Replies to post #112905 on Biotech Values

[mcbio]

Polymedix:

I've spent the last 2 weeks reading papers from the company in regards to their antibiotic platform and the work appears solid to me (given my limitations in this field). The publications are even in relatively decent journals.

Anyone know of any red flags?

Phase 2 data is due this quarter on the antibiotic and this is really the first actual efficacy study of the drug in infected patients so this is a big event to watch for the company to see if they can show PoC. Most of the comments have been cautiously optimistic on the drug but the first real sign of proof will come with this data.

I had some general questions about the MoA of the drug under item 2 of #msg-48713859 and David Miller got a response direct from the company that he posted in #msg-48778970. I also posted some questions/potential concerns regarding safety (liver elevations/tingling) in item 1 of that post that David also responded to in #msg-48774984. Not sure if you have any comments on side effects.

What are your thoughts on the other half of the PYMX story, the potential replacement for Protamine that they are developing?

All told, seems like an interesting company and valuation doesn't exactly look expensive. I have them at least on my watch list but I need to see a little more before I would consider them.

[iwfal]

Polymedix and defensins - Is this a mimic of human defensins? If so this sounds like one of the all time worst ideas I've ever heard. "Hey, lets take a natural immune fighter from humans and use it by itself, without the normal combo with other defense mechanisms. Over the next decade we'll do 3 or 4 more and then we can watch micro-organisms develop resistance piecemeal to natural human defenses that they would never develop in nature."

[biomaven0]

Polymedix

Anyone know of any red flags?

I was a bit concerned about the SIT/SBC titers shown (in the 2-4 range) in their ICAAC poster. Not a red flag exactly, but likely a caution flag. I have no great confidence that their doses are big enough here, and so I view their trial as no slam dunk.

I wish they were developing an oral drug for thrush and oral infections - the Lua papers in Molecular Oral Microbiology I thought were very impressive.

This technology belongs in a big pharma in my view. Someone who can take a dozen of their antibiotic drug candidates into wide-ranging development rather than trying to bootstrap things on a shoestring.

Peter

[oldberkeley]

PGS: Always interested in your picks (did well with ARIA this week!) I've been following the discussion about PYMX as best as a lay person can, and looked into it a bit from the business aspect.

One quick question: assuming that you're doing some preliminary DD before actually buying in, does the very limited volume worry you at all? TIA.