Replies to post #1711 on Biotech Values

[AlohaDan]

Dew

Crowded cancer arena.

Why I think diversification in one's biotech basket has to be across different diseases.

DSCO sufactant for RDS< ARDS< asthma

COR/PARS Neuro

GENR macular degeneration

MBPLF Obesity/Pain

CJC Diabetes

IDBE fluvaccines

ACUS cardio imaging/drug delivey

etc.

Within cancer I go for competing platform mechanisms

NVGN multi signal transduction signaling

DNDN immune inhancement via DCs

etc

The other thingI look for in cancer drugs is first line potential. Really not interested in drugs that extend life span 1-3 months.

[DewDiligence]

Re: The crowded cancer market:

#msg-2789976 listed some of the cancer drugs in development, and it’s a long list indeed. Today, a report from Research and Markets Ltd. (whom I’d never heard of) says that there are 114 drugs just in the anti-angiogenesis/VTA categories. [Thanks to Strawgold for the find.]

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/040506/65647_1.html

>>
We have identified a total of 114 different therapies developed utilizing an antiangiogenetic or vascular targeting strategy.
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[DewDiligence]

Re: HOW CROWDED IS THE CANCER-DRUG ARENA?

[This excerpt from last Sunday’s NY Times makes a good companion to the WSJ article in the previous post.]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/06/health/06CANC.html

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Surveys over the last couple of years by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America found 395 drugs in clinical trials for cancer, compared with 122 for heart disease and stroke combined and 176 for neurological disorders.

Another survey of only biotechnology-related drugs in clinical trials found nearly half were for cancer, far more than for any other disease.

Indeed, so many cancer drugs are in development that oncologists say it is becoming difficult to run all the clinical trials needed to test them and to determine the best sequences and combinations in which to use them. One session here is titled "Therapy for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: What Do We Do with So Many Options?
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[DewDiligence]

Cancer drug spending growth nearly doubles-report

http://yahoo.reuters.com/financeQuoteCompanyNewsArticle.jhtml?duid=mtfh82777_2005-05-16_19-59-12_n16....

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CHICAGO, May 16 (Reuters) – Spending on treatments for cancer is rising much faster than for common pharmaceuticals, posing a significant challenge for employers and government healthcare payers, a report issued on Monday said.

Spending on cancer and related medications rose by 15.3 percent in 2004, nearly double the increase in 2003, according a report by Medco Health Solutions Inc., one of the three biggest pharmacy benefit managers in the United States.

Increased use of two new cancer therapies alone -- Novartis AG's Gleevec and AstraZeneca Plc's Iressa -- accounted for most of the jump, the report said. [The Iressa spending problem should have taken care of itself by now.]

New cases of cancer and efforts to find treatments are fueling the pace, the report said. [Duh]

The American Cancer Society expects about 1.2 million new cases of cancer this year. Medco's drug trend report found that more than 200 experimental compounds are under investigation to treat cancer. [Actually more than that – see #msg-2789976 for a partial list.]

Cancer therapies are typically biotechnology drugs made of complicated proteins that are often injected. This makes them several times more expensive than traditional pill-form pharmaceuticals.
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