A Busy Month for Immunogen (Part I)
Monday, November 30th, 2009At ASH, the company and its partners will present phase I data for three different agents powered by Immunogen’s antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) technology. The most important of which is Sanofi-Aventis’ (SNY) SAR3419 in Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a common form of blood cancer. Later that month at SABCS, Roche/Genentech is expected to present results for T-DM1, a high profile ADC for the treatment of breast cancer.
Incyte – Life After Debt (Part II)
Sunday, October 18th, 2009For part I click here
On top its JAK programs, Incyte has been developing two additional programs it intends to out-license. The first program is INCB13739 for diabetes, which already reached clinical proof of concept and could be licensed imminently. The second program, INCB7839 for breast cancer, is less advanced but could become very interesting later this year depending on data from an ongoing trial.
The Clock is Ticking on Micromet
Sunday, August 23rd, 2009Earlier this month, Micromet (MITI) concluded an impressive public offering of $75M, approximately 20% of the company’s market cap. The offering illustrates the transformation the company has undergone from an anonymous biotech play into a recognized industry leader. This is also echoed by the growing attention from Wall St. When I first wrote about Micromet in 2007, the company was covered by a single analyst, RBC’s Jason Kantor, who was one of the first to see the potential in Micromet’s platform. Today the stock is covered by six additional research analysts.
Curagen – Positive Results at ASCO 2009
Sunday, July 5th, 2009Last month at the ASCO meeting, Curagen (CRGN) presented results for its lead drug, CR-011, in breast cancer and melanoma patients. CR011 had activity in both indications, however, most of the drug’s value should be ascribed to the breast cancer program, which represents a huge commercial opportunity and better chances of approval.
As I previously wrote, the significance of the breast cancer trial is not only in the clinical activity of CR-011, but more importantly, the ability to identify patients who are likely to respond to the drug. By defining the right target population, Curagen could substantially improve chances of approval, shorten development time and enjoy high market acceptance. (more…)
Top picks for ASCO 2009 (Part II)
Sunday, May 24th, 2009Seattle Genetics – Another step towards approval
Seattle Genetics (SGEN) will present results from a phase I trial of SGN-35 in two rare blood cancers. This agent is important not only because it represents Seattle Genetics’ first opportunity for commercial revenue, but also because it serves as a proof of concept for the company’s antibody- drug conjugate (ADC) technology. The drug already generated impressive data when given every three weeks, and this year it will probably show even stronger activity in a weekly regimen. The company wanted to use a more frequent dosing in order to increase the overall amount of SGN-35 it can give and see whether it leads to higher efficacy without increasing side effects.
Micromet – The Plot Thickens
Thursday, April 23rd, 2009The past 12 months have been anything but boring for Micromet’s shareholders (MITI). Last summer, Micromet’s stock climbed to $7 following excellent clinical data (discussed here) and a landmark publication in Science Magazine (discussed here), but since then the company has lost half of its value. Volatile trading is quite standard for small, cash burning biotechnology companies, however, Micromet’s case was particularly frustrating.
Micromet invented a new class of antibodies it calls BiTE (Bispecific T-Cell Engager) antibodies. Unlike conventional antibodies, BiTE antibodies bind two targets, the first target is presented on a cancer cell and the second is presented on an immune cell. The simultaneous binding of both cells by the BiTE antibody can redirect the immune cell to attack the cancer cell, thus exploiting the body’s natural immune mechanisms to fight cancer. Conceptually, a BiTE antibody is similar to cancer vaccines, which also aim at producing an immune response against tumors. Despite a history of failures in the field of immunostimulating antibodies, it looks like Micromet has found the right formula.
Good News For Roche, Excellent News For Immunogen
Wednesday, March 18th, 2009Earlier today, Roche announced positive results from a phase III study evaluating its breast cancer blockbuster, Herceptin, in gastric cancer. According to Roche, the addition of Herceptin to standard chemotherapy “significantly prolonged” overall survival of gastric cancer patients. From a medical perspective, this trial is a great achievement considering the severe shortage of effective treatments for gastric cancer. This is also the first success Herceptin has outside of breast cancer, where it quickly became a cornerstone treatment.
Immunogen and Exelixis Defy the Myth of Recession
Saturday, December 20th, 2008In a time when so many biotech companies do not know how they will survive the nuclear winter of 2009, two companies we hold in the biotech portfolio, stand out in the crowd. Immunogen (IMGN) and Exelixis (EXEL) are poised for an exciting year, with plenty of events in the coming twelve months. The two companies have a lot in common: Both are developing innovative drugs for cancer that rely on remarkable basic science, both can generate an unlimited number of novel agents, that in turn can be licensed to large partners, and perhaps more importantly these days, both can remain independent of the capital markets for at least two years. Above all, the two companies exemplify how good products and good technologies can still generate tremendous value for investors, even during these economic turbulent times.
Biotech Portfolio Updates- Buying More Immunogen
Thursday, October 16th, 2008Investing, particularly in biotech, comes with plenty of risks and uncertainties. These uncertainties are usually results of clinical trials, which are very unpredictable and unfortunately do not end up well in most cases. Once in a while, a company and its stock price diverge in a way that substantially decreases the risk in a particular company without increasing the stock price. We believe what happened yesterday with Immunogen (IMGN) is a classic case of this phenomenon.
With respect to actual data publication, Immunogen will publish new data on IMGN901, which is currently in a phase I trial in multiple myeloma. Antibodies for the treatment of multiple myeloma are currently one of the hottest topics in hematology, as can be echoed by the very high activity in the field that attracted Genentech, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Biogen-IDEC, just to name a few. Data from this study will be published at the ASH annual meeting this December. We still remain cautious about the activity of IMGN901 as a single agent, after last year’s disappointing results, nevertheless, Immunogen’s CEO alluded to this data by stating that “…the data look good, we continue to see patients derive clinical benefit…“, so there could be a positive surprise there.