The Biggest Biotech Build of Its Kind

Budweiser's 'rivers of beer'... Biotech's equivalent palaces... Meeting insatiable demand for weight-loss drugs... Betting on the 'winter switch'... An unprecedented biotech build... Two free recommendations with tremendous upside... [Stansberry Research Logo] Delivering World-Class Financial Research Since 1999 [Stansberry Digest] Budweiser's 'rivers of beer'... Biotech's equivalent palaces... Meeting insatiable demand for weight-loss drugs... Betting on the 'winter switch'... An unprecedented biotech build... [Two free recommendations with tremendous upside](... --------------------------------------------------------------- Editor's note: We're handing over this week's Friday Digest to our friend and Stansberry Venture Technology editor Dave Lashmet, who has put together some exciting new research on one of the biggest investing stories in the world today... He has been ahead of this story for years, truly, and knows it like no one else I (Corey McLaughlin) have come across. I think you'll get a sense of why from today's essay... Enjoy, and Dan Ferris will be back in the saddle with his regular Friday Digest next week. --------------------------------------------------------------- The makers of Budweiser sell a lot of beer... Every year, Anheuser-Busch InBev – the parent company of Budweiser and brands like Michelob and Stella Artois – sells 15 billion gallons of beer. That's the equivalent of filling 80 Olympic-sized swimming pools every day. So, that's a lot of beer. It's no surprise to me (Dave Lashmet), then, that the beverage-maker, known as AB InBev, locates its beer-making plants near mountain springs or rivers. It's for the water, a primary ingredient for the beer. Water is mixed in a vat with wheat, hops, barley, sugar, and brewer's yeast. It's the yeast eating the hops, barley, and sugar and producing alcohol that makes this beer so adult. Next, the alcoholic brew gets bottled and distributed... What makes AB InBev such a market force is its huge production capacity... That comes down to the water purification tanks, the massive brewing vats, and quality-control laboratories. AB InBev spends around $5 billion per year on these and other capital expenditures. That's what it costs to keep making 15 billion gallons of beer a year – including the bottles – and keeping the famous, huge Clydesdales happy and on television during the Super Bowl. But I'm not telling you this story just to point out how much beer AB InBev makes and what it costs to do it. Introducing Budweiser's "rivers of beer" is just to give you a sense of scale... Biotech's beer-making-equivalent palaces... You see, certain biotechnology companies – of particular interest to me and subscribers to my Stansberry Venture Technology newsletter – also use huge vats of living yeast. Instead of beer, though, these companies want to make medicines for people. The yeast helps them make a protein – a building block of life – that will support some other protein already in the body. For example, erythropoietin ("EPO") – now a generic drug – is a protein that sends a signal to regrow red blood cells. You use it to treat anemia. EPO is infamous since athletes can use it to cheat. It's what Lance Armstrong admitted to taking. More red blood cells mean more oxygen to your muscles. Now, to get a yeast to make EPO, you have to add the EPO gene into the yeast. That's the "factory order." Most modern drugs are not purely protein. They also need the right sugar coating – like a person makes. Practically speaking, most new biotech plants replace the yeast with an immortal human cell – or a hamster cell. Either way, it still has the same brewing principles plus the same purification and bottling that beer does. Biogen's $1.4 billion 'second chance' plant... Four years ago, Biogen (BIIB), another major American biotech company, completed a big new biotech plant in Switzerland for $1.4 billion... Biogen built the plant for its experimental Alzheimer's drug, aducanumab. But that drug was a disaster. It looked good in early trials, but that's because about half the patients were dropped from the trial... anyone who didn't show up for their appointments. If the no-shows saw their Alzheimer's disease advance (which the drug was being tested to stop), that would skew results. We always saw this problem, but it wasn't until Biogen failed its pivotal trials that the results were clear. Despite this fact, aducanumab won provisional approval from the federal regulators. But Medicare refused to cover it. Ultimately, Biogen shut down this drug. That would leave Biogen's fancy new factory idle. Fortunately for Biogen, its Japanese partner has a blockbuster protein drug just hitting the U.S. market. So Biogen Switzerland makes its partner's drug and gets half the revenue – plus all the manufacturing costs. The Swiss plant got a second chance. As you can see, building giant metal vats for living yeast or other living cells is not cheap – and it's risky. But if you do have a winning drug and own the factory, you control your own destiny... to limitless profits. Betting on the winter switch... As we covered [in Wednesday's Digest]( two popular new weight-loss drugs are in short supply. Demand is insatiable, really. At a minimum, 100 million American adults are clinically obese... So are another 100 million globally. And if you add folks who are considered overweight though not obese, you get another 50 million Americans and 350 million folks in Europe. The European obesity stats lag the U.S. probably because we in the U.S. walk and move less, and we eat more. It's math – energy expended versus energy absorbed – all measured by calories. Regardless, in the U.S., Europe, Japan, Canada, and Australia, obesity rates just keep rising, inexorably. I've seen the end of the obesity epidemic, though... Since 2019, I've tracked both of the weight-loss drugs that have been making headlines over the last year or so. And flat-out, both work – not to change how much you exercise or to merely make your stomach feel full. Instead, they trigger your "winter switch," your glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor. When this happens, you burn fat to stay warm and eat less, as if you're trying to survive till spring. You can see the brain chemistry at play in your resting heart rate, which jumps by five beats per minute. Patients on these drugs also report a lack of appetite. That's not an adverse event – that's the drugs working. The net effect is a steady "winter" of fasting and fat burning: Folks lose 15%, 20%, or 25% of their weight. Clearly, losing it all is fatal – you need your skeleton and brain and heart and everything but fat, really. One good way to score your outcome is to think about getting back to your high school weight, with your old waistline. A lower weight relieves pressure on your heart, lungs, legs, kidneys, and liver, and it cuts blood pressure in your brain. Potentially, these drugs are panaceas. There are dozens of diseases they can prevent, starting on day one. Yet they both are protein drugs – so supply is going to be a problem. Because you need giant beer vats... these drugs need time and space to grow. The biggest of any biotech build, ever... This scenario matters to investors because in this case, supply directly translates into profits. The demand is there. One company making these drugs has just committed to a $10 billion building spree, mostly in the U.S. That's $10 billion in factories with the ground already broken – rivaling AB InBev in capital expenditure. The second company making weight-loss drugs committed $6 billion to expand manufacturing in Europe. Then a few weeks ago, it spent another $11 billion to buy the protein-brewing vats from its one key supplier. The total is more than 10 times greater than Biogen's investment in its protein-drug factory in Switzerland. This deal also brings production in-house, so workers get a quality stock – and weight-loss drugs for their families. That sounds simple, but given high production costs and the current scarcity, this is a real perk for folks. Altogether, these two weight-loss companies are spending $27 billion – an amount that we've never before seen invested into the production of these kinds of protein drugs. These companies have already seen their share prices soar. But these stocks have not peaked... Earnings ultimately drive their share prices. And if they build more drugs, they can sell more, and make more. No paid marketing needed. (Sorry, Clydesdales.) I foresee a 200% upside for each of these firms – despite the gains folks have already booked on both. To explain all this in greater detail, we've put together [a new free presentation](... To start things off, you'll hear a powerful, profound, heartfelt firsthand account of how one of these weight-loss drugs changed the life of one of our employees, Ken Millstone. Ken shares his deeply personal story, then turns things over to our publisher Brett Aitken for more detail... Brett discusses the supply-and-demand picture that is a huge tailwind for weight-loss drugs, and also introduces me and my Venture Technology publication. You'll also get the ticker symbols of the two companies I've talked about today. Like I said, both are making unprecedented investments in the weight-loss revolution, and I expect them to reward shareholders. But I don't recommend you do anything until you read my full research. I'm also currently recommending five more opportunities tied to the weight-loss revolution that could show you far bigger gains, with potentially 1,000% upside in some cases. (Existing Venture Technology subscribers, you already have access to everything [here](. These are opportunities tied to drugs that will play a critical role in this revolution... repairing liver and heart damage from obesity... even showing dramatic improvements in one of the worst and most vexing diseases on the planet – Alzheimer's. Yet many of the companies driving these developments are relatively small and unknown. We traveled around the world tracking these technologies – and these biotech beer plants – for you. Again, if you'd like to learn more, [click here now](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Recommended Links: [This Breakthrough Could Be BIGGER Than AI]( Renowned futurist and New York University professor Scott Galloway went on record saying this breakthrough would be BIGGER than AI. And as usual, millions of investors are giving up at the exact wrong time. It's easily the biggest story in the world you're likely NOT paying attention to unless you're personally affected. And it could lead to a series of 200%... 500%... or even 1,000% gains. But don't take our word for it – hear it from a Stansberry Research employee who's part of this story. He says this breakthrough technology saved his life and let him see his sons grow up. [Check out the breakthrough story here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- [U.S. Dollar to 'Go Crypto']( Trillion-dollar institutions like Fidelity and BlackRock are backing bitcoin, driving the price higher above $70,000 this month. But one highly respected crypto expert, who first started mining bitcoin in 2013, says that what's coming next could have implications far beyond the bitcoin market. It'll surprise you... and could blindside millions of people. [Get the full story here while there's still time](. --------------------------------------------------------------- New 52-week highs (as of 3/14/24): AbbVie (ABBV), American Financial (AFG), Amazon (AMZN), Ascot Resources (AOTVF), Copart (CPRT), Commvault Systems (CVLT), Enerplus (ERF), Diamondback Energy (FANG), GEO Group (GEO), W.W. Grainger (GWW), Microsoft (MSFT), O'Reilly Automotive (ORLY), RenaissanceRe (RNR), Construction Partners (ROAD), Trane Technologies (TT), Textron (TXT), and Visa (V). In today's mailbag, a subscriber notes an inflation indicator from a group of businesses that Digest editor Corey McLaughlin [wrote about recently](... and we have feedback on Dr. David "Doc" Eifrig's Retirement Trader strategy, which [he wrote about yesterday](... Do you have a comment or question? As always, e-mail us at feedback@stansberryresearch.com. "Corey, continue to enjoy the daily Digest, keep up the great work. "I've been an Alliance member for 12+ years and benefited from the education and guidance from all the Stansberry analysts. I have been building positions in recommended property and casualty insurance companies with positive paper gains. "Just received our home insurance coverage renewal... 79% increase for 2024 with the same coverage values. Checked with the company and got quotes from other companies with the same reply: re-ratings due to potential wildfires. No, we do not live in a wooded neighborhood but we do live in a mountainous community. "In checking the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website it appears that insurance is buried within the 'shelter' number. To me, this is another example of hidden inflation and it will be stickier and higher for longer." – Stansberry Alliance member Ron G. "Doc: I retired several years ago and decided I wanted to learn about options. I read your book several times and also viewed your videos on options. I have used other sources but your info is hard to beat. I have been selling covered calls and covered puts in my IRA accounts for the past several years. I started out just following recommended trades but eventually I have branched out to where now, if I want a stock or ETF, I sell a covered put or if I already own a stock or ETF, I will sell a covered call on it... Thanks Doc!" – Subscriber Dan N. "I have had good results both following [Doc's] recommendations and making my own trades on companies I know and like." – Subscriber C.F. "Joined lifetime [to Retirement Trader] today. Looking forward to my first [trade] from you, I know it works. I have done over 500 [of these trades] with over an 87% success rate." – Subscriber C.P. "I am a Stansberry Alliance member. The first newsletter I bought from Stansberry was Stansberry's Investment Advisory. My next two purchases included Retirement Trader. I made enough money over the years to keep purchasing Stansberry products until I finally had accumulated enough capital to become an Alliance member. Retirement Trader is my favorite and I almost always buy the stock or sell the put from the lead article in your monthly publication. I learned enough from you to make options trades not included in your articles..." – Stansberry Alliance member Tom H. Corey McLaughlin comment: We're happy to hear the feedback about Retirement Trader and the value of Doc's options lessons. I think it truly speaks to the quality and care he and his team provide subscribers. As Doc said yesterday, today is what he and Retirement Trader subscribers know as "payday" – or options-expiration day. And this is a special one. Doc's streak of winning trades in Retirement Trader is eclipsing a milestone of 200. In short, Doc does this by selling options. We know the word "options" scares a lot of people, but if you listen to Doc about how to trade them like he suggests – to make income on stocks you love, over and over again, it might change your view. As he wrote yesterday... Essentially, in Retirement Trader, we collect money from folks who either want to make speculative bets or to purchase "insurance" on their portfolios. As long as those stocks don't fall much in the couple of months after we sell our options, we make money. And because my team and I focus on safe, blue-chip stocks, we avoid the risks that some folks associate with the options market. Today, Doc's subscribers are closing out trades on four stocks for profits, totaling more than $1,000 on just one options contract for each of the trades. Some subscribers make even more by selling multiple contracts on Doc's option recommendations. You can join Doc and his team to get in on the next winners. Now is a great time. In honor of his remarkable milestone of 200 straight wins, we're offering access to Retirement Trader at a special discount... and we've tripled our normal 30-day trial period. So, you can give Doc's trading service a try for three full months. And if you decide for any reason Retirement Trader is not right for you, you can let us know and use what you paid as credit for any other research we publish over the next year. For more information on Retirement Trader and how to get started with a subscription, [click here](. Good investing, Dave Lashmet Flying toward Seattle, Washington March 15, 2024 --------------------------------------------------------------- Stansberry Research Top 10 Open Recommendations Top 10 highest-returning open positions across all Stansberry Research portfolios Stock Buy Date Return Publication Analyst MSFT Microsoft 11/11/10 1,381.3% Retirement Millionaire Doc MSFT Microsoft 02/10/12 1,351.4% Stansberry's Investment Advisory Porter wstETH Wrapped Staked Ethereum 02/21/20 1,173.5% Stansberry Innovations Report Wade ADP Automatic Data Processing 10/09/08 883.8% Extreme Value Ferris WRB W.R. Berkley 03/16/12 778.7% Stansberry's Investment Advisory Porter BTC/USD Bitcoin 01/16/20 638.6% Stansberry Innovations Report Wade BRK.B Berkshire Hathaway 04/01/09 621.2% Retirement Millionaire Doc HSY Hershey 12/07/07 478.8% Stansberry's Investment Advisory Porter AFG American Financial 10/12/12 454.6% Stansberry's Investment Advisory Porter NVO Novo Nordisk 12/05/19 382.9% Stansberry's Investment Advisory Gula Please note: Securities appearing in the Top 10 are not necessarily recommended buys at current prices. The list reflects the best-performing positions currently in the model portfolio of any Stansberry Research publication. The buy date reflects when the editor recommended the investment in the listed publication, and the return shows its performance since that date. To learn if a security is still a recommended buy today, you must be a subscriber to that publication and refer to the most recent portfolio. --------------------------------------------------------------- Top 10 Totals 5 Stansberry's Investment Advisory Porter/Gula 2 Retirement Millionaire Doc 2 Stansberry Innovations Report Wade 1 Extreme Value Ferris --------------------------------------------------------------- Top 5 Crypto Capital Open Recommendations Top 5 highest-returning open positions in the Crypto Capital model portfolio Stock Buy Date Return Publication Analyst wstETH Wrapped Staked Ethereum 12/07/18 2,291.8% Crypto Capital Wade BTC/USD Bitcoin 11/27/18 1,801.3% Crypto Capital Wade ONE/USD Harmony 12/16/19 1,329.6% Crypto Capital Wade POLYX/USD Polymesh 05/19/20 1,095.4% Crypto Capital Wade MATIC/USD Polygon 02/25/21 950.8% Crypto Capital Wade Please note: Securities appearing in the Top 5 are not necessarily recommended buys at current prices. The list reflects the best-performing positions currently in the Crypto Capital model portfolio. The buy date reflects when the recommendation was made, and the return shows its performance since that date. To learn if it's still a recommended buy today, you must be a subscriber and refer to the most recent portfolio. --------------------------------------------------------------- Stansberry Research Hall of Fame Top 10 all-time, highest-returning closed positions across all Stansberry portfolios Investment Symbol Duration Gain Publication Analyst Nvidia^* NVDA 5.96 years 1,466% Venture Tech. Lashmet Microsoft^ MSFT 12.74 years 1,185% Retirement Millionaire Doc Band Protocol crypto 0.32 years 1,169% Crypto Capital Wade Terra crypto 0.41 years 1,164% Crypto Capital Wade Inovio Pharma.^ INO 1.01 years 1,139% Venture Tech. Lashmet Seabridge Gold^ SA 4.20 years 995% Sjug Conf. Sjuggerud Frontier crypto 0.08 years 978% Crypto Capital Wade Binance Coin crypto 1.78 years 963% Crypto Capital Wade Nvidia^* NVDA 4.12 years 777% Venture Tech. Lashmet Intellia Therapeutics NTLA 1.95 years 775% Amer. Moonshots Root ^ These gains occurred with a partial position in the respective stocks. * The two partial positions in Nvidia were part of a single recommendation. Editor Dave Lashmet closed the first leg of the position in November 2016 for a gain of about 108%. Then, he closed the second leg in July 2020 for a 777% return. And finally, in May 2022, he booked a 1,466% return on the final leg. Subscribers who followed his advice on Nvidia could've recorded a total weighted average gain of more than 600%. You have received this e-mail as part of your subscription to Stansberry Digest. If you no longer want to receive e-mails from Stansberry Digest [click here](. Published by Stansberry Research. You’re receiving this e-mail at {EMAIL}. Stansberry Research welcomes comments or suggestions at feedback@stansberryresearch.com. This address is for feedback only. For questions about your account or to speak with customer service, call 888-261-2693 (U.S.) or 443-839-0986 (international) Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Eastern time. Or e-mail info@stansberryresearch.com. Please note: The law prohibits us from giving personalized financial advice. © 2024 Stansberry Research. All rights reserved. Any reproduction, copying, or redistribution, in whole or in part, is prohibited without written permission from Stansberry Research, 1125 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21201 or [stansberryresearch.com](. Any brokers mentioned constitute a partial list of available brokers and is for your information only. Stansberry Research does not recommend or endorse any brokers, dealers, or investment advisors. Stansberry Research forbids its writers from having a financial interest in any security they recommend to our subscribers. All employees of Stansberry Research (and affiliated companies) must wait 24 hours after an investment recommendation is published online – or 72 hours after a direct mail publication is sent – before acting on that recommendation. This work is based on SEC filings, current events, interviews, corporate press releases, and what we've learned as financial journalists. It may contain errors, and you shouldn't make any investment decision based solely on what you read here. It's your money and your responsibility.