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The PR was written well written. It seems I can see Garnick syntax in there framing the truth of the matter in words we can all understand. It sets the "track betting" time parameters for mid-2010, a six-month interval and finish line all gamblers can line up on and place bets for or against Cotara results. And Ted Kennedy's death from brain cancer has primed public interest. All this with Bavi in the background. We might have a horse race sooner than we all thought (during the past grimsby 30 days post-split). PPHM is the biotech horse to beat right now.
Moby, you're good. That's why you get so much flack. Nobody knows for sure where you're comin' from...but lots of suspicions. Someone mentioned you were "half-right" (not half-truthful) on another issue, which reminded me of our recent Cotara exchange. You said Cotara was "shelved," and provided no evidence for that allegation when queried. BUT...the mis-statement re Cotara was followed by your savvy discussion re orderly transfer of Cotara technology AND key Cotara personnel from PPHM. The paperwork involved between Thorpe, UTSW, PPHM, and any suitor could well continuing to slip away into the future. That part of the post was brill. Sumpin' to thimpk about, for sure.
jake, yes that PI Bavi trial speaks volumes. Single dose effect significant. Almost a slam-dunk IMO after that study and all the indications to date of acceptable safety. And fully-humanized Bavi a "go."
JGal, whatta gal. I get a huge kick out of your posts. Have for years. Keep up the good work
cj, thanks for the effort on both posts. most informative.
Moby, methinks FDA granted accelerated approval to IMCL based on Merck KgA work in Europe. Bavi would be accelerated based on impressive numbers from India or Georgia imo.
Moby, help me here. Who shelved Cotara? When?
Moby, what would it do to your theory about Cotara if the Cotara project DOES have a lead investigator, and PPHM is FAR from a half-time or split leadership for Bavi project.
jakedog, that's happening. Dilution. Basing out. A must. But the vessel can hold more now, and has a more solid base than before. I suspect the "shakeout" is about to end, and start trading in a range, hovering for release of more news. And you can bet the news will be precise and concise. BigPlayers involved now. That much is undeniable to all. And money follows those guys. If not, BigPharma is short-circuiting the action.
jakedog, exactly. Cotara should be OTC by now...and Bavi speedin' down the developmental highway. Where's the snag? Guns or MABbutter I suspect. Bioterrorism? A diversion. Stacking our hope on Uncle?
PPHM anti-cancer platform is in excellent shape. Its sudden anti-viral presence astounding. PPHM lead agents and even those "backshelved," and there are some biotech goodies on PPHM backshelves, all would be a walloping addition to ANY big pharma weaponry. Make no mistake. PPHM is a player, big-time.
Today's volume? Company IR (investor relations) showing signs of life. Not an easy time in the market. To counter BigPharma interests posting on this board: "There are no "negatives" in the scientific community re PPHM. In the years I've followed PPHM, the company has always acted ethically in significant trial data disclosures. Trial data for PPHM products is solid, important, and good, showing acceptable safety profiles and definite tumor response. Degrading the price of the stock would be a shallow maneuver easily established in court, since it is undeniable that there is now increased value in PPHM assets. No reputable big pharma wants to be discovered doing that...and also impeding the flow of effective medication to the market. Methinks all this will be clearer soon. Keep up communications despite increasing static.Yall are great!
chevy, I don't think PPHM is tanking, and don't think it WILL tank. There has only been positive news and growth. That's not the stuff tanks are made of.
This seems an appropriate time to analyze the apparent breathtaking loss of momentum in PPHM of late, and the posts here have covered the ground pretty well. Granted, news can appear any day, but a 360 degree study of where PPHM is heading, and what companies might be doing better, is always in order. Strategic planning sessions must be brimminng over at the company.Those who know about MAB treatment, and are conversant with the problems and potential that Avastin and Erbitux have shown, and know the comparative virtues of fully humanized MABs v. chimerics, know that if a fully humanized form of Bavi- is possible, why settle for marketing something less? The anti-PS panoply must fascinate everyone who reads the story, but the humanized version must sooner or later be wheeled out on the runway for full testing in humans. That will take time and money. Anti-PS has "full-spectrum" treatment potential, and considerable effort will be expended in the next few years to harness it. Where does that leave PPHM? The recent continued patent grants makes one wonder about how thoroughly the technology can be protected. Reassurance about that from the company would be helpful. PPHM's continued participation in biotech start-up funding presentations makes me wonder how far along the company is in partnering. Without giving away much, the company could also offer reassurance about that. The lack of transparency and silence from the company rightly fuels speculation. It was said here that seldom can you stay at the blackjack table this long without losing everything. PPHM remains an excellent investment IMO, but its past and current stock market performance remain painful. Our best prtection as stockholders and boosters is continued dialog. Best wishes to you all.
tech, thanks. In mulling all this over [and over] I keep coming back to the possibility [voiced here in the past] of patent problems or UTSW. Maybe CJ or another old hand here could brief us on that relationship. When sitting down at the bargaining table, just how much leeway does the company have? Who has the ultimate authority to negotiate?
Weekly summary? blah. How to best interpret stock market inaction in PPHM? Most impressive is the lack of interest in the company or its products. Is it the economy, healthcare, biotech, MABs, or is it simply PPHM? Probably all. No interest. No homeruns. No setbacks. A couple of clinical trial results which were positive, not overwhelming, that require longer-term study of outcomes to determine ultimate clinical utility. Nobody jumping overboard. Nobody jumping on.
The stock slipped quietly below the magic $3 level at which some brokerages start touting a biotech as a "comer." Most the guys I know who invested in biotech in the past month know absolutely nothing about the science, and are buying the word of their brokers.
I was at a faculty dinner recently with UCSF chancellor Dr. Susan Desmond-Hellmond, MD, MPH, one of Forbes magazine’s one of this year's annually featured Most Powerful People. Desmond-Hellmond is among the world’s seven Most Powerful Innovators, recently snatched from Genentec to become UCSF's first "non-academic" [read businesswoman] chancellor. The story appearing in the Nov. 30 issue called Desmond-Hellmann a “hero to legions of cancer patients” for her role in the development of the cancer drugs Avastin and Herceptin...and lauded for curiosity, empathy and leadership. He also cited their deep understanding of problems and their ability to listen, bring a different perspective and use their “infectious enthusiasm” to draw out the skills from others to solve the “great problems” of our time.
I rushed up to her table after dinner to ask her opinion, only to be told she and her security had departed the darkened room immediately after her talk.
The current PPHM "dead-in-the-water-sign" might represent the company's lack of partnership, and thus the "garnering-of-capital-at-any-cost-sign", an indication that we're hunkering down for a lone and [possibly longer] run for the goal line.
PPHM appears adrift or slowly sinking at the stock shop, but has survived, and its product pipeline is looking better than ever. Financial markets are getting tougher by the day, and the predictions for the next 24 months are not all pretty. Don't want to count on the government to keep PPHM afloat. What else can prudently be done at this stage?
sojourner, only a guess, but if overseas trials are sufficiently compelling it would be a practical impossibility to prevent trials moving forward on any/all continents. There remains a "reasonableness doctrine" all bureaucracies [FDA included] may invoke if vetted with a majority vote of this panel or that.
speaking of Santa, I have always advocated using PPHM stock as a stocking stuffer for future generations... Regards to all and happy Thanksgiving!
sunstar, don't you think that by now PPHM should be past this type of introduction to the financial community? surprising to me.
north40k, interesting article. Cotara is administered for GBM intracranially using a similar ingenious catheter for delivery directly to tumor.
Drastic lack of interest.
BioVex - developing new generation biologics for the treatment and ...BioVex is a privately held biotechnology company developing potent biologics for the treatment of cancer and prevention of infectious disease. OncoVEX is a cancer destroying virus
lafont, nice article, thanks. The REGN/Sanofi collaboration sounds similar to PPHM/REGN agreement, and confirms that PPHM is apparently where it is supposed to be with regard to a partner that can brew up fully-humanized MABs in a hurry. I did not get the idea that Sanofi has much in the pipeline, but is ready to move up to 5/year in that direction. The other products and companies mentioned are either very early in development, or are not direct competitors to PPHM. The most intriguing was the virus that seeks and destroys cancer cells but not normal cells. I'll be doing some more checking on that one.
trading reminds me of retailers cutting prices to see at what point there is buying interest. Nada.
jess and wxcbs, human trials obviously better, but when human trials already conducted show safety and efficacy, it's not much of an extrapolation from lower animals to humans at this point. At one point I was convinced that a big pharma was trying to keep the price down. It appears that someone or group, whether it be management or BP gremlins, have not only failed to get the story out there, but has shown one and all that the stock is not "a play." Any attempts at building momentum have been thoroughly and systematically wiped out, and that is not all bad. Meanwhile we wait for more news.
16k shares in 90 minutes. unimaginable. we live in a world of our own.
response to Bavi+irradiation results: "add Cotara"
Firefox, you said, "I am just a lay person..." What is your field of expertise? You seem to have an extraordinary grasp of the principles involved here, and powerful, concise expression with the pen.
Possibly one of the more important concepts, elegant in its simplicity, is that cancer treatment is aimed at destroying living, but abnormal cells, using several different strategies, and most cancer treatments (except "healthy living") are "pulsed," such as chemo- or irradiation, in order to allow the healthy organism surrounding the tumor to recover. More specific treatment (MABs) allow less tissue damage (apoptosis) for a crippled immune system (macrophages)to clean up...in addition to fighting the cancer. That's what makes the strategy of more effective/specific MAB delivery systems so compelling. There will doubtless be side-effects and complications with Bavi-, but it appears they will be small in comparison to other modalities (ie, chemo, irradiation, and surgery...or Avastin).
firefox, the best description yet. Thanks
nh,almost. "Immunological adjunct" is something that merely helps spur the immune system to respond better than it would by itself unaided.
sunstar, the way I read it is that Bavi induces enhanced response to re-exposure in the small number of "complete resonders," which is an impressive number, but remains a small percentage. Let me know if I am wrong about this.
nh, that's a longshot. look at it this way. A masquerade party is composed of people you've seen before and those you haven't. Bavi is sprinkled in the room, causing all to unmask. You recognize the people you've seen before, but not the others. That takes some interaction. Bavi facilitates that new interaction, and also turns up the lights in the room, further enhancing your recognition ability. At this point Bavi seems to fall into the category of "immunologic adjunct" of which there are plenty of examples. Interesting stuff.
north40k, nice post. yes, as indicated at the end of the post,2F5, which attacks the virus, does not perform as well against HIV as Bavituximab, which attacks lipid components of the host-cell in which the viruses grow and reproduce.
sunstar, agreed. Treatment with PPHMs Bavituximab appears to improve patient immune response to re-implantation of the same tumor, a phenomenon consistant with what we know about the immune system's capability once the failure to recognize tumor as foreign is unblocked. It appears that surface PS is the culprit, and Bavi's ability to couple with PS and block its deleterious effects allows an amplified response to the cancer. It will be interesting to see the virus/cancer tie-in elucidated via this mechanism. It will also be interesting when we can make use of immunization techniques using Bavi + "neutered" cancer cells (like live attenuated virus vaccines)to further enhance immune response. It's beginning to look like Bavi+irradiation is the way to go. Too bad that avenue was not available when we started PII trials with chemo. Imagine what Bavi's punch would be in early disease when the immune system has not already been poisoned by chemo.
a logical sales strategy would be for manufacturer to sell a large quantity to a wholesaler at a price much lower than retail. That would not show on a "sales chart," or ticker. The wholesaler, now in possession of a large amount, might put the shares on the retail counter at a "sale" price to gather interest (for instance, I just bought 1k shares at
-.11). Of course the strategy does not always work, and the wholesaler has to hold goods for a while or even sell below cost, but doing the deal on the day of an announcement would be the best time to do one. We'll see.
lafont,or anyone, a question: is it possible for co. to sell shelf-shares to wholesalers without the sale being reflected on the tape; but causing a temporary depression in the price/share?
mojo, StageII booster rocket engines off missile Cotara. Anti-TNT about to take a seat at the cancer treatment table, and not a moment too soon. You know the Cotara story, how its technology was not exactly welcomed to the treatment community, instead enduring several hard-fought battles to win a place at the table. Cotara will be accepted in the treatment community because anti-TNT cancer treatment makes so much sense. Most MABs home in on various tumor surface markers, or docks. Add to that evolving technology another, an complementary attack by a penetrating missile that homes in on the center of cancer with a load of I131, a proven cancer killer [safely used for years for thyroid cancer]. Cotara getting to the "root" of the problem, as it were, is why there will be no physician perks or sale-enhancers necessary to sell Cotara to treating professional--no dinners, vacations, or samples. No questions about whether Cotara should be used inSTEAD of an existing therapy, but rather how best to use Cotara in combination with other existing modalities. Cotara is highly marketable for just that reason. It's not a threat to the establishment. It makes all that's out there better. The Cotara concept is proven. It works. How well? That's still a secret. It isn't a magic bullet, but it can make cancer treatment better. A fabulous technology.
should read, ...."INeffective" immune response.
nh&wook,methinks "unblocking" is the key concept, and "upregulating." Apparently flipped PS on cell membrane acts as a shield for cancers/viruses, allowing them to multiply relatively unmolested by an effective immune response. Bavi (anti-PS) attaches to flipped PS and opens the gate that PS is blocking. There are other immunostimulatory events at work too, one of which is apparent "priming" of an sluggish immune response to a given virus which is probably what causes the increased secondary exposure response. With that model in mind, it is easy to see how an oncovirus can gain a foothold. RX: Bavi in your coffee qd in am.
cj,thanks for complete Brekken study. Wow. Not only did he show superiority of PPHM's 2C3 to other "anti-VEGF strategies"
[read Avastin] in up-regulating body's immune response to tumor, but he also found two biomarkers that can be tested for with blood tests to determine possible effectiveness of using an anti-VEGF against the breast cancer. Gawd, why doesn't any of this stuff make it past this board?!
I mean,oh mygawd,40k vol.in 2 hours? Let's see, 20k x $3=$60k aggregate coming into PPHM, and that doesn't even count chum-bait. Incredible. Risktakers must be playing Berkshire-Hathaway today.
EZ, nice find. I am awed by BigPharma's lack of apparent interest in PPHMs VEGF2 agent. What on earth is the problem?
Paradigmatic.