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Dew, have you ever seen a breakdown of Botox sales by cosmetic/noncosmetic purposes?
I see a steady set of patients in one rehab setting (long-term brain injury with serious body injury complications) who are referred for Botox injections to address chronic muscle spasms/muscle tone issues.
regards
aj
OT: There are two domains in psychology that I regret (to some extent) that I never pursued, both have to do with the healing phenomena of our some of our "everyday" activities.
One is the power of music to generate such an uplifting of the spirit. I continue to work (ever so slowly) on a piece of quasi-fiction about how being involved in music as a child and teenager fundamentally changed who I was and am. For anyone who has ever sung in a choir or played an instrument in an orchestra or band, the tingling sensation up and down one's spine that one gets when the group reaches new heights is very powerful and overwhelmingly positive.
The other area, fraught with false idols, is the healing nature of human contact itself. While we have, by and large, selected out the very behaviors of interest here in our culture (with the possible exception of SOME of these behaviors during courtship), the very existence of the "laying of the hands" as a healing phenomenon is very real, I think, and something that has been left on the scientific "side of the road".
Preciouslife1, you no doubt have this gift, if this can even be palpated in cyberspace. I will also consider it quite unfortunate if I never get to meet you in person.
Smile and stay strong,
aj
You are in my thoughts as well Corky.
aj
OT: Black Friday(Posted from Dallas)
The annual ritual in which stores encourage mob behavior at the opening ought to immediately cease. It probably won’t, of course.
The evolution here is to open the doors to the stores/malls even earlier than the ridiculous 4AM start times of the last several years. Several Big Box stores and malls are now starting (or have started) at MIDNIGHT on Thanksgiving day.
FWIW, Our foray into the public today revealed a typical crowd at Frye's (me and the F-I-L) and reports of smaller than usual crowds at the North Dallas Malls visited by my wife, M-I-L and daughters.
"Getting back to the business model of KG/ALO… does this NYT article alter your opinion about whether some physicians will defensively gravitate to a pain med that contains a claim of abuse resistance in the FDA label?"
The short answer is yes, it does change my opinion, although I must say that I have held a paralllel opinion that many doctors have always maintained a defensive position vis a vis prescribing opioid meds (its one of the main reasons I have taken such a large and miserable position in JAV). I just never thought that a reasonable and prudent pain management doc would ever shy away from using opioids because of liability issues. I stand corrected with a new view of the whole arena.
I also never will believe that opioids will be formulated to be less abusable. If there is a way to abuse them, abusers will do so. Of note, I had some interest in Avinza when it was first out, being a LGND holder at that time, thinking that the same claim of lower abuse potential would make it an attractive new player in the pain market. For what ever reason (and lack of efficacy might be one, but lack of differentiation being the most likely culprit), Avinza has not caught on to the degree that it has become a commonly identified drug of abuse (although the standard ways to abuse it are part of the standard precautions; don't crush the med and take it in any form other than the way it is formulated).
I recall the opening scene for Train Spotting, where the addict gets ahold of a dose phenergen because he's so desperate to get his next fix. When he accidently voids it (in what could be described as the most disgusting bathroom ever presented to the public, LOL) the result is one of the more potent scenes of what an addict would do to avoid losing their fix.
aj
Semi OT: opioids and physician liability
"In case you missed it, this is a lengthy on-point article from 2007: #msg-20522244. Regards, Dew"
A damned interesting article, I must say. It indicates that my experience really just scratches the surface of aggressive pain management with opiate medications. The convicted doctor in question was prescribing 800 mg. of oxycontin a day with an as needed addition of up to 720 mg of roxicodone for breakthrough pain (and xanax to boot) to the patient who died. I found it interesting that the article author made no attempt to ask any expert about those specific doses for a patient, naive to the medications or not.
To put this into context, most patients in pain management settings that I see are prescribed between 40 and 80 mg. of oxycontin, methadone, or some other opioid per day. Oxycontin is psychoactive at 5-10 mg per dose for the opioid naive subject. Most drug abusing subjects speak of the sustained buzz of oxycontin without the upset stomach side effects. I haven't asked patients (in other contexts, mind you) about the street value of a 10 mg dose of hydrocodone (vicodin) in some time, but last time I did, I believe that each of these pills was worth about $10. A quick check with google indicates that this is still the case.
I have yet to see the civil litigation that follows the criminal/DEA investigations of doctors suspected of misusing their prescription pads in this way. Prudent medicine should lead pain management physicians to confer more with the like of my ilk, as neuropsychologists have uniquely distinguished themselves by developing objective tests for malingering/secondary gain and/or manipulated effort, but most doctors I talk to describe "not wanting to rock the boat" which can be read to mean that they know they are de facto drug dealing, but in a way benign to their practice and with no complaint from their patients.
aj
"If morphine and oxycodone are considered wholly non-fungible from a medical standpoint, then KG’s dealmaking indeed makes sense. As you can probably tell, the pain market is one that I do not know especially well."
Many opiate medications are fungible to a degree, and are not apt to be prescribed as a function of how well they protect the practicing physician from malpractice liability, at least IME. Patients don't usually sue doctors because the doctors have prescribed meds that are either addictive or abusable, mostly because the alternatives have already been tried and/or the patients are out to get the very abusable drugs in the first place. They are also almost ALL available in generic form.
aj
OT: "$1M is a lot of money?"
"Yes, it is a lot of money. It may not get you a vintage Ferrari collection, but in every city of this country you can buy a fine place for 500K and still have 500K left over without a mortgage to pay."
Come now, let's be realistic, the median price of a home in America right now is about $208,000. Any retiree with $1 million could easily live in their median priced home, owned outright, and have a nice fixed income of about $50,000 if the remaining $792,000 was invested in a mix of yield producing stocks and bonds (about 7% overall).
Where most live, that would be quite comfortable. $1 million dollar homes as a median is part of the madness that brought us to the edge of oblivion where we are right now.
aj
Late Stage Products looking for a home
I couldn't negotiate the editing language to make some minor changes to the list.
JAV's US Dyloject is not intranasal, this is injectible diclofenac. JAV also has a P3 drug that IS intranasal: Ketamine (Ereska) that is due for an NDA in 2009.
aj
Co.'s without the money to reach the finish line:
I am not a balance sheet expert but actually think that JAV can make it through the NDA for Dyloject in the US, but doubt they will be able to for Ereska without a partner. UK sales of Dyloject were slightly ahead of prjections for their first full quarter and hospital formulary adoption is also ahead of schedule with reorders ahead of schedule. That said, the revenue stream will still be too little too late.
Co.'s that have NO chance to make it, IMO, include COR (CX1717) and PPHM (Bavituximab), but neither of these have reached phase 3 yet.
(Big sigh!) Clearly no early retirement for me.
aj
JAV: Goes under a $1 on news of workforce reduction.
(the co. has only about 50 employees; my guess is that they have let the CRC's go since the US Dyloject study is complete and the Ereska study is almost done. Any way you cut it, however, this looks bad and my portfolio will never be the same.)
Javelin Pharmaceuticals Announces 15 Percent Reduction in Workforce
Friday November 14, 10:05 am ET
Changes Expected to Result in Cost Savings For 2009
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/081114/20081114005523.html?.v=1
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Javelin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Amex: JAV - News), a leading developer of novel products for pain management, today announced that it will reduce its workforce by approximately 15 percent. The reduction is intended to reduce Javelin’s cost structure.
ADVERTISEMENT
"We have taken difficult, but necessary actions, to reduce fixed costs across the organization to conserve and extend valuable development dollars. Today’s organizational changes are being effected in support of our priorities to file high quality regulatory submissions in the US and the EU for Dyloject and Ereska in 2009 and consummate successful commercialization partnerships for our late stage acute pain care product portfolio," said Martin Driscoll, CEO of Javelin Pharmaceuticals.
Mr. Driscoll continued, "We appreciate the dedication and past efforts of those employees affected by today’s announcement and thank them for their contributions in helping Javelin attain its first product approval and launch in a major western market.”
The Company will provide additional details on its progress and cost efficiency measures on its 2008 year-end results conference call.
Dew, the Dow moved up nearly 500 points in less than an hour at the end. I don't see anything spectacular in a small biotech getting caught up is some program buys. Co's a diverse as CRAY, SGMO, and RBCN all had the same last hour runs.
"RDEA spiked to a 42% gain in the closing minutes."
Well......JAV "spiked" 31% at the close. Nothing pending except more robust partnership talks. I'm just glad it's not completely dead!
aj
"Well, if a "near-death experience" is not enough to get people to change their lifestyle and comply with some new rules, I don't know what can."
Most who have these experiences demonstrate temporary change, then fall back to old behavioral patterns. Some even turn the experience on its head, claiming they've "cheated" death.
Behavioral compliance should be tied to insurance rates, and chronic noncompliance should lead to loss of coverage; that'd solve two problems at the same time, quite efficiently, I would imagine.
aj
I came away from reading the transcript with a similar impression. Gotta believe, however, that the co's interested know that they have JAV behind the 8-ball, at least at this point. The share price has been awful, and the cash burn will weigh heavily on JAV's bargain position.
On the up side, the adoption of Dyloject has gone better than expected at both the formulary end and use end. We can also expect that the top line results will cement opinion about Dyloject's value in the US.
I can't do much moe buying right now, but I'm sure not gonna sell.
aj
Hadn't seen anyone post this, so thought you might be interested in poking around.
type in "diclofenac sodium"
http://www.dyloject.com/
aj
OT: female hypoactive sexual desire
"Adderall (available as a cheap generic) works like a charm."
LOL! I suppose that one might need to rearrange one's schedule to avoid the sleep loss associated with use of such a "bed-time aid". Nooners are great and afternoon delight is doable, but difficult to arrange with the darn kids' schedule juggling!
Now, how to convince my wife to go ask her PCP.
aj
"Weekend homework…
Large-Scale Survey Reveals Low Sexual Desire
Most Common Distressing Female Sexual
Problem, Affecting Up to One in 10 Women
When will the quiz occur? I would anticipate the essay questions about which remedies are the most reliable, but most of the answers might be better posted at the Men's Room.
Viagra was discovered as an unintended side effect for a blood pressure med, and early formulations of SSRI's caused multiple orgasms (and yawning) for some women. Anyone care to report on favorable side effects of their meds?
We hear very little about pharmaceuticals in the research pipeline for Female hypoactive Sexual Desire, is anyone tracking viable candidates?
aj
Red IS the most common color of sexual arousal, after all, and it is noted in the news piece, "Female baboons and chimpanzees, for example, redden conspicuously when nearing ovulation, sending a clear sexual signal designed to attract males."
I had a girlfriend once who told me that she liked bright red lipstick because it was traditionally the lipstick that french courtesans used to advertise their expertise in fellatio.
I'd have to dig, but there has been much more fascinating research that confirms that men find women more attractive during ovulation than at other times (all other things being equal) and that olfaction plays quite a role in that attractiveness as well.
Color, Scent...well, what about tactile and taste? I'd guess that human subjects review committees might have some problems with experimental designs that provided for such sampling, at least the way I'd want to desing the study!
aj
OT: Those who live to eat.
"Emerging evidence suggests that core metabolic pathways that modulate lifespan in worms also modulate lifespan in vertebrates such as mice and perhaps humans," Kornfeld says. "Sensory pathways (ie., olfaction) might also be fairly universal. In an ancient common ancestor, these pathways might have caused metabolic adjustments that affect lifespan. That could be reflected in our own biology."
DT, the sense of smell itself is a most fascinating sensory input. It is the only sensory modality that bypasses the thalamus and connects directly with the frontal lobes via the olfactory bulbs. It's role in frontal lobe functioning remains a mystery for the most part, but I have always suspected that it is a powerful one, a direct counterpoint to most of my teachers' generation who largely dismissed olfaction as an evolutionary "vestigial" sense much more important to our ancestors than to modern humans. The party line was that olfaction was a waning sense, much less important than vision.
We could easily test some hypotheses about olfaction and longevity by engaging our seniors in a smell test paradigm with very low concentrations of odors to see whether or not when our cohorts get older, their collective olfactory registration gets worse (although the confound would be that the "conventional wisdom" is that olfaction is like vision in the elderly; doomed to get worse as we get older).
As for living a shorter life because I enjoy the sense of smell more than the average Joe or Jane, so be it. The scent of a woman is a wonderful and powerful unconditional stimulus for me, and the aromas of food make the experience something to relish. The opposite is also true as I experience disgust via olfaction quite easily.
Thanks for the stimulating OT thought.
aj
Panel calls for vaccine for adult smokers
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081023/ap_on_he_me/med_vaccine_for_smokers
ATLANTA – For the first time, an influential government panel is recommending a vaccination specifically for smokers. The panel decided Wednesday that adult smokers under 65 should get pneumococcal vaccine. The shot — already recommended for anyone 65 or older — protects against bacteria that cause pneumonia, meningitis and other illnesses.
Federal officials usually adopt recommendations made by the panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The vote means more than 31 million adult smokers probably will soon be called on to get the shot.
Studies have shown that smokers are about four times more likely than nonsmokers to suffer pneumococcal disease. Also, the more cigarettes someone smokes each day, the higher the odds they'll develop the illnesses.
Why smokers are more susceptible is not known for sure, but some scientists believe it has to do with smoking-caused damage that allows the bacteria to more easily attach to the lungs and windpipe, said Dr. Pekka Nuorti, a medical epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Pneumococcal infections are considered the top killer among vaccine-preventable diseases. It's a common complication of influenza, especially in the elderly, and is considered responsible for many of the 36,000 annual deaths attributed to flu.
The committee voted 11 to 3 to pass the recommendation, with one member abstaining. The panel also added a call for smoking cessation counseling.
Some members said it might be more cost effective to recommend the vaccine for smokers who were at least age 40, because pneumococcal disease is relatively uncommon in younger smokers. Others at the meeting made the same argument.
Dr. James Turner, who oversees student health programs at the University of Virginia, said about one in five college students smoke but he has never seen a case of serious pneumococcal disease in a student body.
"I wonder how many young people are truly benefiting from this" recommendation, said Turner, speaking as a representative of the American College Health Association.
The shot is less than perfect. First licensed in 1983, it is designed to protect against 23 strains of pneumococcal bacteria. But it hasn't proved very effective against pneumonia, and hasn't been very effective in warding off other pneumococcal illnesses in people with weakened immune systems and people age 80 or older.
It's to be given to smokers as a one-time dose with no booster, but its protection drops off after five to 10 years.
Made by Merck & Co., it's sold under the trade name Pneumovax and costs about $30 a dose.
A different vaccine — Wyeth's Prevnar, which came on the market in 2000 — is recommended for children under age 2, and for kids 2 to 5 with certain chronic conditions or who are at higher risk for illness. That vaccine costs about $84 per dose.
Prevnar protects against seven strains of bacteria that were the most common causes of pneumococcal diseases at the time the vaccine was developed. But lately, those strains have stopped being important causes of illness. Experts have become concerned about dozens of other strains, including some that have flourished and become resistant to antibiotics.
Wyeth has been developing a new vaccine. It is expected to present study data on it at a scientific meeting later this month, and to apply for government licensing approval early next year.
Also on Wednesday, the committee for the first time voted on recommendations about whether anthrax vaccine should be given to children and pregnant women in the event of a terrorist incident.
Panel calls for vaccine for adult smokers.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081023/ap_on_he_me/med_vaccine_for_smokers
The committee noted that the vaccine, made by Emergent BioSolutions, is not licensed for use children and has not been studied in pediatric patients. But post-exposure vaccination in children may be considered, depending on the circumstances, the members concluded.
The committee also decided that pregnant women should receive vaccine if they are exposed to inhalation anthrax. They heard the results of a recent study of more than 37,000 infants born to vaccinated military women in 1998 through 2004. It found no increase in birth defects when mothers were vaccinated before they got pregnant or vaccinated late in pregnancy. A small increase in birth defects was reported for women vaccinated during the first-trimester, but it wasn't clear the vaccination caused the problems, CDC officials said.
"OT: Birds Fly More Than 7,000 Miles Nonstop, Study Shows
In Its Annual Fall Migration, One Godwit Traveled From Alaska to New Zealand in Eight Days
7000+ miles over 8 days = ~ 36.5 mph"
The report I heard on NPR indicates that these birds can navigate with pinpoint accuracy and can both find favorable tail winds and avoid unfavorable headwinds by shifting their routes. At 3000 feet, one might guess that they can find some stout wind to help them along. The report describes the birds observed landing in NZ "a little wobbly" and they immediately go to sleep. Absolutely amazing.
aj
"didn't we jsut find out recently that suicides have actually increased in pts taken off anti-depressants b/c they reportedly increase the suicide rate.?
I chased this statement around a couple of times and got dizzy. What were you trying to say?
aj
PS: Suicide walks are being held all over the country this month and next. Our walk in Little Rock is Nov. 1. Suicide usually separates all individuals by 2 degrees. If suicide has impacted you or your family, consider giving to the American Foundation for suicide prevention (AFSP):
http://www.afsp.org/
Celexa V. Lexapro
"there are few, if any, randomized head-to-head studies of single-isomer drugs vs their parent racemates."
None to my knowledge. I asked to reinforce my personal and professional understanding that individual differences and subtle differences in metabolism/neurochemistry and/or side effects can make significant differences in efficacy for the arena of antidepressants.
With that said, imagine the difficulties involved in trying to convince either A) a PCP or B) an insurance medication program that there are indeed important differences not only at this level, but huge differences in efficacy in the broad range of antidepressants available.
Outside of my area of expertise, I'm certain the same argument can be forwarded for medications in different classes including for diabetes, seizure control, cardiac management etc.
aj
"(I consider the case of Lexapro and Celexa in which the single-isomer drug is clearly better to be the exception rather than the rule)."
Do you say this based on objective findings or anectodal evidence? Just curious
aj
If you believe in the underlying development story here, those will have been shrewd purchases.
If not, a great way to have played the oversold position for a quick flip. Either way, congrats.
aj
Not to jinx either of you two, but you both are looking like geniuses as of today.
aj
NTII: I'd be much more concerned if NTI held the news conference TODAY at 4:00 rather than Monday at 1:00.
Mgmt here has not been stellar in "managing" their message to the market.
aj
COR: Bladerunner, I've had some professional experience with COR in addition to the tracking. Unfortunately, I can't disclose any specicic information, but think that it is safe to say that it was in regard to a trial that has since been discontinued by the co.
I await further developments and will continue to watch COR with interest as they continue to tout drugs in the pipeline that are in my line of work.
regards
aj
I agree, Groopman's book is an excellent read and an excellent application of heuristics, a cognitive science application of how we fit information into what is either available to us (the availability Heuristic), or how well it fits into already developed cognitive models (representitive heuristic).
This is the work of Kahneman and Tversky, two of the brightest psychology theorists in some time.
For more information, start here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Kahneman
aj
"That was Pipex (PP), not Cortex (COR)."
COR does, however, have a number of ampakine candidates listed as potential AD treatments. I have tracked COR for years and would say, just on watching the share value that they have ineffective management.
I see little chance that any of their candidates will ever reach the market.
BTW, for whatever reason, I see PPHM as a similar co. from a market and mgmt standpoint. They hit my radar at just about the same time (both were co.s touted in the physician's lounge by one or another investing Dr.) and both have done little over the course of 6 years to provide any reason to invest, IMO.
aj
"Does this include playing Texas Hold'em Poker on my iPhone while driving?"
I think you just single-handedly redefined moral hazard!
;}
aj
OT: Bailout I'm going to make my one post despite my lack of depth here (one can swim on the surface without knowing how deep it is, I just hope the big sharks don't swim up and bite me in the ass for this).
It seems that much of the back and forth about the bailout appears to be missing the point that the cause(s) for the crisis are very different than the effect(s), at least to an important degree.
The apparent need for the intervention has everything to do with the availability of credit at a reasonable rate. I don't begin to understand the way the credit markets work and it's being called the shadow economy, but it's clear that it is what is failing right now and it is what the rescue plan is all about. Leaving the markets to complete the cycle of collapse of credit through the collapse of these credit balloons might in theory clean out all the bad blood and morally hazardous speculators, but when the dollar "breaks the buck" as it did last week (a dollar in certain money market accounts being worth less than a dollar), the psychology of that occurance turns the credit tap completely off and business comes to a screeching halt.
I don't like the intervention (read bailout) any more than most here, but I see the value in providing something to calm the credit markets. Why not buy up these loans, refinance them on 40,50,60 year fixed terms and bundle them that way?
OK, I'll shut up now and get back to reading.
aj
“What we’re doing is what Congress says can’t be done,” says Craig Wheeler, CEO of Momenta."
Let's hope, for MNTA's sake, that congress can be convinced that what they are doing can be done. Given congress's (dis)ability to foul things up, I am not confident.
aj
DT, the Voyager product looks tired indeed. I tracked it over the last 3 years and forgot about it for the most part until Dub narcotic's 8/11/08 post. I voiced my doubts about the product early on the the Lifecell crowd who talked it up.
Anyone care to weigh in on the "true" efficacy potential of ANY of the Alzheimer's products? When in a cynical mood, I'm apt to talk about PFE/Esai as promulgating one of the biggest "scams" in drug delivery history with Aricept. A 4-point ADAS cog difference may be stat sig, but translates to precious little real world difference.
aj
Never Mind the link, I listened this evening. It's the basic stump speech. Driscoll didn't say anything that was unexpected. He's been saying that partner talks have been "robust" for a while.
Still waiting to see the deal get done.
aj
Do you have a link? If not, please summarize what you heard from the presentation. If UBS has been engaged to find JAV a partner, I'd like to know what kind of presentation was made and the questions asked about JAV (if any were asked at all).
regards
aj
OT: NaCl
One change that helped: I’ve eliminated bread and bagels in favor of matzo, which has no salt.
Oy!!, To give up one of the foundations of jewish sould food and take on the "bread of oppression" is indeed to sacrifice. I say, there's a reason that jews should only have to eat matzo one week per year (really one night per year).
I have found all kinds of ways to lower the Na intake in the context of providing meals for a family of three children without having to cook completely separate meals, including thoroughly washing/soaking all canned vegetables when used in recipes, washing/soaking canned tuna and salmon, browning ground beef and then just adding salsa instead of "taco mix" and choosing every low sodium alternative available (like low sodium Ritz crackers).
I catgorize myself as "Live to eat" rather than "Eat to live", so I won't compromise on having good food to eat. It's definately work, but the reward is worth it.
aj
PS: Stockdak, thanks for the link on "Salt Wars" I have been cultivating a theory of how salt sensitivity might be related to increases in C-reactive proteins, this article appears to provide some modest support. The parsimonious explanation I have used with my patients is that Na is hydrophilic and particularly so for salt sensitive patients. The extra water is a convenient cause for elevated blood pressure.
pharmawire article - javelin trying to shop itself?
From Pharmaclown, posted today on biotech values
18-Sep-08 15:55 Javelin Pharma in the process of trying to sell itself; UBS retained as investment bank, sources say
Story Javelin Pharmaceuticals (JAV), the listed Cambridge, Massachusetts-based specialty pharmaceutical company, is in the process of trying to sell itself, sources said, despite company assertions of “robust” partnership strategy.
Late last month CEO Martin Driscoll told this news service that it hopes to have a partner in place for its injectable pain drug, Dyloject (diclofenac sodium) in the near future. Talks are currently ongoing Driscoll had said at the time, and it is unclear whether a single partner will emerge with worldwide rights or whether the company will choose to work with a different company in each region.
A first source familiar with the situation said that Javelin had retained UBS as its investment bank to run an auction process, which entails a sale. First round bids were due the final week of August, and at the time around seven bidders, of different types, including private equity, private companies, and smaller specialty pharma, were interested, the source added.
UBS declined to comment. In an email response, Javelin’s Driscoll said the company’s product partnership discussions are robust. Regarding M&A activity, he said it is Javelin’s policy not to comment.
A second source said it was to his understanding that the company has had a number of discussions to either partner their product or sell the business.
The company has three Phase III products – Dyloject for post operative pain, Rylomine (intranasal morphine) indicated for acute moderate-to-severe pain, and Ereska (intranasal ketamine), indicated for acute moderate-to-severe pain – of which firms have looked at over the past couple of years, the second source said. There has historically been some skepticism regarding these products, he noted, as the company has not been able to partner them or sell “them for a while.”
Still, the second source emphasized the company needs to consider either strategy as it is burning through a great deal of cash and would not have enough money to get the products on the market. Javelin's six month cash burn as of August 2008, was approximately USD 19m. The company has USD 41m in cash and cash equivalents.
The second source was more conservative on a private equity bid. He said private equity firms will look at a lot of things, and are "desperate" to make investments, but cautioned that taking Javelin private is risky due to high costs. He noted that he has communicated with Javelin in recent weeks, and the company has made it known it is still trying to partner some of their products.
UCB, the Belgian pharma group, which specializes in key therapeutic areas such as inflammation, oncology and the central nervous system, would be a logical suitor, the second source said. Yet due to UCB's current restructuring initiative, and plans to re-establish itself as specialty drug firm, the source said he remained unsure about its current viability as a bidder for Javelin.
The Belgian-based company plans to cut 17% of its worldwide staff, an approximate reduction of 2000 employees, as part of its restructuring plans, due to key drugs going off-patent.
Cephalon is another M&A suitor possibility, the second source added.
Endo Pharmaceuticals has also been flagged by an analyst as a potential partner for Javelin in a previous report published by this news service. The first source said he did not believe these would be the types of companies that would be potential partners.
Javelin has a USD 148m market cap.
by Sasha Damouni
I've been conducting a single subject, ABAB design on myself(read "falling off the compliance wagon") on sodium intake and BP for two years now. I go from an average of 145/95 when not compliant to 122/72 when I stay on a 25% RDA based diet. There's enough sodium in both meat and unprocessed fruits, vegetables and grains to maintain anyone's appropriate sodium level.
I'm ready to write a book called "Salt Slaves" as the food industry has literally salted us away. Even for those of us who do not have medication resistent hypertension, the sodium overload is surely shifting the BP curve significantly to the right, sending millions into hypertension from the area under the curve considered high normal.
aj