In June, the World Health Organization (WHO) alerted the public that a worldwide pandemic of swine flu (H1N1) was sweeping the globe.  Health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have stated that the swine flu virus could infect up to 40% of Americans over the next couple of years.  At last count, the CDC said there are 43,771 swine flu cases that have been reported in America, and 302 deaths have been associated with the disease.

A more recent addition to my transformational technologies portfolio, Medarex (NASDAQ:MEDX), has scored a huge win. The company, along with Massachusetts Biologic Laboratory, will get $60 million upfront from Merck (NYSE:MRK) for license rights to a monoclonal antibody that apparently cures C. difficile infection. They are eligible for another $165 million in milestones as well as royalties.

While swine flu is spreading and certainly has potential to become a very serious situation (as does any flu outbreak) if it continues, comparatively speaking, that isn’t the case at the moment.