Biotech Values

[ghmm]

HCV treatment/Rash:

My continued investment thesis in ITMN (on the HCV side) is not that I think Telaprevir isn't a potent drug, its more that if it has a competitor without a rash with comparable efficacy it'll be a no brainer choice for physicians/docs. I think it gets lost on some of these message boards that they are talking about drop outs because of rash and people are overlooking that a much larger number get rash (or just even having a higher risk going into therapy) but now patients stay on because of the efficacy. But if a therapy could offer both efficacy and no additional rash risk what would you choose?

Even if both Roche (with ITMN/VRUS) and Vertex come up with all oral therapies in the not-to-distant future for some patient populations the side-effect profile will be a factor in their success. Unless Vertex can produce substantially efficacy in shorter durations I think there is a lot of room for a competitor (Roche or otherwise). A competitor could tout even a 24 week (minimal side-effect) treatment duration that is all oral with better SVR than what Vertex may get in a shorter duration (that is more tolerable then currently being studied). Which would you choose if your a patient or a doc giving advise?