News Focus
News Focus
Replies to #59208 on Biotech Values
icon url

DewDiligence

02/17/08 5:00 PM

#59209 RE: zipjet #59208

>But for Copaxone to have ANY value for MNTA shareholders three things must happen. 1 - It must not be eliminated by a better drug/s. (Considering the marginal benefit of Copaxone, they could be displaced completely.) 2 - The company must stay viable. (That means mL or M118 needs to come through.) 3 - The company must stay independent - not bought out.<

I disagree on #3; clearly, a buyout offer for the whole company can incorporate an implicit valuation for the Copaxone program.
icon url

ThomasS

02/17/08 6:32 PM

#59211 RE: zipjet #59208

"1 - It must not be eliminated by a better drug/s. (Considering the marginal benefit of Copaxone, they could be displaced completely.)"
I might make the case for disagreeing with #1: As long as the drug has some utility, it will garner sales. The sales trajectory for now continues, which implies that the value of "some utility" will also rise.

A bad example might be aspirin being supplanted by Tylenol, Motrin, Aleve, etc. This doesn't even allude to the new uses that were found for aspirin, such as anti-platelet activity.

Perhaps Copaxone will be used elsewhere in addition to it's current indication.

As to #2, we can all agree; however, don't forget that management clearly alluded to additional FoB partnership's.
"<A – Richard Shea>: Yes, well, we did talk about the M118 program and the potential for partnering that program. And then we have also talked about follow-on biologics as an area that other than the two products that we are partnering with Sandoz, we have opportunities on that field too."

M118 partnering: The following quotes from last week by Craig Wheeler really struck me:
"...I couldn't be more pleased."
Stated that the M118 molecule is behaving (verbatim) "exactly as we hoped it would behave."








icon url

DewDiligence

02/17/08 7:50 PM

#59214 RE: zipjet #59208

Re: Copaxone

Your own comments from two months ago (#msg-25081126):

“The beta interferons used to treat MS all lead to
antibodies with the time-to-antibodies being directly
related to the dosing strength… eventually the
antibodies neutralize the interferons and these
patients become a natural to switch to Copaxone
.”