...
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.
Is there a particular program that you find interesting?
I used to pay more attention to them years ago when I kept better tabs on PAH and IPF programs as I believe they were involved in both through partnerships. I see they still have some IPF interest.
Are you optimistic that a "longer acting drug" which interferes with the Immune System will be approved without problems convincing the FDA that this is a great idea?
Biotech Rival to Teva Blockbuster Said to Seek IPO
Seems like it may be a company worth looking at with interesting technology. I had never heard of them or their long acting copaxone drug before.
Mapi Pharma Group, which is developing a longer acting version of Teva’s blockbuster Copaxone drug, is considering selling shares in the U.S., a person with knowledge of the matter said.
ITMN:
Here is a link to the ATS abstracts of IPF trials.
https://cms.psav.com/cPaper2012/myitinerary/session-9738.html?congress=ats2014
My pick and thanks sskillz1 and excel
Winner of AL East Yankees
2nd In AL East Blue Jays
Winner of AL Central Tigers
2nd In AL Central Royals
Winner of AL West Angels
2nd In AL West Rangers
AL Wildcard #1 Rangers
AL Wildcard #2 Blue Jays
Winner of NL East Braves
2nd In NL East Nationals
Winner of NL Central Reds
2nd In NL Central Cardinals
Winner of NL West Dodgers
2nd In NL West Giants
NL Wildcard #1 Nationals
NL Wildcard #2 Cardinals
Team With Best Record In Baseball Braves
Team With Worst Record In Baseball Astros
TB # 1: Who hits the most HR in Baseball (Combined) Davis (Baltimore)
TB # 2: Who has the Most RBIS in Baseball (Combined) Cabrera (Detroit)
In general I like partnering as it limits dilution. I would add to your list its an indication/territory that they can reasonably cover themselves. With GLPG my main gripe is that they had said the opposite of what they did. I do like the fact that AbbVie added their research but as an investor I don't like not knowing the specifics of the economics.
GLPG:
Big acquisition?
CRL / GPLG:
For those interested Charles River also had a call on the deal. The details of which are here:
http://ir.criver.com/phoenix.zhtml?p=irol-eventDetails&c=121668&eventID=5118252
And the direct link to the webcast is here:
http://www.media-server.com/m/p/ixrnv4a3
GLPG:
The webcast (replay) and slides are available here
http://www.media-server.com/m/p/wca7e2wm
If have trouble with above link the main page is:
http://www.glpg.com/index.php/newspress-releasespress-releases/press-releases/
I thought a deal like this was inevitable and was a bit surprised that Charles River is the one who initiated it. I didn't have a good feel for valuing the service business but I thought it may have been worth a little more. As long as AbbVie picks up the RA program and they don't do anything major to burn cash (like to a big acquisition) cash shouldn't be a problem going forward. Maybe they'll try to get a US listing and get a better valuation not that they are a more traditional Bio.
According to this article reimbursement for the new formulation is close to 90% and expected to continue when/if a generic is available.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-11/teva-s-copaxone-conversion-effort-persuading-analysts-of-target.html
CNCE:
I heard the Roth presentation today and looked a little closer at it. Of the (recent) IPO's its still one I find interesting and hasn't (yet anyway) soared in price. I find their early programs more interesting though then their more advanced ones (Spasticity isn't an indication I especially like and seems CTP-499 efficacy is questionable). Have you looked at the company in much detail? I did notice they have TKT's x-Corporate Communications director
WMGI / WMGIZ:
Wright Medical Group, Inc. Announces Agreement with FDA Office of Device Evaluation to File PMA Amendment for Augment® Bone Graft In Lieu of Dispute Resolution Panel
Not exactly a bullish sounding PR but seems they have another shot at an approval without doing a trial
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/wright-medical-group-inc-announces-212300221.html
Thanks jq
Copaxone:
Do you or anyone else know if Teva has ever changed their manufacturing process for Copaxone? If they have I don't recall ever hearing about them needing to do new trials (sucha as Genzyme needed to do for Lumizyme). Do you know if there are any restrictions or warnings from switching to Lumizyme from Myozyme?
Webcast Calendar
[Please see updating procedure at
the end of this post. All times are
U.S. ET unless indicated otherwise.]
NOTE: ANYONE MAY UPDATE THIS FILE
Edits: Added Barclays webcast link, Updated Cowen webcast link, Roth, BioCentury and Needham. Removed entries > ~1 month old
Canaccord Genuity Orphan Drug One-on-One Day
2/24
http://www.canaccordgenuity.com/en/cm/News-Events/Events/
2014 Citi Healthcare Conference
2/24-26
https://www.citievents.com/Metron/forms/2014HealthcareClient.form
RBC Capital Markets Global Healthcare Conference
2/25-26
https://www.rbccm.com/about/cid-202541.html
Cowen 34th Annual Health Care Conference
3/3-5
http://www.wsw.com/webcast/cowen16/
Credit Suisse Global Healthcare Conference
3/4-5
https://www.credit-suisse.com/investment_banking/client_offering/en/events_calendar/conferences.jsp
26th Annual ROTH Conference
3/9-12
http://www.wsw.com/webcast/roth28/
Barclays Capital Healthcare Conference
3/11-13
http://cc.talkpoint.com/barc002/031114a_bc/
BioCentury 21st Annual Future Leaders in the Biotech Industry
3/28/14
https://www.biocentury.com/conferences/futureleaders/dates
Needham 13th Annual Healthcare Conference
4/8-9
http://wsw.com/webcast/needham65/#table1
Username: needham
Password: healthcare13
--
Procedure for Updating Calendar
When adding or modifying entries, please follow these steps:
1. Copy the complete text from the old calendar.
2. Make your additions or modifications, inserting new items in alphabetical or chronological order as the case may be.
3. Near the top of the message, give a very brief description of your changes (e.g. “Edits: Added JPMorgan conference”).
4. Post the updated calendar in a new message as a reply to the message with the old calendar.
UTHR:
Stock options at the company have always been overly generous now that their products are mature and the company is generating a lot of cash the difference in GAAP and non-GAAP EPS (which the company started reporting to deflect away the impact of stock options) is especially striking.
http://ir.unither.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=827827
Annual Earnings per Share of $3.49 per Basic Share or $3.28 per Diluted Share
Annual Non-GAAP Earnings of $10.88 per Basic Share or $10.23 per Diluted Share
Congratulations nothing wrong with taking some money off the table. I had sold some earlier so I wasn't as confident (more I didn't like the much slower EU rollout). These results were better than I expected. I didn't expect them to hit a stat significant even pooled on survival and I thought showing 6MW significance would be hard to do as well. I tend to think the price will steadily rise but I am not one to predict short-term.
Hi Steve,
I had sold some prior to this data but my current thinking is not to sell at least till approval and likely longer. I am generally a long term holder. I think the data easily support US approval and I would expect much better uptake in the US and as the data gets out x-US uptake could see a meaningful pickup too and likely better compliance too. Still some concerns for me around the IP position and generic/followon analogs though ITMN would have at least Orphan exclusivity (7 years in US, 10 in EU)
The ASCEND results are quite good. Here is what I wrote on another board.
At first glance this would be a triple and would seem superior to what we know about the BI drug to date. Meeting the survival end point (pooled with CAPACITY) which was predefined was a key. Also the 6 minute walk test showing significance is important as its used in other lung diseases for approval. A home run would have been meeting survival in ASCEND alone, it should be noted the company had PREVIOUSLY stated the trial was not powered to do so, nor was it a stated requirement for approval but pooled at least a trend would have been necessary.
For disclosure I am still long ITMN but had sold a descent portion of my holdings prior and I am long ITMN in my SI portfolio.
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=97801516
ITMN:
Slides for today available in 8-k
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1087432/000119312514066091/d682081dex991.htm
ITMN:
InterMune Reports Phase 3 ASCEND Trial Results of Pirfenidone in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF)
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=100067&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1903095&highlight=
At first glance this would be a triple and would seem superior to what we know about the BI drug to date. Meeting the survival end point (pooled with CAPACITY) which was predefined was a key. Also the 6 minute walk test showing significance is important as its used in other lung diseases for approval. A home run would have been meeting survival in ASCEND alone, it should be noted the company had PREVIOUSLY stated the trial was not powered to do so, nor was it a stated requirement for approval but pooled at least a trend would have been necessary.
For disclosure I am still long ITMN but had sold a descent portion of my holdings prior and I am long ITMN in my SI portfolio.
CC is at 8AM
phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?p=irol-eventDetails&c=100067&eventID=5107951
Study Meets Primary and Both Key Secondary Endpoints -
- Company to Conduct Conference Call and Webcast Today at 8:00 a.m. EST -
BRISBANE, Calif., Feb. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- InterMune, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITMN) today announced that top-line data from ASCEND, a Phase 3 trial evaluating pirfenidone in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), demonstrated that pirfenidone significantly reduced IPF disease progression as measured by change in percent predicted forced vital capacity (FVC) from Baseline to Week 52 (rank ANCOVA p<0.000001). Additionally, significant treatment effects were demonstrated on both of the key secondary endpoints of six-minute walk test distance (6MWD) change (p=0.0360) and progression-free survival (PFS) (p=0.0001).
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120827/SF62570LOGO)
"We are pleased to report these top-line ASCEND Phase 3 results," said Dan Welch, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of InterMune. "Based on the strength of the ASCEND results, InterMune is preparing a resubmission of our New Drug Application for pirfenidone to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which we expect to submit by early third quarter of this year. We would like to thank our collaborators, patients and their families for their participation in ASCEND and their contributions to IPF research."
Primary Endpoint
The magnitude of the treatment effect of pirfenidone was measured by comparing the proportion of patients in the pirfenidone and placebo groups experiencing either a clinically meaningful change in FVC, or death. A 10% decline in FVC in an individual IPF patient is considered clinically meaningful and strongly predicts mortality. At Week 52, 16.5% of patients in the pirfenidone group experienced an FVC decline of 10% or more or death, compared with 31.8% in the placebo group, representing a 47.9% reduction in the proportion of patients who experienced a meaningful change in FVC or death. Additionally, at Week 52 the data demonstrated that 22.7% of patients in the pirfenidone group experienced no decline in FVC, compared with 9.7% in the placebo group, representing a 132.5% increase in the proportion of patients whose FVC did not decrease between Baseline and Week 52.
Dr. Talmadge King, Chair, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco and Co-chair of the ASCEND protocol steering committee, said, "IPF is an unpredictable, debilitating and ultimately fatal disease, and safe and effective treatments are desperately needed to alter the course of this challenging and complex condition. The ASCEND data demonstrated that pirfenidone significantly reduced decline in lung function and significantly increased the proportion of patients who had no decline, which is an important advance in the field. The results for 6MWT distance, PFS and mortality provide important supportive evidence of pirfenidone's efficacy."
Key Secondary Endpoints
The ASCEND protocol pre-specified 6MWD and PFS as the two key secondary endpoints. Change from Baseline to Week 52 in 6MWD is a measure of exercise tolerance. A 50-meter decrement in walk distance is considered an independent predictor of mortality in an individual patient with IPF. In ASCEND, pirfenidone reduced by 27.5% the proportion of patients who experienced a decline in 6MWD of 50 meters or greater (p=0.0360).
PFS is a measure of time before death or a disease-progression event. A PFS event was defined in the protocol as any of the following: death, percent predicted FVC decrement of 10% or greater or 6MWD decrement of 50 meters or greater. In ASCEND, pirfenidone reduced the risk of death or disease progression by 43% compared to placebo (Hazard Ratio [HR]=0.57; 95% confidence interval, 0.43-0.77; p=0.0001).
Additional Secondary Endpoints
Three additional secondary endpoints were pre-specified in the ASCEND protocol: all-cause mortality, treatment-emergent IPF-related mortality and change from Baseline to Week 52 in dyspnea (shortness of breath). The two mortality analyses were pre-specified for both the ASCEND study and the pooled population of the ASCEND study and the previous Phase 3 CAPACITY studies through 52 weeks. Due to the relatively low overall mortality rate in patient populations in the time frames studied in a single IPF study such as ASCEND, pooled analyses of ASCEND and CAPACITY data provide more statistical power and a more precise estimate of the treatment effect of pirfenidone on mortality.
In the pre-specified mortality analysis of the ASCEND study alone, there were fewer events of all-cause mortality (HR=0.55, log rank p=0.1045) and of treatment-emergent IPF-related mortality (HR=0.44, log rank p=0.2258) in the pirfenidone group compared to the placebo group. ASCEND was not powered to show a difference on these endpoints. The relationship of death to IPF was determined in ASCEND by a blinded adjudication committee.
The pre-specified analyses of the pooled population (N=1,247) across ASCEND and the two Phase 3 CAPACITY studies (taking CAPACITY mortality data through Week 52) showed that the risk of all-cause mortality was reduced by 48% in the pirfenidone group compared to the placebo group (HR=0.52, log rank p=0.0107). Additionally, in the pooled population the risk of treatment-emergent IPF-related death in the pirfenidone group compared to placebo was reduced by 68% (HR=0.32, log rank p=0.0061).
The secondary endpoint of dyspnea, measured by the UCSD SOBQ questionnaire, was not achieved (p=0.1577).
Safety and Tolerability
In ASCEND, pirfenidone showed a favorable safety profile and was generally well tolerated.
A total of 93.5% and 94.6% of patients completed the study, died or had a lung transplant by study day 365 in the pirfenidone and placebo groups, respectively. The percentage of patients discontinuing treatment due to an adverse event was 14.4% in the pirfenidone group and 10.8% in the placebo group. Serious adverse events (SAEs) were reported in 19.8% of patients in the pirfenidone group and 24.9% in the placebo group. Hospitalizations due to respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal SAEs were reported in 3.6% of patients in the pirfenidone group and 11.2% in the placebo group.
The most common AEs with higher incidence in the pirfenidone group were primarily gastrointestinal (e.g., nausea and dyspepsia) and skin-related (e.g., rash). The GI and rash AEs were generally mild to moderate in severity, manageable, reversible and only infrequently led to treatment discontinuations.
Elevations of aminotransferase levels at least 3 times the upper limit of normal occurred in 2.9% of pirfenidone patients (including one case associated with a bilirubin increase) vs. 0.7% of placebo patients. In general, these elevations occurred early, were manageable and reversible, and were similar to those observed in previous pirfenidone studies.
The safety and tolerability profile of pirfenidone was generally consistent with observations from the previous Phase 3 CAPACITY studies, open-label extension studies and post-marketing experience.
"These results from the ASCEND trial provide compelling evidence of a clinically meaningful treatment effect of pirfenidone with generally favorable safety and tolerability findings, which is very encouraging for patients suffering from this fatal and relentless disease," said Paul W. Noble, Chair, Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, Calif. and Co-chair of the ASCEND protocol steering committee. "Importantly, the overall safety observations from ASCEND complement and corroborate the robust safety database that already exists from the InterMune-sponsored clinical studies of pirfenidone and extensive post-marketing experience outside the United States."
InterMune intends to present additional data from the ASCEND study at the 2014 American Thoracic Society International Conference in May.
About ASCEND
ASCEND (Assessment of Pirfenidone to Confirm Efficacy and Safety in IPF) is a multinational, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of pirfenidone in patients with IPF. Patients (N=555) were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive oral pirfenidone (2403 mg/day) or placebo and were enrolled at 127 centers in the United States, Australia, Brazil, Croatia, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru and Singapore.
More than 95 percent of eligible patients (those patients who remained on blinded pirfenidone or placebo therapy) who completed the ASCEND study decided to enter the open-label RECAP extension study. RECAP is a study in which all patients receive pirfenidone. RECAP also includes patients rolled over from the company's prior CAPACITY studies which completed in late 2008 and enrolled 779 patients in two Phase 3 studies. RECAP provides valuable long-term safety data that further expands the already large safety database for pirfenidone in patients with IPF.
About CAPACITY
Pirfenidone has been studied in multiple Phase 3 clinical trials in patients with IPF, including the two Phase 3 CAPACITY trials sponsored by InterMune.
The CAPACITY program consisted of two concurrent 72-week trials which enrolled a total of 779 patients. Both trials were multinational, randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled. The studies were designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of pirfenidone in IPF patients with mild to moderate impairment in lung function. The primary endpoint in both studies was the change from Baseline to Week 72 in percent predicted FVC. This endpoint was met with statistical significance in CAPACITY 2 (p=0.001). The secondary endpoints of PFS and categorical change in FVC also achieved statistical significance (p<0.05). Although the primary endpoint was not met in CAPACITY 1 (p=0.501), supportive evidence of a pirfenidone treatment effect was observed on a number of measures, including percent predicted FVC at weeks 24, 36 and 48, and on 6MWD.
Pirfenidone demonstrated a favorable safety profile and was generally well tolerated in both CAPACITY studies. The most frequent side effects reported were photosensitivity rash, gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and dyspepsia, and dizziness.
About Esbriet® (pirfenidone)
Pirfenidone is an orally active, anti-fibrotic agent that inhibits the synthesis of TGF-beta, a chemical mediator that controls many cell functions including proliferation and differentiation, and plays a key role in fibrosis. Pirfenidone also inhibits the synthesis of TNF-alpha, a cytokine that is known to have an active role in inflammation.
On February 28, 2011, the European Commission (EC) granted marketing authorization for Esbriet® (pirfenidone) for the treatment of adults with mild to moderate IPF. The approval authorized marketing of Esbriet in all 28 EU member states. Esbriet has since been approved for marketing in Norway and Iceland. In 2011, InterMune launched commercial sales of pirfenidone in Germany under the trade name Esbriet, and Esbriet is now also commercially available in various European countries, including key markets such as France, Italy and the UK.
On October 1, 2012, Health Canada approved Esbriet for the treatment of mild to moderate IPF in adult patients. Health Canada designated Esbriet for Priority Review and completed the accelerated review according to target guidelines of 180 days. InterMune launched Esbriet in Canada in January 2013.
Pirfenidone has been marketed as Pirespa® since 2008 in Japan and since 2012 in South Korea by Shionogi & Co. Ltd. Under different trade names, pirfenidone is also approved for the treatment of IPF in China, India, Argentina and Mexico.
Pirfenidone is not approved for sale in the United States.
About IPF
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is an irreversible and ultimately fatal disease characterized by progressive loss of lung function due to fibrosis (scarring) in the lungs, which hinders the ability of lungs to absorb oxygen. IPF inevitably causes shortness of breath, and a deterioration in lung function and exercise tolerance. IPF patients follow different and unpredictable clinical courses and it is not possible to predict if a patient will progress slowly or rapidly, or when the rate of decline may change. Periods of transient clinical stability in IPF, when they occur, inevitably give way to continued disease progression. The median survival time from diagnosis is two to five years, with a five-year survival rate of approximately 20-40 percent, which makes IPF more rapidly lethal than many malignancies, including breast, ovarian and colorectal cancers. IPF typically occurs in patients over the age of 45, and tends to affect slightly more men than women.
About InterMune
InterMune is a biotechnology company focused on the research, development and commercialization of innovative therapies in pulmonology and orphan fibrotic diseases. In pulmonology, the company is focused on therapies for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive, irreversible, unpredictable and ultimately fatal lung disease. Pirfenidone, the only medicine approved for IPF anywhere in the world, is approved for marketing by InterMune in the EU and Canada under the trade name Esbriet®. Pirfenidone is not approved for sale in the United States but has completed three Phase 3 clinical trials to support regulatory registration in the United States. InterMune's research programs are focused on the discovery of targeted, small-molecule therapeutics and biomarkers to treat and monitor serious pulmonary and fibrotic diseases. For additional information about InterMune and its R&D pipeline, please visit www.intermune.com.
Conference Call and Webcast Details
InterMune will host a live webcast of a conference call today at 8:00 a.m. EST to discuss the top-line ASCEND Phase 3 results. Interested investors and others may participate in the conference call by dialing 800-738-1032 (U.S.) or +1-212-231-2905 (international), conference ID# 21709573. A replay of the webcast and teleconference will be available approximately three hours after the call.
To access the webcast, please log on to the company's website at www.intermune.com at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the call to ensure adequate time for any software downloads that may be required.
A telephonic replay will be available for 10 business days following the call and can be accessed by dialing 800-633-8284 (U.S.) or +1 402-977-9140 (international), and entering conference ID# 21709573.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that reflect InterMune's judgment and involve risks and uncertainties as of the date of this release, including without limitation InterMune's expectations regarding the timing for resubmission of its new drug application with the FDA for pirfenidone; the potential to make pirfenidone available as a medicine to IPF patients in the United States and InterMune's intention to present additional data on the ASCEND trial at the American Thoracic Society meeting in May 2014. All forward-looking statements and other information included in this press release are based on information available to InterMune as of the date hereof, and InterMune assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements or information. InterMune's actual results could differ materially from those described in InterMune's forward-looking statements.
Other factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in detail under the heading "Risk Factors" in InterMune's most recent annual report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on February 21, 2014 (the "Form 10-K") and other periodic reports filed with the SEC, including but not limited to the following: (i) the risks related to the uncertain, lengthy and expensive clinical development process for the company's product candidates, including having no unexpected safety, toxicology, clinical or other issues and having no unexpected clinical trial results such as unexpected new clinical data and unexpected additional analysis of existing clinical data; (ii) risks related to the regulatory process for the company's product candidates, including the possibility that the results of the new 52-week Phase 3 clinical trial (ASCEND) having an FVC endpoint may not be satisfactory to the FDA for InterMune to receive regulatory approval for pirfenidone in the United States; (iii) risks related to unexpected regulatory actions or delays, in particular in connection with our planned resubmission of a Class 2 NDA with the FDA seeking approval of pirfenidone or other government regulation generally; (iv) risks related to our ability to successfully launch and commercialize pirfenidone in the United States, if approved by the FDA and (v) InterMune's ability to obtain or maintain patent or other proprietary intellectual property protections. The risks and other factors discussed above should be considered only in connection with the fully discussed risks and other factors discussed in detail in the Form 10-K and InterMune's other periodic reports filed with the SEC, all of which are available via InterMune's web site at www.intermune.com.
SOURCE InterMune, Inc.
Investors: Jim Goff, InterMune, Inc., 415-466-2228, jgoff@intermune.com, orMedia: Geoff Curtis, Edelman, 312-550-8138, geoff.curtis@edelman.com
It actually sounds like they have done a good job with the rule especially for those not trusting Umpire judgement and making it reviewable.
BioCentury Orphan Drugs
One person who I think articulates Orphan Drug development well was on BioCentury TV this week. The WebExtra Episodes (5,6,7) with him are really good listens for those interested in Orphan Drug development. It would be nice if regulators listen to him.
http://www.biocenturytv.com/player/
BMRN (vimizim):
This is the only study I found (I don't recall if BMRN had said about any other studies at 4mg/kg). According to whats listed it should have completed (though the small size it may not have enough power to show a stat significant benefit)
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01609062?term=morquio&rank=6
BMRN:
According to call your right wide label is for all Morquio type A patients.
They gave the price per vial and I didn't hear any mention on pricing if the higher dose is more efficacious (I tend to think it has a good chance to show better efficacy) so I wonder if this could end up being a very expensive ERT for those who can tolerate the 4mg dose.
From JP Morgan on JJ is sounding more and more bullish on PEG-PAL. On the one hand I am still a bit pessimistic on uptake in the older patient population but on the other hand I have to believe the 200k figure JJ has been estimating may be substantially understated. They recently stated Kuvan pricing is in the 180k range and PEG-PAL would be substantially more efficacious and if it allows for liberalized diets I'd think it deserves a substantial premium.
I think the market doesn't like hearing that they won't be profitable till the 1B sales mark. While their R&D is a bit high I'm not especially worried about that given I generally have a longer term view (though my BMRN share count is a lot smaller now then prior years).
BMRN:
My mistake the conference call is 5AM Pacific time or 8AM eastern time on Tuesday.
BMRN:
The FDA press release says they had a rare pediatric disease priority review voucher (apparently the first ever) that is one I never heard of before.
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm386008.htm
BMRN:
I haven't seen the label yet but the Reuters piece does not seem to be well informed. Several other ERT's have a black box warnings about anaphylaxis (probably all mention it somewhere). To me the big concern was how broad a label the company would get.
There will be a CC tuesday at 5pm (Maybe they'll move their earnings all back to 5pm on March 3 now too ).
rtrx:
No position (congrats to longs!) but curious about something.
Granted its not a large amount but Why isn't this insider buy considered acting on inside information? Maybe he couldn't forsee the price movement today but surely given the date the deal was close to closing.
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1438533/000119380514000180/xslF345X03/e611802_4-shkreli.xml
I missed it and even went through the (Seeking Alpha) transcript and couldn't find it. Do you mind to point out the specific passage in the transcript? So what happens if the terms of the partnership do not permit disclosure and the CEO does? I guess its probably in the neighborhood of a slap on the rist rather than some material damage?
Edit: I see the section was discussed in later posts. Please feel free to delete this post.
DDXS / GSK / Darapladib:
Even though the first trial failed seems GSK hasn't completely given up on it. This from the transcript of yesterdays call:
If I think about now some of the Phase IIIs, I just want to pull out one or two of the ones which I am still very interested and excited about. I have obviously seen more information about Lp-PLA2 and darapladib than you have. You will see this at a conference in March. We indicated that we have seen some encouraging signals in there. I believe that the Lp-PLA2 programme is a programme where we have identified a whole series of very potentially interesting opportunities, so I believe that that is an area which you are going to hear a lot more about.
SRPT:
What did you think of the MEP and MIP data presented by the company? It would seem that as part of a composite may not be out of the question. If FDA signed off on it for Pompe maybe it would seem they are amenable to that as part of a composite?
When this thread was started jq replied indicating that they haven't been studied much in DMD. I haven't searched to see if there is much naturual history data. It would seem RNA (& to a lesser extent PTC) may have a lot of data that could help in determining end points. Does anyone know if FDA make non-public data available to other companies in direct/indirect way (such as in end point selection)?
GSK had their earnings call today. I didn't catch it yet but there was a Reuters article that mentioned that they hadn't given up on darapladib.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/05/us-glaxosmithkline-earnings-setbacks-idUSBREA141HY20140205
BMRN:
A couple of things of note. They set their Q4 call on the Monday after the PDUFA for Vimizim and for 8am (they usually have CC's at 5pm). At the JPM Breakout they said they were in advanced labeling discussions with FDA.
ARIA:
Your wording sounds much more appropriate then Adam's (no offense) as it should be noted on the exact same day in 2013 ARIAD also made options grants. For what its worth I do not believe a buyout is imminent.
Listening to Webcasts. Does one have to be a client of the sponsor, or
registered for the event, to be able to listen to event webcasts at these conferences.
In particular for the NY BIO, the Cowen and Leerink conferences? TIA
HBM Pharma/Biotech M&A Report
HBM Partners carries out an ongoing analysis of all trade sales of public and private US and European biotech and pharma companies.
KBIO:
I haven't looked too closely at their technology so I can't comment on the value there. When the CFO quit so soon after starting and leaving a nice job at BMRN to do so it gave me a little pause for concern.
Webcast Calendar
[Please see updating procedure at
the end of this post. All times are
U.S. ET unless indicated otherwise.]
NOTE: ANYONE MAY UPDATE THIS FILE
Edits: Added BIO-CEO, Leerink Swan, Canaccord Genuity, Citi, RBC, Cowen, Credit Suisse, Barclays. Removed entries > ~1 month old
Biotech Showcase 2014
1/13-15/14
http://www.ebdgroup.com/bts/presenters/prs_comps.php
J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference
1/13-16/14
http://jpmorgan.metameetings.com/confbook/healthcare14/agenda.php
BIO CEO & Investor Conference 2014
2/10-11
http://www.bio.org/node/22155
Leerink Swann 2014 Global Healthcare Conference
2/12-13
http://leerink.metameetings.com/confbook/healthcare14/home.php
Canaccord Genuity Orphan Drug One-on-One Day
2/24
http://www.canaccordgenuity.com/en/cm/News-Events/Events/
2014 Citi Healthcare Conference
2/24-26
https://www.citievents.com/Metron/forms/2014HealthcareClient.form
RBC Capital Markets Global Healthcare Conference
2/25-26
https://www.rbccm.com/about/cid-202541.html
Cowen 34th Annual Health Care Conference
3/3-5
http://www.cowen.com/conferences/upcoming-conferences/
Credit Suisse Global Healthcare Conference
3/4-5
https://www.credit-suisse.com/investment_banking/client_offering/en/events_calendar/conferences.jsp
Barclays Capital Healthcare Conference
3/11-13
--
Procedure for Updating Calendar
When adding or modifying entries, please follow these steps:
1. Copy the complete text from the old calendar.
2. Make your additions or modifications, inserting new items in alphabetical or chronological order as the case may be.
3. Near the top of the message, give a very brief description of your changes (e.g. “Edits: Added JPMorgan conference”).
4. Post the updated calendar in a new message as a reply to the message with the old calendar.
Yes nice article, thanks for posting!