Replies to post #200718 on Biotech Values

[biotech jim]

Stan Korsmeyer would be proud.

As a molecular oncologist, Stan worked out the role of BCL2 in lymphoma development while he was at Washington University in St. Louis in the 1980's. He then moved on to the Dana Farber, where he was the Director of the Molecular Oncology Department. He passed away at the age of 54 in 2005. RIP, Stan. Stan started his career as a member of a local 4H club, growing up on a dairy farm, in a small town in Illinois. Stan was one of the most generous and friendly of all people I have known.


Obit of Dr. Korsmeyer, in Cell Death and Differentiation:

http://www.nature.com/cdd/journal/v12/n7/full/4401683a.html

This one by Robert Horvitz, published in Nature:

http://web.mit.edu/horvitz/www/assets/publications/horvitz2005.pdf

[DewDiligence]

ABBV/Roche—Venclexta+Rituxan bests Treanda+Rituxan in rrCLL phase-3 MURANO study:

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/abbvie-announces-phase-3-study-of-venclexta-venclyxto-venetoclax-in-combination-with-rituxan-rituximab-meets-its-primary-endpoint-300569874.html

The primary endpoint was PFS, which had a hazard ratio of 0.17(!). The trial was stopped for efficacy at the interim analysis.

With these results, the FDA accelerated approval granted in Apr 2016, which was for rrCLL patients with 17p deletion (#msg-121830825), will presumably be converted into a full FDA approval for rrCLL generally.

In the EU, Venclexta goes under the brand name, Venclyxto (#msg-125790701).