Do we have any followers of CTIC?
Yes, I follow them very closely and am long.
The indications indeed are that the drug is working, but one never can be sure until the trial is unblinded. They have another very promising drug (Pixantrone) also in the clinic. The company has something of a history of over-promotion, so the street is cautious. Funds are also tight at the company.
Options are sky-high, so that isn't a cheap way to play.
The other nugget of news released at their Wachovia presentation yesterday (available at the company website ctiseattle.com ) is excellent preliminary results of a pilot Phase II frontline ovarian trial to be presented at ASCO. Carboplatin plus xyotax in stage III/IV. 82 patients, 67 evaluable now. 64 of 67 had major response, with 57 having CR.
That's impressive, assuming nothing funny about evaluable vs. non-evaluable patients. (SUPG has played that game in the past). Just by way of comparison, in the NEJM study of frontline ovarian Phase III/IV treated with cisplatin+paclitxel, response rates were 73%, with 51% CR. (Cyclophosphamide and Cisplatin Compared with Paclitaxel and Cisplatin in Patients with Stage III and Stage IV Ovarian Cancer, McGuire W. et. al., N Engl J Med 1996; 334:1-6, Jan 4, 1996). That's compared with 95% and 85% in this fairly small Xyotax study.
Peter |
