Biotech Values

[biomaven0]

The other 2nd line agents are pretty clearly somewhat superior efficacy-wise to Gleevec based on head-to-head trials. All that Gleevec has going for it is much more long-term data and greater familiarity by doctors. Nevertheless, once Gleevec goes generic, I expect most insurers to require Gleevec be tried first in some sort of step-therapy approach.

The point here is that Gleevec performs remarkably well in general - the other drugs' improvements over Gleevec are really very much second-order effects.

That said, pona will do very well indeed if it becomes the 2nd-line drug of choice and the 1st-line drug for Sokal high-risk patients.

Note Gleevec actually has some Orange book formulation patents that go beyond 2015 - I think they go to 2019. Remains to be seen if they hold up or not - perhaps they get a settlement that delays generics until something like 2016/2017. So that's enough time for pona to get a decent foothold first.

Peter