It was an odd day in the market with weakness early followed but a rally in the afternoon that made it look like we would get to unchanged (or even green). Then we sold off in the afternoon only to make another run at green in the last hour. On the positive side, it was […]
Impressions from ASCO 2013 Days 3 and 4
Having survived ASCO 2013, we wanted to review some of the main data from Days 3 and 4. After a very long first 2 sessions, Day 3 and 4 were less data heavy, however, the outcomes from some of these had a dramatic effect for some (like CLVS, INFI, TSRO and SNTA). PD1’s belle of […]
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 […]
May 31- EOD
Again, I feel like today was another quite before the storm day. There was some interesting news but really nothing dramatic happening. 1. Jon Najarian pumped CLSN last night as an ASCO play, which is horribly odd given that CLSN will not be at ASCO and thermodox is a complete dud of a drug. I […]
INFI – Infinity Pharmaceuticals: Down But Not Out
Less than two months ago on April 2, INFI hit a multi-year high of $50.26. Since then, the stock tumbled more than 50% in a relentless fall driven by high trading volume. Shares recently recovered some and now sit at about $25. Many have argued the stock was overpriced in early April when it carried […]
GILD – Gilead – Building An Oncology Powerhouse
Having solidified its position as the leading provider of HIV medicines, Gilead turned toward a strategy of diversification, first with pulmonary and cardiovascular disease, then HCV. The first two were mostly busts, but a strong focus on Hepatitis C has paid dividends for stakeholders. Now the company is building on its momentum to create an […]
May 16 2013 – End Of Day Biotech Wrap-up
A lot of movers today and most were deep in the red. A lot of the moves were ASCO stocks selling off after the abstracts were released last night but some recovered (PCYC) while others stayed deep in the red (INFI) or moderately red (ARIA and MDVN). There is a lot to talk about but […]
ASCO2013 Take Two: Battleground Hematology
As we said in our initial article on ASCO 2013[link], Gilead will have a significant presence at this year’s meeting. In the May 15th press program for ASCO, they will be featuring Idelalisib(GS-1101), Gilead’s delta-specific PI3K inhibitor. Novel oral agents with dramatic efficacy and limited toxicity have made the hematology space highly competitive. Abstracts can […]
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: […]
Notes from JP Morgan Healthcare Conference (Monday/Tuesday session)
As we go into the 3rd day of the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, we wanted to provide some highlights and notes from the first 2 sessions. I tried to keep them as concise as possible. Day 1 Clearly, Celgene Corp.(NASDAQ: CELG) came firing out of the gates by announcing strong financial guidance. This included in-line […]
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 […]
AASLD 2012 – An HCV Primer
It seems EASL has just ended, but AASLD is fast approaching, coming mid November. For HepC watchers, here is an overview of some companies that will be presenting at the Liver Meeting. Despite the tremendous progress made to-date, new advances keep it exciting. Gilead: Acknowledged leader in the race to bring an all-oral drug combination […]
GILD – Gilead’s battle plans for Hepatitis C
During their quarterly conference call on Jul. 26th, Gilead essentially showed their hand in HCV. With such swift plans in place and competitors much further behind, Gilead should have a commanding lead and marketshare for the foreseeable future in HCV. Their results presented at EASL12 in April have even been convincing some in the medical […]
IDIX – Quick Take on IDX184
Idenix released SVR4 data for its lead drug IDX184 and early 3-day results of the promising NS5A inhibitor IDX719 Tuesday afternoon. Both sets of data looked good, sending IDIX shares soaring in after-hours trading. 31 patients from the first cohort of Idenix’s Phase IIb study were randomized to either 50mg (n=16) or 100mg (n=15) IDX184 […]
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 – The Patent Interference Case
In early March, Idenix announced the USPTO (US Patent and Trademark Office) had declared a patent interference between its U.S. Patent Application no. 12/131,868 and Pharmasset’s (now Gilead’s) U.S. Patent no. 7,429,572. Idenix, with the earlier filing date, has been designated the senior party in this dispute, where the principal issue is to determine priority […]
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 […]
Quick take on some upcoming FDA decisions and clinical data
A few comments to highlight some upcoming data or PDUFA events. Threshold Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: THLD) has been quite the stock the past few months after landing a partnership with Merck KGaA and reporting positive top-line PFS data from their Phase 2 study in pancreatic cancer. On Monday, April 2nd @ 10:30AM PST, Threshold will be […]
Quick take on some upcoming catalysts
With Gilead’s (NASDAQ: GILD) recent announcement about the 7977 data(100% RVR, 25/25 in genotype 1 patients so far) should have Idenix(NASDAQ: IDIX) and Achillion(NASDAQ: ACHN) investors thinking hard about the relative risk-reward at this point. GILD announced that data would be available at CROI12 on March 5th-8th; they plan to annouce more SVR data on […]
BMY & INHX – Bristol-Myers Squibb Buys Inhibitex for $2.5 Billion
Bristol-Myers Squibb Buys Inhibitex for $2.5 Billion On Saturday, Bristol announced it would acquire Inhibitex for $26 a share, about $2.5 billion dollars, a 163% premium to the companies $9.87 Friday closing price. Inhibitex had been the hot topic of takeover speculation lately for its HCV drug INX-189, a coveted nucleotide polymerase inhibitor. The hepatitis […]
