4. Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. (NASDAQ:NBIX)
Neurocrine Biosciences earns its spot among the top biotech stocks to buy now because it combines something many biotech companies badly want but do not yet have: strong commercial revenue, growing product demand, and an expanding pipeline. Based on the provided May 10, 2026 data, the stock was priced at $152.25, with a 12-week price change of 22.66%, a forward P/E of 17.52, projected one-year EPS growth of 35.99%, and projected one-year sales growth of 29.23%. In biotech language, that is a rare mix of growth, valuation visibility, and product execution.
The company’s first-quarter 2026 results were strong. Neurocrine reported total first-quarter net product sales of $811.0 million, up 44% year over year. Total revenues reached $814.5 million, compared with $572.6 million in the prior-year period, representing a 42% increase. That is not the usual “promising pipeline but no revenue yet” biotech setup. This is a commercial-stage biotech with medicines already producing meaningful sales.
The biggest driver remains INGREZZA, which posted first-quarter 2026 net product sales of $656.9 million, up 20% year over year. The company said the growth reflected double-digit prescription volume growth and record new prescription volume, supported by strong patient demand, although it was partly offset by lower net pricing compared with the first quarter of 2025. CRENESSITY also added momentum, generating $153.3 million in first-quarter net product sales, helped by strong patient demand and approximately 80% reimbursement for dispensed prescriptions during the quarter.
CEO Kyle Gano framed the quarter as a sign of “continued momentum” across the company’s commercial portfolio. He also said the company is working to diversify across therapeutic areas, which is important because investors do not want a maturing biotech to rely too heavily on only one product. Neurocrine also reaffirmed full-year 2026 INGREZZA net sales guidance of $2.7 billion to $2.8 billion, giving investors a clearer view of expected revenue durability.
Another reason Neurocrine is attracting attention is its expansion strategy. The company entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Soleno Therapeutics for $53.00 per share in cash, valuing the transaction at roughly $2.9 billion. The deal includes VYKAT XR, a first-in-class therapy for hyperphagia in Prader-Willi syndrome, and is expected to expand Neurocrine’s rare disease and endocrinology portfolio. Reuters also reported that the deal gives Neurocrine access to the first FDA-approved therapy for hyperphagia linked to Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare genetic disorder involving excessive hunger.
The company is also pushing forward on pipeline development. Neurocrine initiated a Phase 2 clinical study of NBI-1117570, a dual M1/M4 selective agonist in adults with schizophrenia, and started a Phase 1 first-in-human study for NBIP-’2118, a potential first-in-class therapy for obesity. That gives the stock exposure not only to current commercial medicines but also to future neuroscience, psychiatry, rare disease, and metabolic disease opportunities.
For investors looking for biotech growth stocks, rare disease stocks, neuroscience biotech stocks, and profitable biotech companies, Neurocrine looks like one of the stronger names in the group. The risk is that expectations are now higher after strong sales growth and acquisition activity. Pricing pressure, regulatory setbacks, clinical trial failures, or integration risk from the Soleno deal could weigh on the stock. But compared with many biotech companies, Neurocrine has a stronger commercial base and a broader growth runway.
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