Biotech Values

[z3peru]

"Under terms of the deal, which is subject to government approval, Pfizer will make initial payments of $100 million, with the potential for an additional $195 million in milestone payments based on worldwide regulatory submission and approvals. Eyetech also has the potential to receive up to an additional $450 million in milestone payments, which are contingent upon successful commercialization of Macugen(TM) and based on attainment of agreed-upon sales levels."

I don't have a good feel for Big Pharma/development-stage biotech deals. Would you characterize this deal as "front-end loaded" or "back-end loaded"?

I read somewhere this morning (Yahoo GENR board?) that Big Pharma may be leaning more toward back-end loaded deals in order to spend a little to get a large number of development stage products and only kick out the big money when the product proves itself on the market. I would be interested in your thoughts about a back-end loaded deal for squalamine.

As always, many thanks for sharing your knowledge.