Tag Archives: MOR.DE

Biotech portfolio update – Sage, Marinus and Immunogen

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A new lucrative indication for Sage (and potentially Marinus)

Last week, Sage (SAGE) surprised the market by announcing preliminary but impressive results for SAGE-547 in patients with postpartum depression (PPD, also known as postnatal depression). Four patients with severe PPD experienced a dramatic improvement in their depression score from an average of 26.5 to 1.8. In other words, these patients entered the study with a severe debilitating depression and became symptom-free within 2-3 days. Despite the preliminary nature of the results, they generated a clear efficacy signal that merits evaluating SAGE-547 in a randomized trial, to be started later this year. Continue reading →

Biotech portfolio update – 2014 summary and 2015 preview

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Below is my traditional end of the year summary and a recap of catalysts for 2015. As always, I did my best to cover the most important events, let me know if I missed anything… I would like to use this opportunity and wish the readers of this blog a happy and prosperous new year.

Ohad Continue reading →

Clovis Oncology – The more you ignore me, the closer I get

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Earlier this week at the EORTC meeting, Clovis provided an update on rociletinib (CO-1686) and rucaparib. Not only do the data prove that both drugs are highly efficacious in the relevant patient populations, they also provide key distinguishing factors (safety profile and patient selection) relatively to competing programs. The negative market reaction exemplifies the discrepancy between the progress Clovis is making and its stock behavior. Continue reading →

Drugs to watch at ASCO 2014

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Below is my ASCO 2014 preview (better late than never…). I tried to make this recap as comprehensive as possible but it is practically impossible to cover all the interesting stuff (let me know if I missed anything dramatic). Unlike last year, I decided to group interesting abstracts based on mechanism of action rather than companies in order to provide a more holistic perspective. On top of attending the conference itself, I will try to attend as many analyst events as possible (this year I have Clovis, Roche, BMS and Incyte on my list) and include them in my post-ASCO write-up. Continue reading →

Biotech portfolio update – 2013 summary and 2014 preview

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Seattle Genetics (+65% in 2013)

In 2013, Seattle Genetics’ (SGEN) Adcetris reached market saturation in its approved labeling (relapsed/refractory HL), shifting market attention to label expansion. These include DLBCL, where Adcetris showed impressive efficacy in highly refractory patients (42% response rate, PFS of 5 months) and CTCL (73% response rate). Adcetris is in phase III for earlier stages of HL as well as CTCL, which are viewed as the next opportunity to grow sales. The company will outline its registration strategy for DLBCL in early 2014. Continue reading →

Top picks for ASH 2013

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The annual ASH (American society of hematology) meeting will take place next month in New Orleans. Based on the abstracts that were released 2 weeks ago, it seems that after 2 phenomenal years of introducing novel mechanisms, this year’s meeting is going to be more on the evolving landscape in each segment (Btk/PI3K inhibitors, antibody drug conjugates, myelofibrosis, CD38 antibodies, chimeric antigen receptors etc.).

Below are my top picks.   Continue reading →

Is Genmab’s daratumumab the next ibrutinib?

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Earlier this week, Genmab (GEN.CO) announced the first J&J (JNJ) – initiated study for daratumumab, an anti-CD38 antibody that already demonstrated phenomenal clinical activity in multiple myeloma. The announcement comes after a drought of more than a year without any new clinical trials or meaningful clinical data. From this point onwards, investors should expect J&J to accelerate daratumumab’s development with a broad and aggressive program, just like it did with ibrutinib. Continue reading →

Biotech portfolio update – Array, Morphosys, Onyx and Synta

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Array Biopharma – Following Puma’s footsteps

Last month Array Biopharma (ARRY) announced a licensing deal with Oncothyreon (ONTY) for ARRY-380, a selective HER2 kinase inhibitor for the treatment of HER2+ breast cancer. ARRY-380 is regarded as an insignificant program, evidenced by the modest deal size ($10M upfront) and the lack of market reaction, but this could change once investors make the connection between ARRY-380 and  Puma Biotechnology’s (PBYI) neratinib (EGFR/HER2 inhibitor). Although neratinib is more advanced, backed by more clinical data and probably has broader potential, ARRY-380’s selectivity profile could differentiate it in certain clinical settings. As the market is clearly excited with neratinib (Puma has a market cap of ~$1.6B), some of the excitement could eventually be tunneled toward Array as well. Continue reading →

Biotech portfolio update – 2012 summary and 2013 outlook

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In the last post of the year, I will try to provide a status update as well as key 2013 milestones for the stocks in our portfolio. I would like to use this opportunity to wish everybody happy holidays and a happy New Year.

Seattle Genetics

Seattle Genetics’ (SGEN) main task is expanding Adcetris’ use outside of approved niche indications (Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and ALCL). As an anti-CD30 antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), Adcetris has potential utility wherever CD30 is expressed by tumors. Continue reading →

Winners of ASCO 2012

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BMS’ PD-1 antibody – As good as it gets

 

The biggest news at this year’s ASCO came from BMS’ (BMY) PD-1 antibody, BMS-936558. This antibody belongs to a new class of antibodies that stimulate patients’ immune system to attack cancer. This approach has been recently validated with another BMS antibody, Yervoy, which was approved last year for melanoma.

Based on results presented at the meeting, BMS-936558 is superior to Yervoy by any measure. In fact, it is probably one of the most promising oncology drugs ever to be tested in humans. It induces tumor shrinkage in a substantial portion of patients, creates an immune response that keeps the disease under control for long periods and it does so with limited side effects. To make things even better, there might be a way to pre-select patients who are more likely to respond to this agent. Continue reading →