label expansions for Vyvgart and Vyvgart Hytrulo to include all adult patients with gMG, not just those with specific antibody markers. Analyst Sean Laaman says the market doesn’t fully appreciate Argenx’s pipeline optionality and label expansion potential. Morgan Stanley has an “overweight” rating and $1,170 price target for ARGX stock, which closed at $836.09 on June 1.

BeOne Medicines Ltd. (ONC)

BeOne Medicines, formerly known as BeiGene, is a multinational oncology company that has several cancer therapies approved around the world. In the U.S., BeOne’s zanubrutinib (Brukinsa) is FDA-approved for treating B-cell malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia, small lymphocytic lymphoma, Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, marginal zone lymphoma, follicular lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). In May 2026, the FDA approved BeOne’s sonrotoclax (Beqalzi) for treating adults with relapsed or refractory MCL. Laaman says Brukinsa’s European growth potential is not yet priced into BeOne’s stock. Morgan Stanley has an “overweight” rating and $395 price target for ONC stock, which closed at $279.68 on June 1.

Iqvia Holdings Inc. (IQV)

Iqvia is a clinical research company that provides healthcare data solutions. The company acts as a contract research organization (CRO), helping biotech, pharmaceutical and medical device companies design clinical trials, recruit patients and navigate the regulatory approval process. Analyst Kallum Titchmarsh says investor concerns that artificial intelligence technology could disrupt Iqvia’s market have weighed on its stock price. Iqvia’s management has said AI could instead be a tailwind for healthcare data solutions sales, and Titchmarsh says the CRO demand environment appears healthy. Morgan Stanley has an “overweight” rating and $240 price target for IQV stock, which closed at $186.82 on June 1.

BioNTech SE (BNTX)

BioNTech is a Germany-based biotechnology company that focuses on developing cancer therapeutics and vaccines for infectious diseases. BioNTech may be best known as Pfizer’s partner in developing the Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine. In 2026, BioNTech has successfully advanced mRNA-based cancer vaccines targeting melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer and pancreatic cancer to late-stage clinical trials. Analyst Terence Flynn says Comirnaty’s sales outlook is uncertain, but the vaccine provided BioNTech with sufficient capital to fund its broad clinical development program. Flynn is particularly bullish on cancer immunotherapy BNT327. Morgan Stanley has an “overweight” rating and $126 price target for BNTX stock, which closed at $91.70 on June 1.

Insmed Inc. (INSM)

Insmed is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company that specializes in rare disease treatment. The company’s commercially approved drugs are Arikayce for treating refractory Mycobacterium avium complex lung (MAC) disease and Brinsupri for treating neutrophilic inflammation in patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. Insmed is also conducting advanced clinical trials to seek an expansion of Arikayce’s label to include newly diagnosed or recurrent MAC lung disease patients. Analyst Maxwell Skor says Brinsupri’s prescription depth is improving and physicians’ confidence in the drug will continue to rise. Morgan Stanley has an “overweight” rating and $212 price target for INSM stock, which closed at $106.03 on June 1.

Ascendis Pharma AS (ASND)

Ascendis Pharma is a Denmark-based biopharmaceutical company focused on using its proprietary TransCon technology to produce long-acting formulations of currently available drugs. The company’s TransCon GH (Skytrofa) is approved for treating growth hormone deficiency, its TransCon PTH (Yorvipath) is approved for treating hypoparathyroidism, and its navepegritide (Yuviwel) is approved for patients 2 years old and over with achondroplasia with open epiphyses. Analyst Maxwell Skor says Yorvipath’s commercial launch in April 2026 is off to an impressive start, including more than 60 enrollments as of May 1. Morgan Stanley has an “overweight” rating and $256 price target for ASND stock, which closed at $218.82 on June 1.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (IONS)

Ionis Pharmaceuticals is a leading biotechnology company developing unique antisense oligonucleotide therapeutics. Ionis developed spinal muscular atrophy drug Spinraza, which is marketed by partner Biogen. The company’s other major commercial drugs include Tryngolza for treating familial chylomicronemia syndrome and Wainua for treating hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis polyneuropathy in adults. Tryngolza is wholly owned by Ionis, and Wainua is co-commercialized with partner AstraZeneca. Analyst Michael Ulz says FDA expansion of Tryngolza’s label to include severe hypertriglyceridemia in 2026 could be a major growth driver for Ionis. Morgan Stanley has an “overweight” rating and $130 price target for IONS stock, which closed at $75.38 on June 1.

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7 Best Biotech Stocks to Buy for 2026 originally appeared on usnews.com

Update 06/02/26: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.

A young mother’s killing went unsolved for nearly 40 years. Then the phone rang

By CNN
(CNN) — Melissa “Missy” Taylor Ellison’s killing remained a mystery for decades after she was found dead in her bedroom and her 13-month-old daughter was left crying in the living room.For years, Casie Ellison said she felt like she had to shrink herself and bury her feelings about the death of her mother.About 25 years after her mother was killed, those emotions were brought out when Casie realized her own daughter was now the same age she was when her mother died.“It just took me understanding that this is a little Casie,” she said. “I was seeing myself.”On July 8, more than 38 years after her mother’s killing in Jacksonville, Florida, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a man wanting to come forward with information on a cold case.Gary Glowacz, a 70-year-old man from Middleburg, Florida, told a Clay County sergeant he wanted to “set things straight” on the death of 20-year-old Melissa Ellison, saying he had hit her with a log in search of money during a burglary, according to his arrest report.Glowacz told Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit detectives that in March he came across an article detailing Melissa Ellison’s case and realized he was responsible for her death, according to his arrest report.Glowacz was charged with second-degree murder and armed burglary with assault or battery, according to charging documents. His attorney and the district attorney declined to comment.He’s being held without bond in the Duval County Jail, and his next court appearance is set for Thursday.No arrests were made during the initial investigation in connection with Melissa Ellison’s killing, according to the arrest report.The night of her deathOn December 28, 1987, Melissa Ellison, who was known as Missy Taylor by her family and friends, was found dead in her bedroom by her two roommates, the arrest report says.The medical examiner’s office ruled the manner of death as a homicide and the cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the head at the time of the killing, according to the arrest report.Glowacz told detectives he was looking for money or items to sell to buy drugs, according to the arrest report detailing their interview with him. Glowacz lived only half a mile away from the home Melissa Ellison was living in, according to law enforcement databases. He was arrested on suspicion of a separate burglary the same day she was found dead, the arrest report says.Glowacz, who was 31 at the time, breached the home through a window and made his way into Melissa Ellison’s bedroom, where he found her lying on the bed with her daughter Casie, according to the arrest report. Using a log he found in the house, he struck her one time on the head by her neck, he told detectives. He then picked Casie up, placed her on the couch in the living room and went back into the bedroom to look for money under her mattress.In the arrest report, detectives noted Glowacz recounted details of the crime scene that were not released and were not included in the article he saw earlier this year.When asked why he was confessing to the killing decades later, he said that he was not aware the victim had died until he saw the article about the case.Casie Ellison said she was the first call detectives made that night after they arrested Glowacz.“It felt exactly how I was hoping that it would feel every time I imagined that it would be possible,” Casie Ellison said.Casie Ellison’s aunts Glenda Blandford and Sissy Bennett, who were 17 and 15 respectively at the time of their sister’s death, were the next two calls made.“I knew in my heart, I knew in the back of my mind that this is it. Something’s happened,” Bennett said of the moment she got the phone call.The case was unsolved for decadesBlandford and Bennett recount the heartache their family went through after their sister’s death. For years, their parents would chase any lead they could find, bringing it to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to investigate, but to no avail, they said.“I carried my mother so many times down to the sheriff’s office. I watched everything that she went through, and I had to be the stronger one because … I had to be there for her while my dad continued to work,” Blandford said. “And I watched every disappointment, I watched every ounce of hope.”In 2019, their mother, Catherine Taylor, died not knowing what happened the night her daughter Melissa was killed.A year earlier, a friend of Bennett’s submitted Melissa Ellison’s case to Project: Cold Case, a nonprofit that provides support to families of unsolved homicide victims. The organization created a site for her story with all the information the family had gathered over the years.In January 2026, six months before Glowacz confessed to the killing, Project: Cold Case and Ellison’s family were part of a news conference with First Coast Crime Stoppers.“Someone knows exactly what happened that night. Someone remembers a detail that has never been spoken,” Casie Ellison said at the January news conference. “Someone has lived with this knowledge for nearly four decades. And someone listening to this right now knows that this is about them.”The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office credited the January news conference for aiding in the investigation, adding that some information that came forward played a role in the recent arrest, it said in July.“While his arrest cannot fill the enormous void left in the hearts of Melissa Ellison’s loved ones, I hope that this arrest is another step in the healing process,” Sheriff T.K. Waters said in July.Remembering MissyAfter nearly 40 years of no answers, this arrest might seem like it would be a weight lifted off the family’s shoulders, but Blandford, Bennett and Casie Ellison say they don’t feel relief yet.Both Blandford and Bennett said there isn’t a day that goes by when they don’t think of their sister. When Blandford moved to the beach five years ago, she thought of Missy, who loved the beach. She’s memorialized in the purple “Reign” Jeep Wrangler Bennett purchased because of Missy’s favorite song, “Purple Rain” by Prince. She lives on through Casie Ellison, who has three children of her own now.The journey toward healing continues for the family, as they try to navigate the new feelings that come with the recent developments. For Casie Ellison, this case has been her whole life.“There was no ‘before the incident’ for me,” Casie Ellison said.For the family, the loss has extended beyond losing Missy. The family lost three other relatives after her death.“I don’t know if justice would ever be officially served,” Casie Ellison said. “There’s been so much loss just from the grief and the no answers of this being such a long process. I think maybe had it been sooner, especially when my grandma was alive, and she would have been able to see there be some type of wrap to this in her lifetime, it might be a different answer.”Before finding out about Glowacz’s arrest, the family was planning a remembrance party for Missy with all her loved ones. Blandford says the party is still planned, but with a renewed prayer.“We’re still praying for justice,” Blandford said. “(We) pray and beg that God sheds serious light on this case and gives guidance to the hands of all the detectives … and that this case gets its proper justice, because right now, we’re sitting on an arrest, not justice.”The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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