Replies to post #169516 on Biotech Values

[iwfal]

GERN -

From reading the abstract I thought it indicated accurately what was achieved and what wasn't achieved. They noted spleen size at entry but made no mention of size reduction following treatment, so we can safely assume no spleen responses.

Spleen size is perhaps the sine qua non of MF clinical symptoms. To be silent on it when you can and did measure it is, in my book, at the very least misleading. To not address lack of effect on it is dangerous.

Why do I call it 'misleading' - because even very savvy biotech investors have gotten caught by similar omissions by GERN. And I would suggest that you have been in biotech land too long if you consider it acceptable to be silent on statistically meaningful data on what is probably the most important clinical symptom.

All that said, not sure there is point to further semantic debate since semantic debate is rarely very informative past a certain point.

BTW - just to reiterate, I think imetelstat likely has a place somewhere in the MF spectrum of diseases. But I think it will be difficult to find it for some of the reasons AF gave - and made substantially more difficult if they cannot address the problem head on.

[bladerunner1717]

re; GERN

PGS,

I just talked to my personal hematologist. (He is friends with Tefferi.) He says that spleen size is "purely palliative" and overrated as an endpoint. He says Imetelstat will provide OS benefit, which Jakafi doesn't do. He has one patient in Tefferi's trial now and is trying to get more patients in. He wants them on Imetelstat.

I called another oncologist that I know. He has been buying GERN all morning. He says the results are "sensational" (his words) and that this will definitely become the go-to drug in MF.

I trust the practicing oncologists more that I trust Feuerstein, although I think his critique is worth consideration.

Congrats on your GERN holdings.


Bladerunner

[nuere]

GERN
From the abstract:

Adverse events were monitored by common terminology criteria (Version 4.03) and responses by the International Working Group criteria (Blood 2013)

I find it somewhat humorous that people doesn't trust Tefferi when he says that they got CRs. The man, together with all other KOL in MF recently redefined the criteria.