Leonard Schleifer

Regeneron is a research-oriented biotech, founded by Schleifer, that had no product on the market for its first 20 years. Today its monoclonal antibodies, particularly Eylea for retinal diseases, are producing major cash injections for the company. Indeed, Eylea is on track for mega-blockbuster status and Regeneron, which eked out $446 million in revenues in 2011, rang up $3.8 billion in revenues and $581 million in profits over the past 12 months. The company may have just the prescription to keep profits flush: The FDA recently approved its first-in-class anti-cholesterol drug—developed with Sanofi and priced, at $14,600 a year, dramatically higher than statins—and Regeneron’s pipeline, which is among the most promising in the business. Despite the pox on biotech stocks this year, Regeneron’s shares are up a robust 36%.