Can Newton capture lightening in a bottle twice? Perhaps. Given that the drug put up solid numbers in midstage trials, that Esperion has a proven leader in Newton, and that the company just completed a secondary offering that raised $189.9 million for its coffers (giving it plenty of cash that it can use to finance its phase 3 trials), speculative investors might want to take a shot at owning it for the long term. No. 2. Novavax Next up is Novavax, another clinical-stage biotech stock that's been a top stock this year. Through Tuesday, shares in Novavax had climbed 56% this year on enthusiasm for its vaccine research program, which includes potential treatments for RSV, seasonal flu, and Ebola. Novavax has a lot of intriguing vaccines in its pipeline, and it expects to report a slate of data this year. Results from a phase 2 trial for seasonal influenza are expected in Q2, and results from three RSV trials should be announced in the second half of the year.