Replies to post #155221 on Biotech Values

[bladerunner1717]

PGS,

So what's your take on the stock? I bought a significant position at $1.54 today. I just got lucky on the price.


Bladerunner

[jq1234]

- the company also measured JAK2 V617F mutation's allele burden (% of cells carrying the JAK2 V617F mutation).... 7 of 14 enrolled patients had the JAK2 mutation, and 86% (6 of 7) of these achieved partial molecular response (defined as 60-90% suppression of malignant clones carrying JAK2 V617F)

- in comparison, jakafi shows 14% of patients showing >20% decrease in JAK2 V617F allele burden (this is in myelofibrosis i believe, but I need to double check these numbers so take it with a grain of salt... also a sicker population in MF than in this ET trial)

Agree they are not apple to apple comparison, MF vs ET, really not directly comparable. Drugs work in MF should work in ET, reverse might not be true. In addition, Jakafi efficacy result is the same regardless of presence or absence of JAK2 V617F mutation.

[mcbio]

Re: GERN @ JPM

A few more important points from both presentation and Q&A part:

1. Patent life on imetelstat until at least 2026.

2. Anticipate will be able to disclose data to the public from the Mayo trial of imetelstat in MF shortly after the middle of this year. This will inform the next GERN-sponsored trial.

3. Don't think short telomeres are necessarily limited to advanced disease (i.e., imetelstat could find use in earlier-stage diseases).

4. See biggest effect in patients with shortest third of telomeres (i.e., restrict patients to where telomeres 33% of normal full length?).

5. Imetelstat doesn't work well in combo w/chemo because not tolerable. Do believe imetelstat can be combined effectively with targeted therapies that don't have cytotoxicities as a side effect (e.g. Herceptin, Tarceva, Crizotinib).

6. GERN intends to keep co-development rights in U.S. for imetelstat and partner out ex-U.S. rights.

[iwfal]

GERN -

the company also measured JAK2 V617F mutation's allele burden (% of cells carrying the JAK2 V617F mutation).... 7 of 14 enrolled patients had the JAK2 mutation, and 86% (6 of 7) of these achieved partial molecular response (defined as 60-90% suppression of malignant clones carrying JAK2 V617F)

- in comparison, jakafi shows 14% of patients showing >20% decrease in JAK2 V617F allele burden (this is in myelofibrosis i believe, but I need to double check these numbers so take it with a grain of salt... also a sicker population in MF than in this ET trial)

You are correct that this comparison by GERN is not apples to apples - since the jakafi data was from a sicker population (one starting with a much higher jak allele burden - and note that the patients with the highest allele burdens show the least % reduction (e.g. the patient with the highest allele burden in the GERN ET trial showed the least % reduction))

Note that the closest comparable data for GERN's imetelstat vs jakafi is imetelstat in ET vs jakafi in PV - and at first glance that comparison too looks very favorable. (e.g. the mean reduction of jak2 allele burden for jakafi in PV was about 20% - but the least reduction of jak2 for imetelstat in ET was about 20%). But PV too is clearly a different disease since 95% of patients show jak2 mutation (with a median of 50-ish percent allele burden) vs a much lower percentage in ET.