Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
"T In what other industry do we pay the price because that's what they say it cost."
For our defense (or whatever it is that the gvtmt says its doing for us with our military.)
aj
SYMD: Psych7, are the products that you listed essentially the same barrier used in different applications? I am interested in your views of management, given your position, holding for 11 years.
Have you looked at their competition?
Any thoughts that forward the discussion in this area of biotech would be appreciated.
regards
aj
SYMD: Quantumdot, today's trading actually reflects some treading water or manipulation. They closed yesterday at 40 cents and opened today at 57 cents, only to fall right back down, so on paper they lost, but they've been treading water around this price since the limited approval several months ago.
Tiny co., apparently a good product, but appears to have NO street interest, no sales push, and an upstream battle to get approval for wider application (unless some deep pocketed partner steps in).
regards
aj
"Repel-CV® Adhesion Barrier" is made by Synthemed (SYMD)
http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=SYMD.OB
one would think that a positive press release for a co. struggling to maintain viability would merit a co. PR as well. As I recall, this product was approved for pediatric applications but the co. was requsting a wider application and when this was denied, the market cap took a 50% hit.
http://www.synthemed.com/Press/PR-PMA%20Pane%20Decisionl.mht
I have tracked SYMD since finding it through a screener I ran about a year ago. I'm not a surgeon and would like to hear any opinions from knowledgeable doc.s on this board about adhesion prevention and other products out there that might be competition for this tiny co.
I've seen many pain patients who have had adhesion problems as a result of abdominal surgery. If this product has the potential for generalized use, I would think that it would have a considerable market. Any comments?
aj
The following is a post from PL1; don't know why he didn't also post it here as well. Read the next on why I reposted. aj
Biodegradable Film Reduces Surgical Scarring, Study Shows
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080129170711.htm
(Jan. 30, 2008) — A new, biodegradable film designed to reduce the severity of scarring following open heart surgery in young children appears to be safe and effective, according to researchers attending the annual meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons in Ft. Lauderdale.
Scarring is a normal response to surgery, but it can be troublesome in children born with congenital heart defects because many need multiple surgeries to correct or treat their problems. "Often the scarring is severe enough that when we perform a second surgery, we find the heart is stuck to the sternum," says Dr. Andrew Lodge, a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon at Duke University Medical Center and study leader.
Lodge says widespread scarring, or adhesions, can mean higher risk for the patient, more time in surgery and more difficult work for the surgeons. "With adhesions, we have to cut through tough, fibrous tissue in very delicate areas -- not just between the heart and the sternum, but also in other areas between vessels and cardiac chambers. This increases the amount of time a patient has to be under anesthesia and potentially could involve more bleeding and the need for transfusion or other blood products," says Lodge. "So we are very interested in anything that can keep scarring to a minimum."
Biomedical engineers have searched years for a solution, but so far, nothing has worked very well, says Lodge. "Right now, if we use anything we usually use a non-absorbable membrane made of Gore-Tex that we place between the heart and the sternum, but it's not ideal." He says anything foreign that's left in the body can provoke an inflammatory response or invite infection and "that's why the idea of an absorbable film is so attractive."
Researchers at 15 institutions around the U.S. evaluated the new barrier film, called Repel-CV® Adhesion Barrier, in 103 infants undergoing open-heart surgery who were expected to undergo a second procedure. Roughly half were randomized into the treatment group and the others served as controls. Using a graded scale of none, mild, moderate or severe, physicians evaluated the extent of adhesions during the children's second surgery, from two to three months later.
They found that use of the Repel-CV® dramatically reduced the incidence of severe scarring, with only 30 per cent of those receiving the barrier film experiencing severe scarring, compared to 71 percent of the patients in the control group. They also found that patients who underwent cardiopulmonary bypass or a Norwood procedure, as well as patients whose incisions were closed after some delay, were at higher risk of developing dense scarring in the chest, but that Repel-CV® was effective in reducing adhesions in these patients as well.
Investigators did not note any side effects from use of the new film. The product has not yet been approved by the FDA, although an application for approval has been accepted.
Adapted from materials provided by Duke University Medical Center.
Congrats, Tina Marie for NOT taking my advice and buying yesterday (what the F do I know, I should stick to science, LOL). Dead cat bounce of market adjustment to an oversold panic, being able to make 7% on your investment in one day is a great way to spend your day!
Don't spend it all in one place (wink)
aj
OT: Not had that specific problem, but I will say that I've used both Norton and McAfee and absolutely despise Norton as is slows my system down to such a snail's pace that the internet experience was worse than dial-up. Dew, how old is the hard drive? If it's older than 3 years, BACK EVERYTHING UP AS IT MAY BE STARTING TO FAIL!!
Have not had any problems with McAfee, nor have I had any problems with Windows Vista, despite it being widely panned. Probably bought it too soon (not enough vendor software support and I particularly miss being able to use my laptop with my E-Trex legend as a pinpoint navigational map) but it was necessary for a quick business fix.
regards
aj
With all this coverage, we're bound to attract some attention at some point!!
Here's to a good quarterly report (beer held high!)
aj
OT: I don't know, but "horny Goat weed" sounds a lot less exciting than something like "horny babe weed" or "horny stud weed". In general, mamajuana sounds like something you'd find at a CA cannabis club. With that stuff, everybody's beautiful.
Of course, Joe Jackson probably summed it up just about right with the following (from Pretty Girls, on Look Sharp)
"God, if you're up there, listen to my prayer
In future man should have a different design
Give him a switch so he can turn off his libido now
Give him a tranquilizer built into his mind"
"Repel-CV® Adhesion Barrier" is made by Synthemed (SYMD)
http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=SYMD.OB
one would think that a positive press release for a co. struggling to maintain viability would merit a co. PR as well. As I recall, this product was approved for pediatric applications but the co. was requsting a wider application and when this was denied, the market cap took a 50% hit.
http://www.synthemed.com/Press/PR-PMA%20Pane%20Decisionl.mht
aj
JAV: Coverage initiated by Cannacord Adams
http://newratings.com/en/main/company_headline.m?section=company&isin=US4718941051&id=1689994&option=headline&analyst_id=1870
NEW YORK, January 31 (newratings.com) - Analysts at Canaccord Adams initiate coverage of Javelin Pharmaceuticals Inc (ticker: JAV) with a "buy" rating. The target price is set to $9.
In a research note published yesterday, the analysts mention that the company’s IV diclofenac, Dyloject, was launched in the UK recently and is currently in US Phase 3 trials. Rapid uptake for Dyloject is expected in Europe and the drug is likely to achieve peak sales of at least $50 million in the UK and Germany going forward, the analysts say. Phase 3 data for Dyloject is due in mid-2008 and with a potential approval in 2009, Can
iwfal, I didn't mean to suggest that either features mentioned were proprietary. Poor communication on my part...my bad
regards
aj
Re: ARAY's attack on ca. Is it proprietary? I don't know that but my understanding is that the CK system shoots photon beams from more angles, creating a more complete 3D intersection for the ablation than the Varian or Tomo machines do. Theirs provide a more or less variable conic section of radiationgenerating a plane of ablation that is then moved through the tumor.
ARAY has a complex tumor image/tracking system that allows for patient movement (ie the beams move with the patient as they breathe).
Hope this was helpful
aj
Anemia Drugs And Stimulants Ease Exhaustion In Some Cancer Patients
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080124203258.htm
ScienceDaily (Jan. 28, 2008) — Drugs that promote red blood cell production and stimulants typically used to treat attention deficit disorder relieve excessive tiredness in cancer patients, according to a new systematic review of studies.
Undergoing cancer treatment can affect physical, mental and emotional well-being, and a variety of contributing factors — such as treatment regimens, psychological distress and the effects of the cancer itself — can cause cancer-related fatigue.
“Fatigue is difficult to treat as it usually has a number of contributory causes — many of which are not fully understood,” said lead investigator Dr. Oliver Minton. Patients and professionals alike may consider tiredness as an unavoidable part of cancer treatment, Minton said, rather than a problem to recognize and address.
Among other therapies, drugs can improve some symptoms of fatigue in patients, said Minton, a clinical researcher at St. George’s University of London.
The review analyzed 27 studies of 6,746 participants that examined the effectiveness of certain drugs for relieving symptoms of cancer-related fatigue.
The investigators evaluated existing randomized controlled trials of:
methylphenidate (Ritalin), a stimulant medication typically used to treat attention deficit disorders and concentration problems;
erythropoietin and darbepoietin, drugs used to treat anemia induced by chemotherapy;
paroxetine (Paxil), a medicine used to treat depression and anxiety disorders; and
progestational steroids, a type of hormone therapy used to treat cancer.
The review appears in the latest issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research. Systematic reviews draw evidence-based conclusions about medical practice after considering both the content and quality of existing medical trials on a topic.
When it came to treating fatigue, the effectiveness of the evaluated medications varied widely.
“We found that drugs which improve anemia caused by chemotherapy [also] improve fatigue,” Minton said.
In 14 studies, taking erythropoietin or darbepoietin proved more effective than usual care or placebo in relieving patients’ cancer-related fatigue. However, Minton said that the risk or occurrence of side effects, such as aggravating hypertension and blood clots that can lodge in the lungs, brain, kidney or gastrointestinal tract, might limit the use of these drugs.
Although they appear promising, patients should also keep in mind that “the erythropoietin findings apply only to cancer patients with anemia,” not to all cancer patients, said David Spiegel, M.D., psychiatrist and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. He had no affiliation with the review research.
Minton and his team also found two studies with preliminary evidence for an improvement in cancer-related fatigue with the use of the psychostimulant methylphenidate.
This finding for psychostimulants is an interesting one, because such drugs can be helpful, but they can also create dependency, Spiegel said. Furthermore, the reviewers say that additional studies are required to confirm this evidence and to assess potential side effects.
The existing research also showed that paroxetine and progestational steroids failed to improve symptoms of tiredness. As a result, the authors say that no evidence exists to support their use for the treatment of cancer-related fatigue.
As for the optimum fatigue treatment, it is still unclear, Minton said. There is little consensus among researchers on how to measure fatigue, which makes gauging the effects of medication difficult, the authors say.
Although it is common, cancer-related fatigue is difficult to treat effectively for all patients all of the time. “The review looked at one area of treatment using drugs, but exercise and psychological interventions may also help,” Minton said.
The most important message for patients is to be aware of the effects of fatigue, and how they can affect everyday life, such as reading, self-care and daily activities, Minton said.
“If patients start to experience these problems having been pre-warned then it may reduce the distress associated with fatigue. It is worth discussing the expected symptoms and possible treatment options with your doctors before, during and after any treatment ends.
Patients can experience fatigue at the time of diagnosis, on treatment and in patients with more advanced disease. It can also occur after treatment — even when they are free of cancer. There may be options for treating it at all of these stages,” Minton said.
Reference: Minton O, et al. Drug therapy for the management of cancer related fatigue. (Review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008, Issue 1.
(found this to be an interesting use for stimulant meds-not surprising, but may catch a few of the physwicians off guard with the thought that ca patients might like the "boost" from ritalin.)
regards
aj
Xrymd, I saw that and laughed a little louder. Mgmt appears to be inclined to skim it all (or almost all) off the top. They're being shortsighted, with stock in their pockets now worth a great deal less than it could be if they were a liitle more patient about the payoff.
50-60% YOY growth for a co. with a multimillion dollar product is still worth an investment risk. My hope now is that mgmt focuses their greed on turning their stock compensation into more highly valued shares.
regards
aj
The bottom's a hard read because there's just not enough trading history to do all the good tech analyses, but I think the doom and gloomers calling for an $8 bottom are looking too low.
Mgmt is getting bashed right now, but they have a learning curve to acquire too. I hate that they got too greedy, but they'll now know better than to screw themselves by making their options small change.
watching
aj
Tina, I'd wait for a couple of days to let the dust settle. I agree that the co. is still very attractive long-term, but the carnage won't end tomorrow.
Don't be fooled by a headf ake back to around $13-14 tomorrow. Just as the AH traders have to settle for lower open market bailing, there will be fools rushing in before the shakeout is done.
This will be a better buy in March or April.
regards
aj
ARAY: I don't have much dog in this fight, but it looks like management will pay for being so generous with their own benefits and compensation versus the shareholders.
"Non-cash, stock-based compensation charges for the second fiscal quarter of 2008 were $4.3 million or $0.07 per diluted share."
this compares to 4 cents per share earnings for shareholders.
Co still capable of robust growth. This may become a much better value in the next couple of months.
regards
aj
Re: PP and the identification of possible/probable and confirmed scams.
Dew, as there is a stated objective on this board to avoid scams, would there be a place in the "readme" section for co.'s ID'd as possible/probable/confirmed scams? I don't do near as much work on the DD of these co.s as some here, but have come across a few in my day (SCII is one I posted about here) and think that it would be helpful to have such a list for review.
regards
aj
PL1, thanks for posting about this board. I will now follow your news here as well.
regards
aj
"....too many people are being prescribed these drugs, altering the brains homeostasis, and changing the electrical and chemical firing processes that happen within the brain complex.....do many people need these drugs? YES, but pharmacogenomic testing should be implemented prior for tolerability and side effect issues, so that the drug does not cause more harm than good.
PL1, I have a great deal of respect for your posts, but as I sit here, in between staffings at the brain injury rehab facility where I work (among other pieces of a neuropsychology practice), my response isn't that too many people are being prescribed these medications, it's that too few physicians have been adequately trained as to which medications are the appropriate ones to use.
Cymbalta is gaining traction for patients with fibromyalgia and other chronic pain conditions (which can produce a particular depression syndrome very different from other types of depression). In general, psychiatric problems are either undertreated or inappropriately treated.
regards
aj
PS: I started adding some powdered cinnamon to my morning coffe after following your research, thanks for the heads up.
CAMH-dress it up any way you like, nerf, but a 21% DROP in revenues QOQ is a huge disappointment in the first full quarter of the CAMH STJ partnership.
The STJ reps just aren't selling ANY HW2's and the co. is completely at their mercy regarding a buyout at this point.
Look for a much bigger "value" entry point (ie. 50 cents or so) in the near future.
aj
Re: Honey therapies. Read on
http://www.medihoney.com/
This is a little co. with less ambitious claims about the efficacy of their honey, but interesting in that the bees from New Zealand are supposed to be robust and some are even suggesting that we colonize some here to help stem the Colony Collapse Syndrome being observed in up to 75% of beekeepers' colonies here in the US.
(see http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/27/business/27bees.html?ex=1330232400&en=3aaa0148837b8977&ei=5088 )
Of course this would require that we also engage in widespread planting of the NZ Manuka plant, an invasive species.
regards
aj
If stimulant use is that ubiquitous, then test them all.
I recall watching the ALCS playoffs last year when Cleveland beat the Yankees (to my great pleasure). As one observed each of the yankees step up to the plate with bulging deltoids and tricepts vs. the lanky, lithe Cleveland youngsters, I could help but wonder if this was a fair matchup and how much HGH was being used by the NY players. They looked like East German olympians for goodness sake!
Using stimulants is OK when its a question of whether or not the F15 and B2 pilots need to stay alert on their 15 hour sortees; sport should be clear of chemical enhancement.
aj
Just spent some time poking around the theraquest website, and can't say that I would be concerned about injectable ketoprofen, at least for a while. They claim it is in development, but there is nothing on the clinicaltrials.org website, nor is the co. making any statement on their site about clinical trial(s).
Theraquest appears to have a couple of interesting ventures, including a sustained release formulation for tramadol (which is about as slow acting an opiate as they come already) and an orphan status for topical capcaisin. I don't think that tramadol needs any more slowing in its mechanism of onset. Their other drug candidates sound like formulations of tramadol and other analgesics that keep the opiate "buzz" low enough to lower the addiction potential.
Theraquests data is limited to one human study for injectable ketaprofen, and several animal model studies for their opiate candidates. The Ketaprofen study looks OK, but it compared 50 and 100 mg ketaprofen with 4 mg. morphine and placebo, rather than Toradol (which they cite in their first sentence of the presentation as the only available NSAID for post-operative pain). there has apparently been no update, and no head to head comparison with Toradol. If this is going to happen, they have alot of work to do.
It appears that this co. is the brainchild of a pharmacist who is trying to put together some opiate formulations and market them to other co.'s and was smart enough to recognize the orphan status as a way to carve out another niche for his co.
FWIW
aj
"PS None of this is to say that fibro is 'real' or 'not real'. Only that it is too soon to say. (I personally would bet that in 100 years they have found a pain subsystem hyperactivity loop in >25% of patients.)"
Real experience vs. real syndrome is the REAL question. I've been around medical psychology long enough to have seen the rise and fall of CFIDS (Chronic Fatigue/Imuune Deficiency Syndrome, or just Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) as well as the Rise of Fibromyalgia. There is a growing literature in the need to screen patients with this type of complaint for effort and exxageration (the two main axes for determining secondary gain and/or malingered responding issues).
BTW, I found it curious that the article cited Irritable Bowel Syndrome as a similar vague diagnosis; one that I experience as I age and ignore what my body regularly tells me NOT to eat. I wonder how much of these vague pain related diseases are a function of the crap we ingest and the resulting imflammatory process that hits our organ systems!
aj
I posted to Sue this AM. She posted back that she'd like to catch up with me, but she's been snowed by 25,000 e-mails in response to her comments.
Ya think there's some interest here??
aj
This is darned interesting. I'm friendly with Sue Griffin (a Ph.D., not MD as reported in the article) and will ask her about data she has seen from Tobinick's clinic.
aj
I'm too rusty on my neurochemistry to recall the specific differences, but NSAID and acetimenophan have different mechanisms of action for analgesic effect. JAV has found a sweet spot in their formulation of dyloject.
I went to clinicaltrials.gov and searched for studies with "pain and NSAID" in the field and found 83 studies listed. It is interesting to read about where the studies are moving and how diclofinac is being used. Particularly interesting are the Novartis studies using topical diclofinac. Pure speculation, but if Novartis is interested in Diclofinac, they might be interested in us. Read at the following:
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00108992?term=pain+AND+NSAID&rank=16
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00236223?term=pain+AND+NSAID&rank=20
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00115336?term=pain+AND+NSAID&rank=23
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00441051?term=pain+AND+NSAID&rank=34
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00426621?term=pain+AND+NSAID&rank=42
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00171665?term=pain+AND+NSAID&rank=47
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00276419?term=pain+AND+NSAID&rank=56
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00377806?term=pain+AND+NSAID&rank=65
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00410267?term=pain+AND+NSAID&rank=73
aj
CADX: Not much of a competitor any more.
Interesting how a co. like CADX can command such a market cap (at least until today) based on a smaller pipeline with much less chance of approval for their developing drugs. Is it because of their deal with BMY (which would take money away from them in sales royalty dilution), their TINY float (less than 1 million shares), or the wild analyst estimate for price ($21.50).
Looking at their trading today, I'm feeling much more patient with my JAV position.
aj
Good volume too, and this has been going on for several days, so the conference can't be the explanation.
Short-term traders will take their $4 and clear the way for $20 and beyond. Any substantial upside surprise to the Q's numbers and the real mo mo players start in.
My position is relatively small but I'm starting to think about taking the losses necessary to pile some more on here.
aj
OT: ARAY
Second that. I'm back above water and the technicals are starting to look very good for ARAY.
Name your favorite indulgence (that can be bought legally), when it hits $50, it's yours
aj
Gotta LOL. Nice and quiet here and we're all looking forward to any new hints on the progress across the pond from today's presentation......
But I gotta say, the occasional peek over at yahoo and THAT message board is funny as anything. I don't even read the posts, but seeing how frequently gabe is posting (and the topics) bring a chuckle every time.
hope to see some good news soon.
aj
I hope we can do better. I'll guess that we'll be at $13 after 2 full Q's of Dyloject rev's from UK and news about EU launch (and news about ketamine).
Buyout possibilities in 2008, but I'm gonna say we're still independent at the end of the year and get bought at north of $20 in 2009. That would make me very happy.
aj
happy new year to all
For the time being, I think that Cambridge Heart's HeartWave-2 MTWA machines qualify as well.
aj
OT: It's just grand being one of the "flyover people". I live in an affluent suburb of Little Rock (pop.180,000) in a 4300 sq ft home that cost $33o K. It was a BARGAIN even before the meltdown; in a neighborhood that sells for $105-$115 sq.ft. The most expensive rehabs of old stately homes in Little Rocks' heights neighborhood go for $25o sq ft, if done well.
There are PLENTY of middle income families who buy homes in middle class neighborhoods around here for $80-90 sq ft. These homes are 1800-2500 sq ft and these are the ones that are selling, not the homes in my neighborhood.
The notion that our society will continue with enlarging the domicile is ridiculous. There are both economic and social limitations to what the middle class can tolerate.
I look for growing influence of LEAD gold and platinum standards in growth in future home building.
aj
Re: Early detection of Alzheimer's disease
Dew, I have posted elsewhere that the process of very early detection of Alzheimer's disease is quite a daunting task indeed (at least from the perspective of finding a commercially acceptable compound that would be useful in detection and/or treatment.) The pool of subjects would have to be quite large, would have to be followed for MANY years, and the costs associated with this type of research would be extraordinary. If this type of research was to validate a treatment, the question of treatment costs would also be extraordinary.
Consider one such candidate: Flurizan from MYGN.
Phase 2 data suggested that this compound, which clears Beta amyloid via aB42 lowering, clinically improved mild, but not moderate AD patients' cognitive functioning. I have suggested to some in the business that it was exactly because the brain burden of total amyloid for any patient past mild dementia would be so great as to create an environment where Flurizam could not address the damage already done. If there is already a baserate of 20-25% of amyloid buildup in unsymptomatic people at 65 years of age (I've heard some colleagues suggest that the presence can be documented MUCH earlier) the numbers of patients needing to be put on this type of drug would be unprecedented and the duration of treatment would rival that of meds like statins.
Those who followed the rise of statin drugs know that the evidence was glaring and in the face of the cardiology community for years before any tipping point occurred in the widespread use of these drugs.
Can it happen for Alzheimer's drugs? Sure. Will it? Only time (alot of it) will tell, IMO.
regards and happy new year to all
aj
EPIX: "Also, two patients had 14 points improvement (ADAS cog is a somewhat subjective assessment of the patient's condition)."
I disagree with the characterization of the ADAS-COG as "somewhat subjective" I have given hundreds of them and have been a primary rater in several studies on the other side as well (CIBIC/CIBIC+, CDR). The ADAS is a reliable PERFORMANCE measures while the others noted above are clinician ratings of patient abilities and adjustment.
Aricept data was significant for ADAS-Cog changes of 4-6 points after 6 month endpoints; a 14 point improvement would be impressive and likely be clearly visible to the observers of any patient with this kind of improvement.
That said, I agree that pulling out data from 2 patients alsways raises questions from me about the robustness of the effect.
Let's not forget, it is axiomatic in the arena of dementia to ask "How much neurotransmitter does it take to fire a dead neuron?"
regards
aj
For a $100, I'll bet you can get any number of free clinic patients to sign on, particularly if the protocol allows for an additional dose of some opiate if there is no pain response. I'm not saying that this was part of this protocol, but it would not be unusual to allow such an intervention after all the ratings are completed.
aj
Thanks. The results are rather robust given the small sample size. Not that anyone here would doubt the pain relief effect, but when you've only got 10 patients per cell, the variability could easily obscure the results.
aj