Update from Sue Milne.
For those not on Nortran's e-mail list:
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>From the President's Desk:
At Last, A Change in Sentiment
As a small-cap pharma company that is closely identified with biotech, Nortran has moved forward the last few years against a significant headwind,along with virtually all of our peers. That headwind was the prevalent negative view of investors towards biotech equities. After a mild upturn in 1999, sentiment among investors appears now to have changed. Interest in biotech has surged dramatically, resulting in a string of oversold financings coupled with strong upward movement in the price of many stocks,
both Canadian and US.
There is widespread consensus that this change reflects in part a sectoral rotation of investment capital from internet stocks to biotech. If so, this bodes well for the biotech sector. Internet investors are riding an unprecedented wave of profit, and are relatively insensitive to conventional notions of value. Watch for increases in valuation that exceed previous biotech experience. How can investors best take advantage of this trend? I believe that the lessons of the internet market are our best guide. This suggests three kinds of stock to own:
- Early-stage "big bang" potential: If a company's technology succeeds, will it be big or huge? Favor huge.
- Near-term milestones: These investors are event-driven - they want fast action. Look for companies with imminent milestones, such as partnerships or important clinical results.
- Later-stage market leaders: Remember how long and far Amazon.com went when you're considering a buy; this market is going to love the leaders, and push them a long way in the process.
So where is Nortran in all this? Clearly we're not a "later-stage market leader" yet, but both our antiarrhythmic program and our cough program
address very large markets. And we have made several announcements which point to potential near term milestones. In this fast-rising biotech market, two out of three isn't just "not bad" - it's a great opportunity!
Bob Rieder
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Recent Events:
November 24 - Nortran files final prospectus for $5 million financing
November 11 - Nortran appoints Dr. Paul Doherty as Director of Pro-Erectile Program
October 29 - Nortran reports third quarter results
October 26 - Nortran announced completion of the Phase I clinical trial on its compound for the treatment of acute, intractable cough
September 30 - Nortran files preliminary prospectus
August 30 - Nortran announced a collaborative research agreement with Hoechst Marion Roussel
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Current Activities:
Antiarrhythmics: pre-clinical efficacy and toxicology testing underway with
collaborators;
Cough: planning underway for Phase II Clinical trial;
Pro-Erectile : Partnering discussions underway headed by Dr. Paul Doherty.
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Stock Recap:
Month high: $0.88
Month low: $0.50
Closing price: $0.82
(01/20/00)
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Visit our website at http:\\www.nortran.com for updates
For more information, or a copy of any recent report on the Company, contact Michael Midmer, Manager of Investor Relations at (604) 222-5577 or toll free at (800) 330-9928, or by E-mail at mmidmer@nortran.com |
