<<Yeah, we've been waiting for progress from this project for..... let's see now........
FOREVER.>.
And it may be a while before we have evidence that progress means really PROGRESS.
However, what progress did you, me, or anyone else expected from REGN in regards the traps technology? (small synthetic peptides which bounds specifically and efficiently to citokines or their receptors, for instance)
Maybe type of hyped progress, which today follows mAbs (produced by any ways) and opportunity of this mAbs for so many different NEW targets? Quick, cheap, superb, and unlimited mAb from mice? Human one!
Still, many lead bios and pharmas continue to shop at PDLI for humanization of the existing drug on market, successful chimeric mAbs or candidates. Why?
Or maybe progress measured by candidates which company can quickly move trough pre-clinical and clinical trials, spent fortune, and without clear picture that candidate is safe and target clinically relevant?
Trap technology was on SLOW track at REGN for some time. IMW, several reasons are relevant here.
1. Clear evidence that interaction with drug target will produce satisfactory preset medical benefit.
2. Clear evidence that candidate can be manufactured economically and that candidate has property needed for commercial drug.
3. Finance, which were not in REGN favor at *P&G period*, so priorities were set different. For instance, VEGF-trap, which was part of the P&G collaboration, does have good progress rate.
Today picture is bit different. Knowledge about IL-1, -4, -,13,...cytokines advanced and indicate that this may be good targets. Based on preclinical data, which are available to me, REGN trap candidates appears 50-100 times more potent than corresponding mAb at AMGN (IL-1r) and IMNX (IL-4). Hope these REGN trap-candidates have also good pharmacology, but this will be clear only after human trials.
So, let judge PROGRESS not only based on speed going trough pre-clinical development process, but as well as clinical results which may or will generate.
Needless to say I was hoping for faster push of this candidates into human trials. Also, I did have hope that trap technology would bring partner at REGN by year-end. This may not be a case for now. Who knows?
The point is: do we need PR hyped bios, or business judged bios.
Sure, REGN (in my ayes) this year did have significant progress in business.
Cheers,
Miljenko |
