Replies to post #206072 on Biotech Values

[DewDiligence]

ENTA addendum: I don't know what proportion of HCV patients have CKD, but approximately 14% of dialysis patients in the US and Western Europe have HCV, in many cases acquired as a consequence of dialysis treatment.

[mcbio]

ENTA -

The study also included those who were not cured with previous treatment with sofosbuvir (SOF) plus ribavirin (RBV) or with interferon (IFN) plus RBV, with or without SOF (44 patients, 42 percent).

What percentage of this 42% was specifically SOF+RBV or IFN+RBV+SOF? Just trying to get a sense of what percentage SOF does not generally work on in this specific population. And is there some specific reason as to why ENTA-based regimen works in this specific population where SOF does not?

[IanFromSI]

Interesting PR related to Liver Cancer / Hep C tx. All work seems to have been done in vitro, but I suspect there are few if any roadblocks to starting clinical trials.

whole story: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/uol-cvk111416.php

Opening paragraphs:

Public Release: 15-Nov-2016
Cough virus kills liver cancer cells and hepatitis virus

Reovirus stimulates the body's own immune system to kill off the cancerous cells

University of Leeds

A virus that causes childhood coughs and colds could help in the fight against primary liver cancer, according to a study.

Reovirus stimulates the body's own immune system to kill off the cancerous cells, the researchers at the University of Leeds found.

In addition, Reovirus is able to kill off the hepatitis C virus - a common cause of primary liver cancer - at the same time, the team discovered.

These early-stage findings are important because primary liver cancer is the third highest cause of cancer deaths worldwide and, if surgery is not an option, the prognosis is poor.

Study co-leader Dr Stephen Griffin, Associate Professor of Viral Oncology at the University of Leeds, said: "Ultimately we hope that by simultaneously treating the tumour, and the hepatitis virus that is driving the growth of the tumour, we may provide a more effective therapy and improve the outcomes for patients.

"Current treatments for liver cancer that can't be removed by surgery are mainly palliative - with chemotherapy only tending to prolong life, rather than cure - and it can have significant side effects."

Reovirus can cause respiratory illnesses and stomach upsets in children but by adulthood most people have been exposed to it and therefore it does not cause illness.

[DewDiligence]

Re: ENTA’s pro forma enterprise value

With 21.0M fully-diluted* shares, $242M in cash at 9/30/16 (#msg-126720369), no debt, and minuscule cash burn (so we may ignore the change since 9/30/16), ENTA’s enterprise value at today’s closing price of $30.07 is $390M.

If we further presume that ENTA will earn the $80M in milestones that ABBV must pay for regulatory approval of Glecaprevir/Pibrentasvir in the US, EU, and Japan, ENTA’s pro forma EV is only $310M. That’s cheap!

*Non-treasury method.

[DewDiligence]

ABBV/ENTA’s G/P receives early-access approval in UK for hard-to-treat patients:

http://www.pharmatimes.com/news/uk_patients_get_early_access_to_abbvies_hepatitis_regimen_1192670

h/t ‘stockbetter’.