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Biotech / Medical : XOMA. Bull or Bear? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Robert K. who wrote (10641)	7/7/1999 10:59:00 AM
From: aknahow	Respond to of 17367

Robert, you can parse this both ways. XOMA was clearly looking to do an I-Prex deal. They said so in print. What was done was a deal only to use rBPI21 in conjunction with other anti-infectives. Apparently the two parties could not agree to terms for the whole package. i am fine with that as I have maintained that partners are a necessary evil, so retaining the rights to anti-angiogenisis and whatever else I-Prex does is fine with me. Robert, obviously, what we say or do will not influence XOMA'S march to seek approval. What XOMA does on a financial basis does and will influence its' financial strength and this in turn can impact positively or negatively its' ability to move its' science forward. Do you know where the stock would be if XOMA had not cleared up the mortality target confusion? Neither of us will ever know, but I am less confident than you are that all would have been well, in this best of all possible worlds.

To: Robert K. who wrote (10641)	7/7/1999 8:59:00 PM
From: Tharos	Respond to of 17367

C-REACTIVE PROTEIN TEST DIFFERENTIATES VIRAL AND GRAM-NEGATIVE BACTERIAL MENINGITIS id.medscape.com WESTPORT, Jun 30 (Reuters Health) - Serum C-reactive protein levels reliably distinguish between Gram stain-negative bacterial meningitis and viral meningitis in children, according to results published in the Journal of Pediatrics for June. Dr. Paivi Sormunen and colleagues, from Helsinki University Central Hospital in Finland, compared the following measures for 55 children with Gram-negative, culture-positive bacterial meningitis and 182 children with presumed or proven viral meningitis: cerebrospinal fluid glucose, protein, and leukocyte counts; peripheral leukocyte count; and serum C-reactive protein level. "Significant differences were found between results in patients with bacterial meningitis and those with viral meningitis in all tests, but considerable overlapping values were found in all tests except measurement of serum [C-reactive protein]," Dr. Sormunen's team reports. The research team determined that "...in 93% of [viral meningitis] patients the [C-reactive protein] value was within the normal range (<20 mg/L)." The highest value reported in this group was 40 mg/L. In contrast, only two children with Gram-negative bacterial meningitis had [C-reactive protein] levels <20 mg/L. C-reactive protein measurement was especially helpful in clarifying conflicting laboratory results. Seven children with Gram-negative bacterial meningitis had cerebrospinal fluid findings "...indicative of viral meningitis," the researchers report, but "...all 7 children had serum [C-reactive protein] values elevated above 40 mg/L." The authors found that C-reactive protein measurement "...was capable of distinguishing Gram-negative bacterial meningitis from viral meningitis with high sensitivity (96%), high specificity (93%), and high negative predictive value (99%) in children over 3 months of age. Performance of no other laboratory tests reached these levels." Based on these findings and on the test's rapid turnaround time, Dr. Sormunen's group recommends that C-reactive protein measurement be added to the armamentarium for distinguishing viral from bacterial meningitis. Measurement of serum C-reactive protein "...affords substantial aid in management of meningitis and could limit unnecessary use of antimicrobial agents in many patients with viral meningitis," Dr. Sormunen and associates conclude. J Pediatr 1999;134:724-729.