Biotech Values

[Biowatch]

BIIB anti-LINGO drug permeability question: Can enough drug get into the brain to be effective? Is the optic nerve harder to reach than other nerves affected by MS?

MS really needs better treatment options, and BIIB has a lot riding on their MS trial that will finish in 2016. People hoped this would send a clear signal that that trial will succeed, but for now the outlook is hazy. (Pardon the puns.)

Leerink analyst Joseph Schwartz was underwhelmed.

"The primary endpoint of nerve conduction velocity (NCV) was improved by 34% relative to placebo on a per-protocol analysis (MEDACorp specialists were looking for at least 5%-10%), but this was barely not statistically significant (p=0.0504) and does not include patients who did not finish the study, so some may view this as a stretch," he wrote in a research note Thursday. "We believe that these results are largely in line with Street expectations, since we believe that the Street is excited for the agent's potential but overall cautious because there is not evidence that the drug can get into the brain in sufficient amounts."


Read More At Investor's Business Daily: http://news.investors.com/technology/010815-733795-biib-stock-rises-falls-on-anti-lingo-results.htm#ixzz3OFrXc1yh
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