More on TLRK: M. Ebner, one of the smartest (and richest) men in Switzerland, with massive hoildings in Roche and Glaxo has recently bought a boatload of TLRK...this is a man who knows how and when to invest...whether or not these guys will be the next Merck (no, I'm not under any medication at present!), remains to be seen, but I REALLY like what I read and see here, especially in the area of cancer related drugs...I bought 2 days ago at 65, now at 83 and looks like under accumulation with almost all buys last two days...just starting to get some notice, but most folks have never heard of...check out their website for some info and below as well:
tularik.com
Tularik engages in the discovery and development of a broad range of novel and superior orally available drugs based on gene regulation. Building on our scientific strengths, we intend to become a world-class pharmaceutical company. Our research programs, all of which address large commercial markets, include cancer, cytomegalovirus, diabetes, obesity, inflammation, immune disorders, hypercholesterolemia, bacterial diseases and a class of drug targets called orphan nuclear receptors. We have diversified our drug discovery and development efforts not only across a large number of diseases, but also across multiple promising targets and drug candidates for these diseases. We have identified 14 drug leads in our programs and are developing products that include:
o one cancer drug candidate that has completed phase 1 clinical trials;
o one cancer drug candidate that is undergoing phase 1 clinical trials;
o one cancer drug candidate for which an Investigational New Drug application has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; and one cytomegalovirus drug candidate undergoing preclinical testing.
Gene regulation is the selective activation and deactivation of genes within a cell and is fundamental to the development or progression of most diseases. Our drug discovery approach, which is based on gene regulation, is amenable to the discovery of orally available drugs. These drugs are well suited for the treatment of chronic diseases requiring the daily administration of medications over many years. We also selectively pursue drug candidates with mechanisms of action other than gene regulation.
Our drug discovery and development expertise includes molecular biology, biochemistry, structural biology, chemistry, pharmacology and human testing. To complement our internal capabilities, we collaborate with world-renowned scientists and clinicians and with leading pharmaceutical companies. We believe that our integration of biology, chemistry and pharmacology enhances our ability to find novel gene regulating drugs and that our drug discovery and development efforts are highly efficient and productive. To date, we have:
identified numerous novel proteins that regulate the expression of disease-causing genes; established more than 80 high throughput screening assays, that mimic the diseases addressed by our programs; conducted more than 15 million drug screens using a library of more than 500,000 distinct compounds and natural products; identified 14 drug leads, seven of which are being optimized by chemists; identified one cytomegalovirus drug candidate that is undergoing preclinical testing; identified one cancer drug candidate for which an Investigational New Drug application has been approved by the FDA; identified one cancer drug candidate that is undergoing phase 1 clinical trials; and
obtained a license for a cancer drug candidate that has completed phase 1 clinical trials and that we expect to enter phase 2 clinical trials, during 2000.
We have commenced, or are preparing for, human testing of three cancer drug candidates: lometrexol, T138067, which we refer to as T67, and T900607, which we refer to as T607. Our most advanced drug candidate, which we recently licensed from Eli Lilly, is called lometrexol. The utility of cancer drugs like lometrexol has been proven by methotrexate, a drug used extensively in the treatment of several tumor types. We expect to commence phase 2 clinical trials of lometrexol in 2000. T67 acts on the same protein targeted by the cancer drugs Taxol and vincristine. In contrast to these drugs, T67 retains its activity against tumor cells that are multiple drug resistant and is able to enter the brain. We have enrolled 23 patients in phase 1 clinical trials of T67 to date. Pending successful completion of these trials, we will initiate phase 2 clinical trials of T67 in several tumor types, including brain tumors. T607 is an analog of T67, has the same target and is similarly active against multiple drug resistant tumors. Animal studies indicate that T607 is distinct from T67 because T607 has a reduced ability to enter the brain, which may make it suitable for the treatment of different tumor types than T67. We recently received approval of an Investigational New Drug application for T607.
We intend to commercialize drugs independently and through collaborations with pharmaceutical partners. To assist in the commercialization of some of our products, and to fund research and development activities, we have established and will continue to pursue collaborations with selected pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. We currently have corporate collaborations in six of our research programs: with Knoll relating to obesity; with Japan Tobacco relating to orphan nuclear receptors; with Roche Bioscience relating to inflammation; with Japan Tobacco relating to obesity/diabetes; with Taisho relating to immune disorders; and with Sumitomo relating to hypercholesterolemia. We have retained significant rights to independently market products resulting from most of our programs, including worldwide commercialization rights to our cancer bacterial diseases and cytomegalovirus programs and North American commercialization rights in four of our externally funded programs.
As of September 30, 1999, 41 U.S. patents based on our discoveries had been issued or allowed. In addition, as of that date, we had 47 patent applications pending in the United States and had filed several corresponding foreign patent applications. Our principal office is located at Two Corporate Drive, South San Francisco, California 94080, and our telephone number is (650) 825-7000. |
