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Replies to #36413 on Biotech Values
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ipollit77

10/28/06 10:15 AM

#36415 RE: drbio45 #36413

Paion, RNVS & Co

drbio45, what do you think about axaron especially ax200?
http://www.axaron.com/pages/products/2/index.html
"Axaron is extremely excited about the potential for AX200, as work in pre-clinical models has shown that the drug has multiple modes-of-action and is not only capable of protecting brain cells from damage occurring during the acute phase of stroke, but also improves the functional performance thereafter."

the current market cap is something like 87 million usd...
"Heidelberg, July 6, 2006 – A specialized pharmaceutical company has emerged from Axaron Bioscience AG and LION bioscience AG. The new pharma specialist for central nervous system (CNS) diseases has funds of approximately EUR 51 million, of which EUR 21 million is being provided by the Hopp family. The majority shareholder of Axaron Bioscience AG, BASF Aktiengesellschaft in Ludwigshafen, will invest EUR seven million in the new company. A further EUR 23 million will come from LION bioscience AG. The company’s mission is to develop treatments for CNS diseases for which there are currently no or only limited therapeutic options. AX200, a product for the treatment of strokes, is the most advanced compound. It is currently being tested in a phase IIa clinical trial, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2008."
http://www.lionbioscience.com/press/release/latest_releases/dietmar_hopp_establishes_specialized_pha...

greetings,
ipollit77
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iwfal

10/28/06 10:53 AM

#36416 RE: drbio45 #36413

Unlike the failure of Cerovive which would have added billions of dollars of increased healthcare costs if they would have reached statistical significance in a clinically meaningless benefit and failure of the drug was not a tragedy, the failure of desmoteplase which has the potential to increase the quality of life of millions of future stroke patients and end up reducing healthcare costs because rehabilitation from stoke adds billions of dollars to the cost of healthcare and early reperfusion can reduce the cost of rehabilitation, desmoteplase failure would have been a tragedy.

Don't buy this. Any neuroprotectant, stroke or TBI, saves on rehab for a given patient if it actually works. But may still cost the economy as a whole more if it actually saves lives as well (just to leave them vegatative). For all of these drugs the largest hurdle is getting them into patients in a timely manner - to the extent that the don't do that they appear doomed to failure (e.g. most animal models for these drugs give the drug within a few hours of injury, but the trials are generally 6+ hours.) For instance, if Cerovive actually worked measurably (even if clinically unimportant) when given at 6+ hours, then it probably would have worked in a clinically important way at a post approval (no forms need to be signed) infusion time of, say, 3 hours.