Earnings season is in full swing and investors will be watching their investments closely.

Traders may also be looking for trading opportunities either before or after specific company reports are released. Volatility certainly tends to increase around earnings reports and savvy traders will look to profit from it.

Either way, a lot of attention is given to the “big boys”, and this week brings several big biotech names.

The first big biotech name to watch this week is Amgen, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN).

Amgen releases its report tomorrow after the bell and the consensus estimate is for $2.05/share.

The next big name on the list is Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB), which is set to release its report on Wednesday before the market opens.

Biogen’s consensus comes in at $3.74/share and the whisper on the street is that Biogen will beat estimates.

Right after Biogen delivers its report, then comes Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VRTX).

Vertex releases earnings after the bell on Wednesday and is expected to come in at ($0.61)/share.

Thursday brings with it two big biotech names, both of which are releasing their earnings before the bell.

One of those names is Celgene Corp (NASDAQ: CELG).

The expectations for Celgene are for $1.00/share.

The other biotech releasing on Thursday is Alexion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ALXN).

Investors are looking for $1.29/share from Alexion’s release.

Obviously, investors must conduct their own due diligence before holding any stock into earnings or seeking to trade around an earnings release.