NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Aug 23, 2012) - Biotechnology stocks continue to be some of the strongest performers in the markets as favorable legislation, such as the FAST and TREAT acts, have helped boost investor optimism within the industry. The iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology Index Fund is up over 28 percent in 2012 -- handedly outperforming the Dow Jones industrial average year-to-date. Five Star Equities examines the outlook for companies in the Biotech Industry and provides equity research on Astex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: [ ASTX ]) and Celsion Corporation (NASDAQ: [ CLSN ]).

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The FAST and TREAT acts introduced in 2012 have helped accelerate the development, review and approval process of medicines/personalized therapies for patients suffering from serious and life-threatening diseases. According to recent data from Thomas Reuters, biotech mergers & acquisitions activity is currently at a four-year high as large pharmaceuticals are facing major patent cliffs. So far in 2012 the volume of biotech M&A has exceeded $25 billion, compared to roughly 10 billion in the same period of 2011.

"Their patents have expired, and as a result they have holes in their revenue line they are trying to fill," said Scott Lindsay, global head of mergers and acquisitions at Credit Suisse. "The other part is just shoring up the pipeline they have. So even if they don't have a major patent problem, they're all looking for growth."

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Astex Pharmaceuticals is a leader in innovative drug discovery, development and commercialization, committed to the fight against cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Shares of the company soared over 15 percent Tuesday, their largest gain in nearly seven months, on expectations they will receive European approval for its leukemia treatment according to Bloomberg.

Celsion is a leading oncology company dedicated to the development and commercialization of innovative cancer drugs including tumor-targeting treatments using focused heat energy in combination with heat-activated liposomal drug technology. Celsion and Royal Philips Electronics recently reported that the FDA provided clearance to commence a Phase II study of ThermoDox and MR-Guided HIFU in the treatment of bone cancer.

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