Replies to post #158548 on Biotech Values

[DaveAu]

Is there any reason for this ridiculous sounding name "Talimogene Laherparepvec"? Are either of these actual words (not in the on-line dictionary I checked) or does Amgen gives its drugs surnames?

[iwfal]

Amgen's T-Vec melanoma drug met primary endpoint in ph3 study, with 16% of patients responding for 6mo vs 2% in GM-CSF arm. $AMGN

Just as a translation of DDR (the T-Vec endpoint) into more typical metrics - if this were patients with 6 months until progression (i.e. 16% for T-Vec, 2% for placebo) then it would be an HR around 0.5.

(Obviously they use DDR instead of PFS because with immunotherapy the response may not happen until after progression - but nonetheless I think the translation at least provides some context that the 8:1 advantage isn't as extreme as it first appears.)