Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (TMO)
Q1 2010 Earnings Call
April 28, 2010 8:30 AM ET
Emisphere: Set to Shake Up the B12 Market
Joseph Ramelli submits:
As promised, I checked in on Emisphere Technologies (EMIS) at Experimental Biology 2010 and it was definitely a worthwhile trip. I came into the conference thinking that high-dose Eligen B12 would offer a viable alternative to B12 shots and that it would be a successful product; I left convinced that it is a genuine B12 shot replacement that within 5 years will completely replace B12 shots. The data is really that good. There is absolutely no need for anyone to ever have a B12 shot again.
At the conference I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Cristina Castelli, the Director of Clinical Development at Emisphere, and speaking with her at length about Eligen B12 and also in broader terms about Emisphere’s delivery technology. The poster had graphs that compared the Eligen B12 to B12 shots over the course of the trial. In all four of the data points that they monitored in the trial (serum B12, active B12, and reduction in methylmalonic acid and homocysteine) Eligen B12 came in extremely close to B12 shots, only trailing ever so slightly. I would like to point out that Emisphere structured the trial in a very conservative manner in that they took the readings the day after the B12 shot was injected, when the effect of the shot is at its highest. If they would have waited for two or more days after the shot to compare the two then it is highly probable that Eligen B12 would have had superior data to B12 shots. Either way, I view it as splitting hairs as for all intents and purposes the data is very similar.
Is Silver Coming Into Its Own?
Hard Assets Investor submits:
By Lara Crigger
When it comes to precious metals, silver frequently gets short shrift. The metal is often seen as the "poor man’s gold" — a cheap entry point into precious metals investing for those who can’t afford to buy its posher yellow cousin.
Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited Q1 2010 Earnings Call Transcript
Would Apple Look Smart to Enter Online Search Fray?
John Gilliam submits:
Obviously we are having a little fun with the query used for the title, but it also presents two key questions – is Apple (AAPL) going into the online search business and what is the quickest/most efficient way that they could enter the online search space?
Is Apple Going to Enter the Online Search Business?
ISTA Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Q1 2010 Earnings Call Transcript
MannKind Corporation Q1 2010 Earnings Call Transcript
Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. Q1 2010 Earnings Call Transcript
Dendreon: Yes, It Got FDA Approval, But Here’s What It Did Wrong
Michael Shulman submits:
Dendreon (DNDN) investors – and traders long the stock – got what they wanted yesterday with the FDA approval of their treatment for advanced metastatic prostate cancer, Provenge. The FDA was under enormous pressure to approve the treatment and in trials, Provenge hit primary endpoints and showed it was more effective – not that effective, but more effective – than the existing standard of care. The company plans to come to market slowly due limited production capacity and will charge $93,000 for a three treatment cycle of therapy. This approach is a very big mistake and should give investors pause.
The management team at Dendreon is looking at too small a picture — a mistake free ramp of production, the difficulty of getting insurance company approvals, starting new trials for Provenge earlier in the treatment cycle and perhaps re-activating research and trials into the use of Provenge against other cancer types. They need to think big picture – how to dominate the immunotherapy market and become the next Genentech in the coming decade. This will probably not happen – I have followed DNDN for many years and the performance of senior executives, despite this approval fro Provenge, is somewhere just north of an "F." But here is why and how they should consider the big picture.
Next Page »
