Biotech stocks kicked off 2010 in the green fueled by announcements from some of the sector’s biggest players. In light of healthcare reform and the sector’s ability to sustain despite the nation’s economic hurdles, many analysts, investors and even healthcare professionals anticipate a big year for biotechs. We’ve compiled a short list of newsworthy and notable stocks to provide you with insight on which companies are driving the new year’s trading activity.

ECTE – Echo completes product development and moves toward FDA market clearance

Echo Therapeutics (OTCBB: ECTE) recently announced it had completed development for its groundbreaking new product, fueling trading activity through Wednesday morning. The company said its Prelude SkinPrep System for transdermal drug delivery is now commercially ready to be used in final clinical trials, though the company said it doesn’t expect any changes to the device before it hits the market.

Patrick T. Mooney, M.D., chairman and CEO of Echo said the completed development marks an integral step for the company as it moves toward FDA market clearance.

“The completion of the product development work on our Prelude SkinPrep System, our skin preparation platform technology used for both transdermal drug delivery and skin preparation prior to the application of the Symphony tCGM glucose biosensor represents one of the most important milestone events in the Company’s history,” Patrick T. Mooney, M.D., chairman and CEO of Echo stated in the press release. “We are now prepared to complete our clinical validation and begin commercialization efforts in enhanced topical lidocaine delivery. This next generation skin preparation device incorporates substantial improvements beyond the prototype used in earlier studies. We anticipate testing Prelude with LMX4 anesthetic cream for enhanced local dermal anesthesia in the near-term and subsequently seeking 510-k market clearance from the FDA.”

This system is a major component of the Echo’s needle-free Symphony tCGM System, a non-invasive, wireless, transdermal continuous glucose monitoring (tCGM) for use by patients with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The company said it anticipates that the Prelude will soon be tested with the Symphony tCGM for patients with diabetes, as well as patients requiring aggressive glucose monitoring.

GLD – Phase II clinical trial of HIV treatment meets primary objective

Gilead Sciences (Nasdaq: GILD) contributed to the biotech surge after the company announced positive news regarding its phase II study of its new drug candidate GS 9350. The clinical trials showed GS 9350 as effective as a boosting agent for the company’s “Quad” combination treatment for HIV.

Gilead’s Quad combination also contains another leading HIV therapy, Atripla, which contains the same compounds in the company’s Truvada, as well as Bristo-Myers Squibb’s (BMY) Sustiva.

The company is also studying GS 9350 as a boosting agent for other drugs to see if it can enhance their efficacy.

NVS – CEO Daniel Vasella’s strategy to secure position in eye care

Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS) recently offered to buy up the remaining stake of Alcon Inc. (NYSE: ACL), the world’s largest eye-care company, from Nestle SA (Pink Sheets: NSRGY) for $39.9 billion. Novartis bought 25% of Alcon from Nestle in April 2008.

On Monday, Novartis’ offer of $153 per share received cold response from minority shareholders who considered the price too low considering the stock’s $164.35 close on January 7; Tuesday Novartis upped the price, and said it will buy a 52% stake for an average of $180 per share, or $28.1 billion; the Switzerland-based drug maker also offered to pay 2.8 of its own shares for each remaining Alcon share held by the public, or $11.2 billion.

Market analysts consider Novartis’ offer to buy out minority shareholders a “good move,” giving the company full control and realization of full synergies, which the company expects to hit about $300 million within three years of the deal with Alcon.

The 52% interest in Alcon will expand Novartis’ portfolio of eye-care businesses, including Ciba Vision and Lucentis blindness medicine.

“It’s an excellent opportunity to acquire the world leader in eye care,” Novartis CEO DanielVasella told reporters. “Overall I think it’s a great strategic fit and I’m very optimistic about the outlook of the business.”

Alcon reported a profit margin of 35% in 2008, and $2.9 billion in sales fueled by it surgical business. In 2008 Novartis reported a 22% profit margin.

ANX – ADVENTRX raises $19 million through direct offering

ADVENTRX Pharmaceuticals Inc. (AMX: ANX) a U.S.-based specialty pharmaceutical company, recently announced it had raised $19 million through a registered direct offering by issuing its Series E convertible preferred stock, the company’s share price rose from an opening offer price of $0.30 to a high of $0.52 during trading Tuesday.

According to senior executives, ADCENTRX plans to use the net proceeds from the offering to fund activities relating to the commercial launch of ANX-530, including acquiring or developing sales, marketing and distribution capabilities and the associated regulatory compliance infrastructure, and to continue the development of ANX-514 in the United States, and for general corporate purposes.

Under the agreement, investors have the opportunity to convert their preferred stock to shares of ANX’s common stock at a conversion price of $0.38 per share and accrued a 3.73% cumulative dividend until January 7, 2015. An additional clause in the agreement provides that investors will also receive warrants to purchase 12,462,285 shares of ADVENTRX’s common stock.