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.
Isn't that why the BoD is making a quorum only 33.3% of the votes? So Sarissa and the other big holders can have control of the company and ignore us with impunity? Seems like I'm on the Titanic.....
Anywhere near this price it's not a takeover- it's a takeUNDER.
I just hope we don't see the BoD tossing out 10,000 share option awards (with a $1.00 exercise price) to each other! Everyone who's on salary at this company makes out like a bandit, whether the stock goes up or down. It's really past the time where the executives need to prove to the stockholders that they know how to run the business.
That means clinical trials of RayVa that should begin and end and findings reported within months.
You can't give a blanket statement that this and that are 'ongoing.' Let's have better insight to the next milestone. Describe the metrics you'll use to determine if sales are good, bad, or middling.
The good doctor sits on our board and that of Vivus- and if you look at both charts you might start to think that he's Typhoid Mary in disguise.
I hope that Pascoe and crew really want this company to succeed, and are not just using it to collect an oversized paycheck and a place to show off their latest supercar.
I can't wait to see how they explain how they 'exceeded expectations' and therefore deserve pay raises and more options, while the owners of the company get screwed. Maybe I'm a bit jaded after watching this stock climb to the rim of the toilet on so many occasions, only to fall back in...
Never thought I'd see the day! I wonder if this is our major shareholder at work? Let's see how quick a new study can be started and get this train moving! For now though, Pascoe, good work!!
You are preaching to the choir, my friend!
You know, I do believe we've given 'the team' a long enough time to prove they can do something. At $1.30 (who knows what it will be tomorrow?), I really think we don't have an 'A' or 'B' executive team. We have the third stringers that were glad to be hired by other third stringers that had overstayed their welcome.
No wonder Kleanthermopolis (whatever...) dumped his shares. It really looks like all these folks would have a hard time reading a thermometer! But they do collect their paychecks!
You know, this isn't a cure for cancer, it's not even a pimple cream, but our team is as effective as if they took Vitaros and just threw it on the ground and random guys just happened to pick it up. I think we need a CEO who has real accomplishments under his belt. Wherever Pascoe goes, shareholder value seems to evaporate while his salary always increases. Isn't it time to stop this madness? Would the actions of our board and exec team pass a fiduciary test in court? They fritter away funds like it's Monopoly money!
I'm disgusted. The call was 1 part info to 3 parts blabbering. Is he really so in the dark on everything that he should be in total command of? His degree from The Point was in 'leadership.' No wonder he decided against a military career- they could see right through him.
This company burns through a crapload of money with little to show for it. If I were Denner, I'd be furious and demand substantial progress in the next month or call a special shareholder meeting to remove the execs and the board. Something has to be done before this company goes to the pink sheets and then into oblivion. But if it does, I personally will not let Pascoe's performance ever be forgotten. His time in biotech is over. A serial company destroyer. Time for a new website on company CEOs and what they did in reality- not the sweet blurb you find in their bio. A picture of Pascoe and a 3 year chart of our stock will tell everyone all they need to know...
Can you tell that I'm pissed?
So the real question now is whether Denner saw something of value or if he was so great at Icahn's house because a rising tide raises all ships...
Denner is underwater and in a big way. Does he take over the board or bail? Unless revenue is remarkable, and unless the RayVa study is .001 (fantastic results), I hate to admit it, but I think we are supporting a 'gang that couldn't shoot straight' executive team.
If Pascoe has nothing to say about the RayVa study, which must be concluded by now, then they've been playing all of us for idiots. And if he continues to spout off about 'repeat commercial orders' for the Vitaros but doesn't have real numbers to support those claims, maybe it's time to get a no-confidence vote on the proxy for next time.
The markets are near all-time highs, the biotech funds are doing outstandingly well, and this little shop of horrors can't accomplish anything in a timely manner. Do I really want to see a slew of Form-4s come out informing us that the board gave out tens of thousands of options to themselves and the executive team? No way. as far as I'm concerned, unless pascoe has good news all around, it's time to find new people or to sell off the company and return the funds to the shareholders, as they are the only losers in this situation: the board and execs have bled the company for a decade. No raises, no options; as far as I'm concerned, nobody in this company has earned half of what we pay them. Just a quick vent....
Anyone willing to venture a guess whether we have results for the Rayva or an excuse?
I almost don't care anymore.
Here's the link for the current info from the Clinicaltrials.gov site:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02228850?term=Apricus&rank=1
From what the page states, the RayVa study should be complete and tomorrow Pascoe should have something to say. We know that when alprostadil is infused in these patients, there is a significant recognized benefit. That was determined over a decade ago and there is plenty of literature to back it up. We shall see if our proprietary permeation enhancer lives up to its billing. Hopefully the study results will show that DDAIP really does work on skin and not just on internal skin surfaces.
As the saying goes, the silence has been deafening. It would have been nice to hear an announcement that the study was stopped for efficacy- but I don't recall seeing that!
Maybe Pascoe is keeping mum and wants to announce fabulous results tomorrow. We can hope, right?
Picked up 5,000 today, adding to my position. I believe the ramp up of prescribing MDs and ODs will continue and many will have patients that love this stuff. And with the dermatological benefits already known, sales should progress nicely. Heck, if sales continue to grow over the next couple quarters, a TEVA or a MYLAN or a TARO could buy this company for pocket change and have an instant 'in' to all those eye and skin doctors for all their other drugs and OTC formulations. Don't see any real down side risk at these prices.
Hi folks, I'm new to this board....
But my brother is an optometrist and I thought I'd relay what he told me:
So far, it looks promising. I've "prescribed" it to about half a dozen patients so far and haven't heard any complaints. I spoke with the rep last week and she said that most offices who tried it got the initial 2 dozen units. Now some are beginning to reorder.
There is a lot of positive chatter on the vision websites about the product, some VERY positive. My daughter has been using it for acne and it works pretty nicely.
It's a novel product; a dilute form of chlorine that usually isn't stable. Avenova is a fairly stable version of it that is supposed to last about a month after opening. An effective antiinfective, not an antibiotic. Patients don't ask for it since they have no idea what it is or what it does. Heck, they don't even know they have a problem when they come into the office. It's up to me to identify patients who this may work on and have them understand and buy into the "every day" disinfection regimen for their dry eye or lid problems.
So far, it looks like a winner.
BTW, the rep said that NovaBay also manufacturers a version of the exact same product specifically for dermatologists (don't know the name). Also sold only in MD offices. It is doing well too.
Now if my brother is typical, then a lot of patients are slowly being diagnosed and exposed to the product. The sales team has done an excellent job meeting with MDs and ODs and the Avenova website points to every doctor who is prescribing.
It may be a slow ramp-up, but it seems to me that sales figures will only be growing. At .55 - .59 a share, I think this is an easy double in a year, when we have a few quarters of increasing sales to show. Now if only Nova Bay would produce a great infomercial, then people would be asking for it when they have eye-doctor appointments!
Don't have a clue.... just like Pascoe & Crew!
Thanks SB. Same to you.
Ian, you are absolutely correct! The fog of age is creeping into my brain. Maybe someday this RayVa can be massaged into your scalp for better BRAIN performance!
Hi guys, I haven't been paying much attention to this stock for a while. What's with the new IR guys? Wasn't Catalyst enough? A separate company to tout the stock to INSTITUTIONAL investors?
Didn't we think having Denner on board was validation enough? Don't institutional investors have dedicated research teams that do nothing but analyze the latest results of every biotech in the known universe?
The positive results of the RayVa study will be the enticement to the institutions- talking isn't going to do it. We know this and THEY know it. "Show me the beef" for all of you old enough to remember that line.
Spending X thousands of dollars a month on more IR busywork is not the best use of our money, IMO. Double or triple the size of the Rayva study so the results will be unambiguous; dedicate some in-house people help get V launched in Canada. There are plenty of things to do without spending additional money on IR. Produce a good product that people need and want and, I assure you, IR will take care of itself.
Agree completely. Denner must be furious.
Aprilov, I agree completely. It's as though they're ashamed of the product. Pascoe or our professional paid touters MUST get something into the marketplace today. Anything less is basically dereliction of duty. What better way to promote the company? Or at the least, get it on people's radar.
Yayyyy! Finally. A big horny country is just what we need. Now get the 'room temp device' to market and let's get this train moving.
that works for me, Eman.
I think we're going to find out that management and maybe a 'recent purchaser' just happened to buy big positions when the price was 'conveniently' in the toilet. Not that I care, mind you, since we could have picked up shares at the same distressed price. I guess if they're buying they believe there's a rosy future ahead- so that works for me.
Thanks SB. We're all on the same wavelength.
I could go to my local old-age home, find the first hundred people dressed up like it's the middle of winter (it's 90 today), and have fifty of them use the cream and fifty use a placebo cream, and then take heat-cam photos of all their hands after an hour. I could have this study done and written up in 48 hours. Either the stuff works or it doesn't.
You'd think there would be a feeling of urgency here- "Let's get this thing done this week!" - but there never seems to be.
We can all share our feelings via the proxy vote coming up.
Maybe Denner truly believes he can make something of this company. At the moment though, Mr. Hedge Fund Bio Wiz-Kid is underwater like the rest of us. Authorizing another 100 million shares? Why? Stock dividend? (Don't hold your breath.) Throw money at some other loser company with a go-nowhere product? (Probably)
There's a good chance the board will have to do a reverse split to keep the price above a dollar if the current price trend continues. If the extra shares are approved, the dilution is staggering.
You just have to look at the penny biotechs with hundred million+ shares outstanding to know that having those shares doesn't help the company in any way. It just makes the officers more likely to do something stupid.
Pascoe won't repeat Damaj's mistakes - he'll make all NEW ones!
Think carefully about how you vote. Having millions of extra shares out to toss at the board and executives for halving the price of the stock is not a good idea.
I can hardly wait to see how all the executives will crow that they 'accomplished' their goals so that the captive BOD will shower them with more option grants. I doubt the board will have the integrity to set the option strike price at $3/share- to make them all work to get that bonus, since the board awards themselves the same grants!!!
This is like The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight. Then they bring in a new sheriff, and it looks like his gun has a bad sight as well!!!
The only redeeming factor I see here is that Dr. Denner probably doesn't want to be seen as a laughing stock among his peers so he will work his ass off to make this company work out.
If that means Denner takes Pascoe's position, then let's just do it and move on. I want honesty, I want transparency, I want best-guesstimates in future scripts. (Do we really believe that our company execs don't have a clue how sales are really going??)
This is our company. This isn't 'A Few Good Men' where we can't handle the truth...
Another country will do nicely for today. Remember that Pascoe told us revenue would be light until'16 or longer. It takes time for patients to use the stuff for a while and begin to see results- but they do see results.
Since the EU prohibits to-the-customer advertising as we are overloaded with, it's a friend-telling-a-friend or a doctor-patient conversation at best. This is a slow process. It's not like guys are screaming on TV, "I've got ED and I'm not going to take it anymore!" (But that would be nice, wouldn't it??)
We hold a classic tortoise and hare type company- and we're the tortoise.
But the tortoise won the race... As more countries roll out, the numbers will increase. Pascoe brought on some smart people, let's give them time to put it all together. I still hold all my shares- I think we're going up.
You have to laugh at this. Denner invested millions of dollars in this company. I'm sure his heart skipped a beat when he calculated what he was down. What's that old saying? How do you turn a large fortune into a smaller one? Invest in APRI!!
So either there is wicked manipulation going on, or somebody just needed to get out with a good size position with a market order- and it took everything the order book had all the way down to the basement. (Which is what I think really happened.) Hey, you can only give an investment so much time to develop. When college tuition calls or a summer wedding or a new tranny for your Vette, sometimes you just have to bail and move on.
hang on for whatever Denner has planned.
Why would we need so many shares? Two reasons: expecting the stock to zoom to $20 and declaring a 2fer1 split (not likely), or using the shares to buy another company for its product pipeline (best bet).
I doubt Denner would have taken his huge position without knowing this was in the works- in fact, it's probably his idea.
Something is in the works. Maybe Denner wants to use APRI as his aggregation mechanism to build a multi-pony stable. My bets have been on this horse for years. Now that we've left the gate, looks like Denner wants give the nag a running partner.
And you must remember that there is someone accumulating all these share that are being sold today. Every trade has two parties- a seller and a buyer. Some smart buyers are adding to their positions.
I think these are just swing traders who've had a good run from the mid 1.50s and have seen the end to the momentum. Can't blame them for taking a great quick profit. (And it's tax season, too.) Too bad that they don't have a year to hold this- they're going to miss a great run. Everything Pascoe and Troupin said was positive. And we know the price Sarissa bought in- so we know there is value here.
Be patient- (or if you're in Europe, become a patient!) - the company is firing on all cylinders, and it's just a matter of applying the gas, which Troupin and team are doing.
On March 21, in Madrid, at a urological conference, there will be a symposium given by several of our European partners specifically to address/introduce Vitaros to the medical community.
Troupin speaking...... sounds VERY knowledgeable and announces upcoming clinical roadmap for our new compound. Sounds very promising.
Sales..."Well above our partner's forecasts..."
from the earnings conference going on right now.
I think these rollouts will come sooner. There is still the shelf-life issue for the refrigerated version, so I don't believe Sandoz will be satisfied with product sitting in warehouses for months on end.
I wonder if the dose of the active ingredient was increased a couple hundred percent, if this cream could be applied like any hand lotion? That has to be the holy grail of this product.
"Hold on honey, I'm just brushing my teeth." (little dab, work it in, ready to go!)
"My, did you put your toothbrush in your undies by accident??!!"
For anyone getting nervous about the decline in price, I politely submit this for your viewing pleasure:
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1017491/000114420415011408/v402515_sc13d.htm
You may need to copy and paste it into your browser. It's Sarissa's 13D filing enumerating all the shares the fund holds. (It's a HUGE number.)
Now why would a pharmacologically astute businessman such as Dr. Denner take such a huge position in this company?
Possible answers and their reasonability:
1) He wishes to turn a sizable investment into a much smaller one. (No)
2) He wants to destroy his reputation by not doing incredible dd. (No)
3) Like Ronald Reagan, his soothsayer said to buy the shares. (No)
4) He used his kid's '8-Ball' toy to discern this as a great buy. (No)
5) He performed incredible dd, discussed it with his experts, sees something or somethings of great future value, and positions his fund for great gains. (Yes, yes, yes, and yes.)
Even if that were true, the small fact that a pharma-biased hedge fund took a huge position in the company would tell me that there is much more to the story.
You're preaching to the choir, my friend! But maybe, just maybe, Sarissa's investment has created some urgency on the part of our executives.
Apricus Biosciences Announces Corporate Update and Fourth Quarter and Year-End 2014 Financial Results Conference Call
Conference Call and Webcast to be Held Monday, March 16, 2015 at 8:30 a.m. ET
SAN DIEGO, March 9, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Apricus Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq:APRI), a biopharmaceutical company advancing innovative medicines in urology and rheumatology, today announced that the Company's fourth quarter and year-end 2014 financial results will be released on Monday, March 16, 2015. Company management will host a conference call on Monday, March 16, 2015, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss the financial results and other recent corporate highlights.
To participate by telephone, please dial 855-780-7196 (Domestic) or 631-485-4867 (International). The conference ID number is 3374804. The live audio webcast can be accessed via the Investors section of the Company's website at www.apricusbio.com. Please log in approximately 5-10 minutes before the event to ensure a timely connection. The archived webcast will remain available for 90 days following the live call.
It's a totally crappy day in the markets yet APRI is bucking the trend. Looks like more people would rather hold for the Roth Conference announcements next week than be out of it.
Nice anyway you look at it.
Some background on Fispemifene (from the Forendo site):
Fispemifene
Fispemifene is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) discovered originally for use in men. It is a novel, oral product candidate for the treatment of the symptoms resulting from low testosterone levels in men with secondary hypogonadism. Fispemifene is not a formulation of testosterone. It acts by a different mechanism, as an antiestrogen at the level of the hypothalamus and pituitary, inhibiting the negative feedback of testosterone production via estrogens. This results in an enhanced production of LH and FSH and subsequently increased circulating testosterone level. The utilization of the physiological feedback mechanism increase testosterone levels into, but not beyond, the normal range. As a result of an increased FSH level the treatment is expected to retain, and even restore fertility, a feature being very important for men having hypogonadal symptoms in their 30’s and 40’s. Fispemifene is given orally once daily offering good compliance as compared with the transdermal or injectable testosterone products.
Low Testosterone – Secondary hypogonadism
Male hypogonadism is a state of androgen deficiency that has adverse impact on multiple functions and quality of life. It is linked to a range of symptoms and low testosterone, when associated with obesity, leading to lowered testosterone/estradiol ratio, is considered a significant risk factor for type II diabetes. Several other longer term medical issues have also been associated with low testosterone including reduced sperm production and infertility, osteoporosis, depression, metabolic syndrome and heart disease.
In men majority of the cases of adult onset hypogonadism can be classified as secondary hypogonadism, characterised by low level of both gonadotrophins (LH and FSH) and testosterone, differently from primary hypogonadism resulting from testicular failure and being characterized by high gonadotrophin levels. Diagnosis of secondary hypogonadism requires always careful evaluation of the putative underlying disorders of the HPG axis, e.g. exclusion of potential pituitary tumors. Within the adult onset hypogonadism secondary hypogonadism is more prevalent in younger adults and more associated to obesity than the primary hypogonadism that is more associated to the old age.
Low Testosterone – A New treatment era
In men with insufficient gonadotrophin secretion in secondary hypogonadism, testosterone replacement therapy is not a logical mode of treatment. Testosterone treatment further suppresses the gonadotrophin secretion due to its feedback effect, leading to a decrease in testicular function. The striking and unavoidable decrease of sperm production and fertility during testosterone supplementation therapy is a serious undesired side effect in men wanting to preserve their fertility.
Interestingly, some antiestrogenic SERM compounds (like clomifen) have been shown to effectively normalize testosterone levels in patients with secondary hypogonadism by eliminating the gonadotrophin suppression caused by estrogens. This demonstrates that in most of such cases the testis retains its capacity for normal testosterone production. A tissue specific, selective estrogen receptor modulator, could offer also additional benefits over testosterone treatment, related e.g. to an increased risk of prostate neoplasia and osteoporosis.
The compound affects the physiological regulation of testosterone production via interfering with the feed-back mechanism and stimulating the normal gonadotrophin-induced testosterone production from the testis, and therefore, it excludes the possibility for abnormally high testosterone production, providing inherent safety and reduce the abuse potential.
Based on the mechanism of action and on the clinical experience with the SERMs, it is evident that this group of compounds, including fispemifene, could offer significant benefits over the current testosterone replacement in the treatment of secondary type hypogonadism in men.
Differences between fispemifene treatment (based on conducted clinical studies) and testosterone replacement therapy.
Fispemifene development
In the phase II studies conducted with hypogonadal men, fispemifene treatment significantly increased the testosterone levels, resulting to a normal testosterone level, similarly to that published for transdermal testosterone products. In the conducted phase I and the phase II studies, altogether eight studies, fispemifene has shown to be safe and well tolerated at all dose levels.
Based on preclinical studies, fispemifene is expected to show beneficial effects on bone while no detrimental effects on prostate are expected. The studies with animal disease models indicate that fispemifene block the chronic glandular inflammation in prostate and relieve obstructive urinary symptoms. The chronic prostatic inflammation in humans is connected not only to pelvic pain symptoms but also to the risk of development of benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer. As a summary fispemifene act as estrogen antagonist in the pituitary, therefore, increasing the testicular testosterone production in men with secondary hypogonadism. The other tissue-specific effects of fispemifene can be characterized as being an estrogen agonist in bone and liver (blood lipids), mildly estrogen antagonistic or neutral in uterus and prostate, and being estrogen antagonist in lower urinary tract and breast.
Fispemifene Market Opportunity
The therapeutic goal of testosterone replacement therapy is to normalize the circulating serum testosterone concentration in men to normal range, and to avoid abnormally high testosterone levels. In spite of this goal, unnecessary high and abnormal testosterone levels do occur with testosterone replacement therapy, and can lead to symptoms including prostate enlargement and elevation in increased blood hemoglobin level that increase the risk of vascular problems, including stroke.
Currently, gel formulations of testosterone are the most commonly prescribed testosterone replacement therapies. In the U.S. alone, sales for testosterone products reached $2 Bn in 2012, a growth of 30% compared to 2011, and doubling since 2009. Secondary hypogonadism accounts for 85-95% of total market, and with recognition of the association between low testosterone and many significant and common diseases such as diabetes, treatment of hypogonadism is expected to grow strongly also in Europe and other continents.
US Testosterone Sales 1999 to 2012
We believe that an oral therapy that elevates testosterone levels into the normal physiologic range without increasing the risk of prostate enlargement or elevated blood hemoglobin levels would be an important therapeutic option for the treatment of the symptoms of low testosterone. In addition, fispemifene is expected to maintain or improve sperm production, which is a critical aspect for men having low testosterone symptoms but favouring to preserve their fertility. Such a therapy could substantially increase the market and represent a significant commercial opportunity.
We have all heard Pascoe discuss how revenue will be light until 2016- which is simply a function of country roll-outs after the commercialization partners' sales teams have educated the physicians and gotten the drug on all the local formularies. This takes time.
We should see some numbers next week, but I'm not expecting anything earthshaking. Repeat orders for product from the partners who've gotten Vitaros to market would be positive news, as would a speedy introduction of the 'room temperature device.'
The most important thing to remember is that Sarissa bought a huge stake in the company. The head of Sarissa is no dope. Apricus has new, well-versed executives and a very capable and experienced BoD.
The pipeline is more robust than it has even been. Fispemifene may well be the hidden gem in this pipeline- a way to increase testosterone in a way that doesn't cause all the problems associated with the current batch of testosterone products being closely scrutinized by the FDA.
In a nutshell, never in the history of this company have the prospects realistically looked brighter.
There will be shareholders that will sell at the 2.60 - 2.75 range. That's where they bought a year or two ago and they see a chance to get out close to even. (They see what they though was dead money coming back to life and they want it in their pocket. Totally understandable.)
That will hold back the stock for a while- but just a while. Pascoe has a plan and he's executing it. He's dropped long-timers from the company to make room for new heavy hitters. And why would those folks join our little company unless they saw something of value?
After having worked for decades, gaining great experience, being in executive positions and making reputations for themselves, why would any of them risk what it took a lifetime to accomplish by signing on with some small company?
They see something of value. Sarissa sees something of value. We just need to give our officers and executives room to work and some more time.
Many of us have had this stock for 2, 3, and 4+ years- because we believed in the story. We've started a new chapter with these recent changes, so let's give the plot some more time to develop.
Great find, e-man, and great news. Maybe Pascoe will have some comments to add about it next week.
The rollout may be achingly slow, but it is unstoppable. Sarissa must have had knowledge of this. This just keeps getting better and better. I can hardly believe it! Those $4.50 and $5.50 price targets may be on the low side once we have a couple more quarters under our belt.
Latest news from the company:
Apricus Biosciences to Present at the 27th Annual Roth Conference
SAN DIEGO, March 4, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Apricus Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq:APRI), a biopharmaceutical company advancing innovative medicines in urology and rheumatology, today announced that Richard Pascoe, Chief Executive Officer, will present at the 27th Annual Roth Conference on Tuesday, March 10, 2015, at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time. The conference will be held at the The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, in Dana Point, CA. Mr. Pascoe will provide an overview of the European launch of Vitaros®, the Company's topical treatment for erectile dysfunction, and will also discuss Apricus' drug candidates fispemifene and RayVa™.
Anyone live in or near Dana Point? Would be nice to have someone there to read between the lines...
Possibly. But having Vitaros in any major drug company's 'yearly accomplishments' list is a plus in my book. Recall how little daylight Vitaros saw after the deal with Abbott.
Once mentioned, it now becomes a topic of discussion for later reporting.