It was a fairly busy day today in biotech land the sentiment certainly appears more positive. They participated in the market rally even though most were not big losers in the recent macro selling. This is certainly positive going forward. I want to focus on the MRK news as it touches on a lot of […]
September 27- EOD
Not a particularly news rich day but the sector seemed to continue its momentum from yesterday and seemed to outperform the general market with a lot of green on a red day. 1. Well, it looks like JNJ is tossing another wrench in ECYT trials with more doxil supply problems. ECYT noted that they have […]
Upcoming Fall medical conferences
With Fall approaching quickly, we head into one of the busier periods of medical conference presentations. In the next month, we have several widely followed conferences approaching and abstract releases for a number of others. Below are some of the key conferences that we will be tracking with some analysis to follow in subsequent articles. […]
July 16- EOD
Seemed like a slow news day as the markets pulled back to consolidate some of the recent moves. Biotechs were not immune to the move, although some clearly performed better than others. 1. EPZM has shown incredible strength since the IPO. While I like this company’s technology and would like to own some shares, it […]
July 1- EOD
Today was the fallout of the AMGN bid for ONXX. There are a couple of aspects of it that I want to touch on and go a little further than my article this morning. 1. In my article I tried to cover the companies that I thought had the most compelling reasons to be interested […]
BMY – In A Consolidation Mode
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) BMY had an amazing run ahead of ASCO-2013 that left many well-planned traders very happy. The stock found strong support near the 50-Day Moving Average around $39.50 where many traders(ourselves included) started initial positions. The stock had a great run into the ASCO abstracts release on May 15th, moving roughly […]
ABBV – A look into Abbvie
with Patrick Crutcher and Jason Chew Abbvie (ABBV) presented data on its oncology candidates at ASCO meeting and updated investors at Jefferies Healthcare Conference last week. The stock, like other fellow big caps, has had a considerable run over the past few months and is up 25% YTD, after the split from Abbott (ABT). On […]
Biggest takeaway from ASCO 2013
With wrapping up our coverage of the 2013 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, I feel compelled to elucidate a point that we tried to hammer home with our preview of this meeting. I attended at least a dozen presentations covering various indications, but nothing compared to the sessions on the developments […]
June 3- EOD
Happy mid-ASCO (although most of the data is already presented). Some interesting ASCO and, surprisingly, non-ASCO stories. 1. I added to my SGEN position today (at $33.67). It has been under pressure recently and I’ve been looking to add over the summer in anticipation of HL data at ASH. I am intimately aware of the […]
Flash takes from ASCO 2013 Day 1/2
With Day 1 and 2 of ASCO 2013 completed, we wanted to review some of our main conclusions from the presentations and posters we reviewed. We will try our best given the vast amount of dense information covered during this time. As we previously said, this was largely a conference dominated by newsflow from big […]
ASCO2013 Take Three: PD1 antibodies will have significant presence
This is our third piece in a series of articles on developments expected at ASCO 2013[1,2]. Currently, we think the majority of the exciting presentations at ASCO 2013 will be from clinical candidates at big pharma. In particular, anti-programmed death-1 monoclonal antibodies(anti-PD-1) like Bristol Myers’ Nivolumab(BMS-936558), Merck’s Lambrolizumab (MK-3475), GSK’s AMP-224, Teva/CureTech’s CT-011 and Roche/Genentech’s […]
Preview of ASCO2013 Take One
With the 2013 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) rapidly approaching, we want to take the time to present our highlights of the meeting. This is one of the largest medical meetings investors focus upon in the biotech and healthcare sectors. Before we get into this, we do have some overarching […]
Upcoming earnings and conferences this week
With the first quarter behind us, we look to updates across the biotech industry on new product launches and guidance for the year. We are also coming upon the summer medical conference series. Additionally, we briefly discuss 2 upcoming FDA approvals. Upcoming earnings releases and updates Monday, April 22nd After-Hours: ILMN Tuesday, April 23rd Pre-Market: […]
2012 ASH Meeting – Myelofibrosis, Lymphoma, Myeloma
It’s going to be a busy few days at ASH, which begins December 8 in Atlanta. A huge amount of data will be presented; here is an overview of some interesting abstracts. YMI: YM Biosciences Title: Phase I/II Study of CYT387, a JAK1/JAK2 Inhibitor for the Treatment of Myelofibrosis YM Biosciences will present final safety […]
Bristol’s HepC Drug Fails – Now Idenix Compound Is On Clinical Hold
Bristol’s nuc, INX189, crashed not long after the compound was acquired through a $2.5 billion buyout of Inhibitex as a result of heart failure in one patient. Now the FDA has called for a partial clinical hold on a similar compound made by Idenix out of caution. IDIX stock has dropped about 30% today. Toxicity […]
INCY – An Immunotherapy Play?
At ASCO this past June, Incyte presented early data from its new Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase-1 (IDO-1) inhibitor project. Their small molecule inhibitor, INCB024360, was tested primarily to determine safety and tolerability; secondary endpoints included PK, biomarkers, and signs of anti-tumor activity. The compound demonstrated a good safety profile among 38 patients, with the maximum tolerated dose […]
EASL – A Look Back- Lessons Learned
There were some early winners and losers this year at EASL. Here we examine a few new interferon-free combination treatments, the most exciting development in HCV today; and look outward to determine how the future may shape up. The Good News: The star of the stage, once again, was GS-7977 (formerly PSI-7977). Gilead’s nucleotide polymerase […]
IDIX – Interview With CEO Ron Renaud
Idenix CEO Ron Renaud Q&A April 11, 2012 Idenix has been the subject of considerable attention with EASL (The European Association for the Study of the Liver) approaching and embargoed abstracts flying around the web. The company’s shares have been battered, dropping nearly 50% from January highs as questions have arisen over the potency of […]
IDIX – Is IDX-184 Good Enough?
Idenix may have a new lease on life now that the FDA has lifted all holds on its lead nucleotide IDX184. The company is very keen to put its nuc in combination with a pan-genotypic compound, either a protease inhibitor or NS5a inhibitor. To ensure it doesn’t run into the same toxicity problems it had […]
DEPO – Quick Update – Paragraph IV – DM1992 Phase 2
Depomed released a statement that Actavis Group, a generic drug manufacturer filed a paragraph IV challenge against Gralise, Depomed’s once-daily gabapentin formulation. NEUTRAL on Paragraph IV We view this event as having no net impact. Patent challenges are not unexpected in this pharmaceutical environment, especially in the drug delivery space. The current generic drug legislation rewards early […]