Replies to post #113405 on Biotech Values

[DewDiligence]

Thanks for the post about Zymo; however, I think the author overstates the case for Lambda to some degree. VRTX’s phase-2 trial with Telaprevir and VX-222 is not nearly as probative as the author contends, IMO; rather, VRTX’s results point to the likely requirement for a cocktail of HCV DAA’s to include at least three drugs, as is the case in HIV.

[DewDiligence]

(ZGEN/GILD/BMY/etc)—Following up on my comments in #msg-59335659, below are remarks by Norbert Bischofberger, CSO, from GILD’s 4Q10 CC:

http://seekingalpha.com/article/248647-gilead-sciences-ceo-discusses-q4-2010-earnings-call-transcript?part=qanda

…you asked if two antivirals is enough. You may have seen the presentation that Stefan Zeuzem gave at the AASLD meeting last fall. And we actually clearly showed…that two antivirals is probably not enough. Even two antivirals with ribavirin, while that's a little bit better, it will still not suffice. So we think actually three antivirals with ribavirin has a very good chance of…being enough to cure HCV infection. And as I said, we'll hope to be in a position to test that clinically in the later half of this year.

I think it’s fair to say that the xconomy.com piece you posted about IFN Lambda was pretty far off-base in asserting that all-oral cocktails have no chance of curing HCV.