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Biotech / Medical : SIBIA Neurosciences (SIBI) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tommysdad who wrote (498)	8/3/1999 1:06:00 AM
From: scaram(o)uche	Respond to of 579

TD: Merck has a huge vested interest in migraine. SIBI has a great oral-active program in VGCC/pain. Think Neurex without the intrathecal. But..... I also feel that Merck finally sees the wisdom in being a bit more of a Pfizer. Neuro is so damn cheap right now. Still, a very strange deal, given the timing of the Lilly agreement. Pleased, but not suggesting that "good science" companies follow this model. Rick

To: tommysdad who wrote (498)	8/3/1999 2:28:00 PM
From: scaram(o)uche	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 579

TD: Sorry, didn't show sufficient respect for your post with my last answer. I was in still in shock from Lilly to Merck whiplash, sorry. - g - >> What's intriguing to me is: Why SIBI? Why MRK? << Yeah. Lilly deal, licenses for Txn up their wazoo, Pfizer lawsuit, OSIP PNU license, and now a sales price that would seem to cover only the patent, if the patent is "sound". I feel like I've been riding a bumper car with the brakes and steering wheel removed. When this story gets sorted out, we'll be revisiting the thread with an "I get it now!" or two. >> MRK is looking to open a facility in San Diego (Novartis, JNJ, and WLA all have one at this point) and this is a cheap way to do it. << Sounds good. But, I do have a bias that it was SIBI's science that was attractive, not their location. >> Who's next, and who would they buy? << Norartis will buy EPIcyte for $24.1 billion. >> MRK was "infringing" the SIBI patent and found one or more blockbuster drugs doing so. Buying the company outright was judged to be cheaper than paying royalties down the line. << Nah, doesn't feel right. If that's correct, tar and feather will be too good for Comer. >> What other potential sleeper patents are out there? << OSIP? >> SIBI pitched one of their programs/advanced compounds that impressed MRK so much they bought the company outright. But those are usually pretty public (see: SUGN & AGPH). << Well, SIBI is such a secretive company...... "pretty public" for them was glancing right and left as they left a conference room (one exception was a presentation at the '98 annual meeting where forward-looking statements were just a tad optimistic for Novartis and BMY). >> Maybe this belongs on the Munch thread, but this thread will be history soon anyway. << Life without AGPH and SIBI? Sigh. >> Kind of OT: Any guesses how many Merck/Rahway employees are going to be interested in becoming Merck/La Jolla employees? << 70% Rick