Skane,
This recap is only 4 months late, but I've been too busy watching my Sunrise holdings. I think we may have another opportunity with Carrington.
Here's a quick update on the status of Carrington...
FWIW - Here is a quick recap detailing the Carrington "story."
Carrington Labs has developed and patented a molecule called Acemannan. This molecule is a complex carbohydrate derived from the Aloe Vera Plant and it has remarkable anti-viral properties. Currently, this drug has been approved for the treatment of cancer in dogs and cats.
The company has many products based on this molecule including wound dressings, a new dental product for healing canker sores, and a product called Caraloe. These products make up the approx. $25 million in Sales.
Acemannan causes the body to fight off different diseases, naturally by enacting the immune system to fight off these diseases without any side effects. There are many antidotal stories from reliable sources that I could share with you. I have heard it has been effective on rhuematoid arthritis, decreasing the size of tumours, and prostate conditions. My Grandfather in-law, an investor in Carrington, actually had a very high PSI count. He started drinking two bottles of Caraloe per day and his PSI was cut in half. I know what your thinking. Antidotal stories are very unreliable. Well, I was very skeptical as well, until I dug a little deeper to see what type of management team this little company had attracted.
Let's start with Tom Marquez. He was a Ross Perot's hire at EDS and he played an integral role in its success. Mr. Marquez has been the driving force behind Carrington and the recruitment of its management team. I believe (I'll have to check my notes) Mr. Marquez also owns in excess of 5% of the company stock.. His key hire was Dr. David Shand. He was hired in 1995 to take over Carrington's R&D operations. Mr. Shand was formerly with J&J and Ayerst Labs. He had submitted and been approved for 10 new FDA drug applications. How could Carrington attract a person of this caliber. It's simple. The patented Acemannan molecule works.
So why is this stock trading at $5 per share. Well, 1997 was an exciting year. The stock traded between $20 - $50 per share and was actually losing money. The stock was trading on the expectation of the Ulcerative Coilitis (UC) drug being approved. Carrington was in the third and final phase of FDA testing for ulcerative colitis. However, the FDA denied their application because the results were inconclusive (I'll have to check my notes for the exact reason. I have tried to block that day out of my mind). Needless to say the stock took a huge hit. Not necessarily because Carrington was going to make a ton of money distributing the drug, but because an FDA approval would have given immediate credibility to the molecule. It would have told investors that the drug worked and if it worked on UC what else could it work on?
So where are we today.
ú The company is now profitable. It wasn't a year ago.
ú It is now funding their R&D through their cash flow positive operations.
ú The company is in Phase I trials for Cancer. There should be an announcement regarding the expansion into phase II sometime this year.
ú The company has re-filed for UC continuation directly into Phase III
If any one of these drugs make it to the next level in FDA testing we will have a stock worth at least $10. Currently this company is being valued only on its existing bottom line. In my mind the upside is tremendous.
Take Care, Mike |
