Replies to post #4467 on Ariad Pharmaceuticals Inc fka ARIA

[bellweather1]

Yes, Amazing, isn't it?

The odds of success appear very high, and although the royalty percentage may not be great, 10+% of a broad-based and growing revenue stream, with all development expenses absorbed by your collaborator, and substantial milestone payments looks pretty compelling!

Then, of course, even if Succeed doesn't, substantial royalties via endo applications and other combos over time would have to be very accretive!

Although I was at one time more skeptical myself, I have come around(like Mrk apparently did) to appreciating the valuable asset that Rida, all by itself, is likely to be.

And all the more so at a time when ariad needs the funds and credibility to advance its other plum projects!

So yes, it's amazing, isn't it???

Best regards,

bw

[BTH]

If you are comparing Afinitor to Ridaforolimus then please explain why Afinitor had meager, if not relatively little, results with sarcoma (and please don't say its because Afinitor is not as good as Ridaforolimus - because that's a real simpleton answer and it's simply not the case).

The mTORs are not like BCR-ABL drugs. The BCR-ABL drugs target a SPECIFIC protein which literally shuts off the abnormality which is why they are so effective.

MTORs on the other hand, yes, they target mTOR, but it's not like mTOR is like BCR-ABL where you have a specific cancer type that is literally shut down because mTOR is depreciated. mTOR drugs act more like old chemo drugs than a unique target like a BCR-ABL drug (just for comparison purposes).

mTORs will find their greatest success in combination with other drugs. Yes, Afinitor was approved single-agent for RCC, but RCC is NOT sarcoma.

I just do not think the Phase 2 sarcoma results were anything to write home about and I think there was probably some big-time data-mining from Berger and Company in that study.

Why do you think that Afinitor isn't being tested in Phase 3 sarcoma studies as single-agent????