Back to top

Image: Bigstock

ADMA vs Takeda: Which Plasma Therapy Stock Is the Better Buy Today?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Key Takeaways

  • ADMA rides strong on Asceniv demand, with 2025 revenues up 20% and 2026 sales expected above $635M.
  • Takeda leverages a broad plasma portfolio and global infrastructure to drive growth in rare disease therapies.
  • Takeda leverages a broad plasma portfolio and global infrastructure to drive growth in rare disease therapies.

ADMA Biologics (ADMA - Free Report) and Takeda (TAK - Free Report) are prominent players in the plasma-derived immunoglobulin space.

ADMA focuses on plasma-based biologics to treat immune deficiencies and help prevent certain infectious diseases. In contrast, Takeda operates a broadly diversified portfolio spanning gastroenterology, rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies, oncology and neuroscience.

With both companies holding strong positions in the plasma-derived therapies market, selecting one over the other is not easy. A closer look at their fundamentals, growth outlook, key risks and valuations can help determine the better investment choice.

The Case for ADMA Biologics

ADMA Biologics markets plasma-derived biologics for the treatment of immune deficiencies and the prevention of certain infectious diseases.

Asceniv, its lead product, is a plasma-derived IVIG that contains naturally occurring polyclonal antibodies. It is indicated for the treatment of primary immunodeficiency disease (PIDD) or inborn errors of immunity in adults and adolescents.

Record demand for Asceniv, expected expansion in payer coverage, and growing confidence in long-term plasma supply are providing clear visibility into accelerating revenues in 2026.

The product is manufactured using ADMA’s unique, patented plasma donor screening methodology and tailored plasma pooling design, which blends normal source plasma with respiratory syncytial virus plasma obtained from donors tested using the company’s proprietary microneutralization assay.

Third-party suppliers outperformed expectations in 2025, and newly executed agreements now provide access to more than 280 plasma collection centers, significantly strengthening Asceniv’s long-term supply outlook.

Management believes Asceniv is in the early stages of penetrating a large total addressable market and represents a key long-term growth driver for ADMA (supported by a differentiated, patented supply and manufacturing platform).

Revenues of $510.2 million in 2025 were up 20% from 2024, driven by higher Asceniv sales due to continued growth in physician, payer and patient adoption. Asceniv delivered record utilization in 2025, with revenues climbing 51% year over year to $363 million on strong demand and growing prescriber adoption.

ADMA expects 2026 revenues to exceed $635 million, while 2027 revenues are forecasted to exceed $775 million.

ADMA is also positioned to benefit in 2026 from a continued shift in product mix toward higher-margin IVIG therapies, supporting further gross margin expansion. This improvement is expected to be driven by the first full year of yield-enhanced production, reinforcing the company’s operating leverage and supporting its profitability trajectory.

ADMA is also advancing SG-001, a hyperimmune globulin targeting S. pneumonia.

It plans to submit a pre-Investigational New Drug (“IND”) meeting package to the FDA in 2026, potentially enabling direct progression into a registrational trial. Management estimates peak annual sales of $300-$500 million, adding meaningful long-term optionality beyond its IVIG products.

The Case for Takeda

Takeda has established a dedicated plasma-derived therapies (PDT) unit that oversees the entire value chain, from plasma collection and manufacturing to R&D and commercialization, aimed at delivering life-saving treatments for rare and complex diseases.

Takeda’s broad immunoglobulin portfolio includes Hyqvia, Cuvitru, Gammagard Liquid and Gammagard Liquid Erc.  Among these, Hyqvia is a product consisting of human normal IG and recombinant human hyaluronidase (licensed from Halozyme).

Hyqvia is the only subcutaneous IG treatment for primary immunodeficiencies (PID) patients with a dosing regimen that requires only one infusion up to once per month and one injection site per infusion to deliver a full therapeutic dose of IG. It is approved in the United States for adults with PID, and in Europe for patients with PID syndromes and myeloma or CLL with severe secondary hypogammaglobulinemia and recurrent infections. Hyqvia was also approved for maintenance treatment in adult patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) in the United States and in CIDP patients of all ages in Europe.

Cuvitru is indicated as replacement therapy for primary humoral immunodeficiency in adults and pediatric patients two years of age and older.

Gammagard Liquid/Kiovig is a liquid formulation of the antibody replacement therapy immunoglobulin (IG), for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients two years of age or older with PID and adult patients with multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) (administered intravenously).  It is also approved for adult patients with CIDP. Kiovig is the brand name used for Gammagard Liquid in many countries outside the United States.

The company is also advancing next-generation products like TAK-881 and early-stage candidates such as TAK-411, while recent regulatory approvals and device innovations are supporting broader adoption and easier administration of key therapies.

Takeda is advancing a next-generation immunoglobulin therapy, TAK-881 (20% facilitated SCIG), while exploring early-stage candidates such as TAK-411 (hypersialylated immunoglobulin). These efforts are expected to further strengthen its already diverse global portfolio of more than 20 marketed therapies.

A Look at Estimates: ADMA versus TAK

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ADMA’s 2026 sales implies a year-over-year increase of 19.81%, and that for earnings per share (EPS) suggests an improvement of 55%.  EPS estimates for 2026 and 2027 have moved north in the past 60 days.

ADMA’s Estimate Movement

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TAK’s 2025 sales implies a year-over-year decrease of 3.74%, while that for EPS suggests a decline of 2.48%. EPS estimates for 2026 and 2027 have moved north in the past 60 days.

TAK Estimate Movement

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Price Performance and Valuation of ADMA and TAK

From the perspective of price performance, TAK has fetched better returns than ADMA so far this year. Shares of TAK have gained 6.7%, while those of ADMA have plunged 39.3%. The industry has gained 1.3% in the said period. 

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

From a valuation standpoint, TAK is more expensive than ADMA. TAK’s shares currently trade at 12.70X forward earnings, higher than 10.51X for ADMA.

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Which Stock Is a Better Pick Now?

Large biotech companies are generally considered safe havens for investors interested in this sector.

However, with both ADMA and TAK stocks currently carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), choosing one over the other could be tricky. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Takeda is a drug giant with an extremely broad and diverse portfolio. It is one of the three largest producers of plasma derivatives in terms of total sales. TAK’s diversified plasma drug portfolio, global infrastructure, and encouraging R&D efforts should help it drive growth in its PDT business.

On the other hand, ADMA’s top line is witnessing steady growth on the back of robust Asceniv demand. However, the recent pullback in the stock in response to short seller Culper Research’s allegations is worrisome even though ADMA emphasized that demand for its key product, Asceniv, remains strong and growing, supported by distributor and end-user data.

Large-cap TAK offers more stability and has outperformed ADMA year to date, making it the better pick currently.



 

Zacks' 7 Best Strong Buy Stocks (New Research Report)

Valued at $99, click below to receive our just-released report predicting the 7 stocks that will soar highest in the coming month.

Click Here, It's Really Free

Published in