Quick take on Geron’s Imetelstat abstract

Today we finally got a glimpse at the ongoing investigator sponsored study of Geron (GERN) imetelstat in myelofibrosis. We have previously discussed this program here. The abstract can be found here. An oral presentation is scheduled for Monday, December 9th at 4:45 PM. The study was carried out by Dr. Tefferi at the Mayo Clinic. […]

TSRO – A look at Tesaro

Following additional information released at ASCO 2013 and their recent quarterly updated, we wanted to take a moment to talk about Tesaro (TSRO). Since their IPO, Tesaro’s stock is up roughly 186% at a fully diluted marketcap of $1.22 billion (@ $35 per share) based on roughly 35 million shares outstanding. Tesaro’s pipeline consists of […]

ASH 2013 Preview on ALL/CML/MDS/AML

This year’s annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH13) is highly anticipated for a number of reasons. The first series in our preview covered what to expect in multiple myeloma. Today’s preview will focus on some of the moves going in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), […]

ASH 2013 Preview on Myelofibrosis

This year’s annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH13) is highly anticipated for a number of reasons. With the general market for the healthcare/biotech sector at all-time highs on the backs of Pharmacyclic’s Ibrutinib (stock is up 1000% since ASH11), Celgene’s Revlimid (~67% of their $6.3B 2013 revenue) and Amgen’s $10.6B deal for […]

Week’s Option Activity (10/31~11/4)

The following stocks had notable activity in their options during the past week(s): $VNDA (10/31): Lots of activity – we will stick to the bigger trades. 1,000 NOV 4.0 strike Puts were sold (stock at $6.74) to buy 1,000 NOV 11.0 strike Calls for a net debit of 0.65 or $65,000 – buyer makes money […]

ASH 2013 Preview on Lymphoid Malignancies

This year’s annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology(ASH13) is highly anticipated for a number of reasons. Pharmacyclic’s Ibrutinib could be viewed as one of the several catalysts sparking the biotech sector’s run the past 2 years. They are now within months of receiving approval for 2 indications where they could benefit patient lives […]

November 5- EOD

The morning looked bad but the sector came back a little. There was some sporadic buying of oncology names but nothing major. It will be very interesting to see how the sector responds to the ASH abstracts. Obviously there will be winners and losers but the question in my mind is how will the PPS […]

November 4- EOD

(This was from yesterday. Due to the server issues, I am not sure many of you saw it, so I am reposting.) I take one day to not write an EOD and biotechs sell off. Well, they have been weak for awhile so no real surprise but at least the selling does not seemed related […]

ASH 2013 Preview on Multiple Myeloma

This year’s annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH13) is highly anticipated for a number of reasons. With the general market for the healthcare/biotech sector at all-time highs on the backs of Pharmacyclic’s Ibrutinib (stock is up 1000% since ASH11), Celgene’s Revlimid (~67% of their $6.3B 2013 revenue) and Amgen’s $10.6B deal for […]

CLDX – A look at CDX-1127

Celldex Therapeutics (CLDX) has one of the most anticipated data releases amongst small biotech companies this fall. They are scheduled to present data from their Phase 1 dose-escalation trial of a CDX-1127 (CD27, a T-cell stimulator) at the annual meeting of the Society for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer(SITC), November 7-10th. We will also likely see some […]

October 31- EOD

ARIA is doing its best to single handedly crush biotech sentiment and grind it into a bloody pulp. As I have said before, if this is the bursting of a real speculative bubble then we have another five to ten years of selling (I think it took tulip prices over a century to recover and […]

Catalyst Watch – Vol. 1, Edition 6 (10/30/13)

Below are current tactical and strategic thoughts on approaching FDA and clinical trial catalysts for select names. Estimates, values and views are as of the date of publishing (or are noted) and are subject to potential future, pre-catalyst revision: Catalyst Watch List – Update: VNDA: The stock has sold off substantially, from $13 to $7, […]

October 30- EOD

The sector seems almost perilously balanced between putting in a solid base for the next leg higher and setting up for another leg lower. The freefall that we have seen in recent weeks has slowed but volumes remain pathetic (especially in the small cap space), which means buyers are not quite interested. Of course, when […]

October 29- EOD

Well, it seemed like an odd day for the sector in that it was almost directionless. This is not to say that there were not moves among individual stocks but we are finally starting to see them move on merit and less on sector sentiment. I think this is a good sign and hopefully we […]

Ariad- Where Do They Go From Here

Following the FDA’s clinical hold, then discontinuation of the Phase III trial in front line CML for Ariad’s only marketed drug, Iclusig, the most pressing issue comes down to are finances. Ariad is a big spender, burning through $69 million in the second quarter of this year with $83 million in operating expenses. It will […]

October 28- Mid day

I have not followed the biotech market very close the end of last week but it seems like more of the same. There is a number of issues that I could touch on today but I have been getting the most questions about ONTX, so I will focus on it today. I am also publishing […]

Datasets in focus at IASLC this weekend

This weekend is the  15th annual World Conference on Lung Cancer, sponsored by tge International Assoc. for The Study Of Lung Cancer (IASLC). It takes place Sunday October 27th through Wednesday 30th (Site). Abstracts can be found here. In particular, we want to speak briefly about 7 presentations. PD1 inhibitors Bristol-Myers (BMY), Merck (MRK) and Roche (RHHBY) […]

Merck – Quick Chart Review

Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) -NYSE For the first time since March 1st, MRK’s price dropped below its 200-Day Moving Average. This is worth a deeper look at the price action and the indicators are showing a “Bullish Divergence” and within the oversold zone. Merck will take part at the (IASLC) the 15th World Conference on […]