IDMI: 28.35M outstanding shares, let go with 29M, $10 a share = $290M market cap. Currently at about $1.90. EU should approve Mepact in February, 2009.
Post by tzm on IDM I-Hub m.b.:
Great link Meix but the story of IDM Pharma and the potential of Mepact is very hard to grasp (if you haven't been following closely) and the current stock price is the deal of the century in my opinion. Many shareholders have been under tremendous stress lately because of the undervalued stock price and so I am going to make my case to as why I see the stock, IDMI, as the most undervalued biotech that you will ever come across.
My explanation requires that you have a basic understanding of cancer and the human bodies immune system so if some of this sounds a bit remedial to you, please bear with me.
Let's start with the big "C" word. Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells coupled with malignant behavior: invasion and metastasis. What commonly happens in Cancer is that the sick person develops a Tumor in one part of the body and the cells from this tumor travel through the bloodstream/lymphatic system and deposit in another part of the body. When they reach this new part of the body, they multiply and multiply until a whole new tumor has developed. This is called Metastasis.
So back to Mepact and why it's so effective at fighting Osteosarcoma. Let me restate that; why Mepact is so effective at reducing death because of Osteosarcoma. Firstly, Osteosarcoma is a cancer of the bone and it very commonly develops as a tumor in the leg bone of adolescents. This tumor in the bone is treated by removing the tumor with surgery and then a course of chemotherapy. What Mepact does, in this whole course of treatment, is teach the body to kill these teeny tiny cancer cells that have shed from the initial tumor, traveled through the blood stream and landed in the lungs. Again, we are talking about the cancer that has Metastasized. Has the light bulb lit up yet??
You see, it's not the tumor in the bone that kills these unfortunate kids; it's the metastases to the lungs that is most frequently the cause of death. Doctors can remove the tumors in the bone but it's these tiny cancer cells that have been shedding, for lack of a better word, and traveling in the bloodstream that are the real problem. It's most likely that these cancer cells have been trying to get a foot hold in the patients lungs for many months before the patient has even felt pain in the leg and much longer before they have even been diagnosed with Osteosarcoma.
Mepact is an immunotherapy. In other words, it teaches the patients own body to fight and destroy the cancer cells. Mepact does not destroy the cancerous cells in the bone and Mepact is not effective at destroying large tumors in the lungs (i.e. once they've gotten a foothold and grown); Mepact destroys Microscopic Pulmonary Metastases. Let me restate that; Mepact teaches the body to destroy Microscopic Pulmonary Metastases. In a way, it's almost more of a preventative. That is, if you are diagnosed with a cancer that commonly metastasizes to the lungs then you would be well served to start a course of Mepact because then your body will start to learn how to kill these tiny cells that are probably trying to set up shop in your lungs.
Pulmonary metastases is present in 60% of the autopsies of patients that die of breast cancer. That light bulb should be getting brighter.
So what part of the immune system does Mepact train to fight?? Ans. The Macrophages. And what are Macrophages? You're going to have to go to wiki or something for that one because I'm getting tired of typing but here's their quick definition:
"Macrophages (Greek: big eaters, from makros "large" + phagein "eat"; abbr. MΦ) are white blood cells within tissues, produced by the division of monocytes. Human macrophages are about 21 microns in diameter.[1] Monocytes and macrophages are phagocytes, acting in both non-specific defense (or innate immunity) as well as to help initiate specific defense mechanisms (or cell-mediated immunity) of vertebrate animals. Their role is to phagocytose (engulf and then digest) cellular debris and pathogens either as stationary or mobile cells, and to stimulate lymphocytes and other immune cells to respond to the pathogen."
Well that's all of the hollering from a mountain top that I'm going to do tonight but this post should give you a good basis to as why I am invested in this stock. IDM Pharma is most likely on the auction/partner block but that does not mean that it won't be a lively auction and no matter what the stock price trades at, I know that I am a partial owner in a cancer drug with big time potential.
AI
