Continuing with reasons for contest choices:
(3) AxyS Pharmaceuticals (AXPH). Product of merger last year of Arris and Sequana. Working on a diversified variety of products for inflammatory and other diseases. The thing that catches my eye is that AXPH has about sixteen different development deals with big pharma for different compounds at various stages of development, most of which deals bring AXPH cash and did not require it to give away equity (compare, unfavorably, LGND's deals). These development deals mean two important things: (1) the big pharma companies on the other side of these deals think highly enough of AXPH's science to pay $4 - 500 million dollars for it, and (2) AXPH's financing from now to its first products to market is pretty well locked up. At these levels, looks like a dirt-cheap option on very promising science.
(4) Biotransplant (BTRN). Has the commercial rights to the science of probably the premier transplant medicine research lab in the world, under Dr. David Sachs of Harvard.. BTRN has three independent programs for overcoming transplant rejection, two of which it still owns all of. The third, most advanced, is partnered with Medimmune (MEDI), which already has gotten FDA approval for three immune system products of its own. Potential products would serve hugely unmet medical needs - huge markets. A couple of phase II trials should have results announced within the next two years. BTRN is discussed at a high level on SI at the BTRN thread Subject 12002 and also on the T/FIF Portfolio thread Subject 22340 and occasionally on the VD's Model Portfolio thread Subject 14492 The company has about $2.19/share in cash, so that at current BTRN prices you're getting the extremely promising science for free. Excellent investor's package from company, whose phone # is (617)241-5200. (Web page www.btrn.com is under construction.)
Almost enough reason by itself to buy BTRN is that Rick Harmon, the shrewdest (or at least one of the three or four shrewdest) biotech contributors on SI and himself and expert in immunology, has been saying that BTRN is the best value currently in biotech. "Almost enough reason" - it is biotech, it is risky, you had better do your own due diligence, and it had better be one of a large and diversified handful of investment bets; but following Rick into his favorite picks is worth considering. (I can hear Rick muttering in protest: Message 6840980 ). |
