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Biotech / Medical : Biotech Lock-Up Expiration Hell Portfolio -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Biomaven who wrote (235)	7/6/2001 8:36:39 PM
From: tuck	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1005

Peter, I see you've been awarded a "cool post" spot for your response on the BW Dog Pound. Nice going. Another climbing partner is between jobs, so I might find myself taking some time off in the next few weeks. Thus I'm going to try to set things up here and in Trickle to ride out the summer. I'm figuring a rally into July expiration week, then off backing off again. So we might look to take some trading profits, and perhaps to open a short or two when the NAZ hits resistance again. I will try to get to SGEN eventually, but I feel EXAS and TWTI are of more immediate importance, as they unlock sooner and are holding up better. If we get follow through on this downtrend Monday, we might bargain hunt first. The usual suspects, plus I've been digging on CIPH a bit. A take on that will come soon, but first, a look at our prime short target of the moment, EXAS. There is no thread on it here. I supplied some DD links in this post: Message 16027516 I will throw this one in for biofreaks: exactlabs.com Those interested can follow in my footsteps, cutting and pasting to PubMed, doing related article searches, etc. To start, some snips from the 10-K & S-1 to give y'all an idea of what EXAS' selling points are: >>EXACT Sciences is developing four proprietary DNA-based analytical methods for identifying DNA tumor markers of colorectal cancer. EXACT Sciences anticipates that this technology can be performed using instruments currently available in clinical laboratories that perform molecular testing. These tumor markers include: Multiple Mutation Detection Deletion Technology DNA Integrity Assay (DIA) Enumerated Loss of Heterozygosity (e-LOH)<< snip >>The technologies developed by EXACT Sciences, on the other hand, are different (from those that measure susceptibility -- Tuck). EXACT Sciences believes its proprietary, genomics-based detection technologies will: Be available in the near future (EXACT Sciences' first target is colorectal cancer). Apply to very large markets that are currently underserved (e.g., colorectal, breast, prostate and lung cancer). Help to diagnose incipient and early stage cancer, rather than mere genetic susceptibility. (A positive finding in the colorectal cancer test, for instance, would immediately direct the individual to a confirmatory, and potentially therapeutic, follow-up colonoscopy).<< snip >>EXTENSIONS TO OTHER CANCERS. Our proprietary DIA detection method uses a marker that may be broadly applicable to the detection of cancers other than colorectal cancer. In the course of our blinded clinical studies at the Mayo Clinic, we tested 50 stool samples from patients diagnosed with aero-digestive cancers at sites other than the colon, such as cancer in the lung, pancreas, esophagus, stomach and duodenum, gall bladder and bile ducts. The results are shown in the table below. NUMBER DETECTED/ LOCATION OF CANCER NUMBER WITH CANCER PERCENT DETECTED ---------------------------------------------- ------------------- ---------------- Lung, non-adenocarcinoma 7/8 88% Lung, adenocarcinoma 3/13 23% Pancreas 10/11 91% Esophagus 3/7 43% Stomach/Duodenum 1/5 20% Gall Bladder/Bile Ducts 6/6 100% Combined, these cancers kill more people than colorectal cancer. We intend to collect additional data on these aero-digestive cancers in our planned 5,300-patient clinical trial. If the results are promising, we will develop methods and technologies to detect these cancers. The results of these three blinded clinical studies are set forth in the table below: NUMBER OF STUDY COMPLETION DATE PATIENTS SAMPLE TYPE SENSITIVITY SPECIFICITY ------------------------- --------------- ---------- -------------------- ----------- ----------- Mayo Clinic I Pilot Study November 1999 61 Frozen partial stool 91% 95-100% Mayo Clinic II Study April 2000 129 Frozen partial stool 67-72% 95% Mayo Clinic III Study June 2000 29 Fresh whole stool 78% 100% Based on these results, in August 2000 we initiated a multi-center clinical study for the primary purpose of establishing certain technological benchmarks for our DIA detection method on whole stools in anticipation of our multi-center clinical trial. We intend to initiate a blinded multi-center clinical trial in the fourth quarter of 2001 that will include an estimated 5,300 patients age 50 and older with average-risk profiles from approximately 40 academic and community-based practices. The goal of this clinical trial will be to compare the sensitivity and specificity of our tests for colorectal cancer to that of existing technologies on average-risk individuals.<< snip Part II in next post; did a lot of snipping for this . . . Cheers, Tuck

To: Biomaven who wrote (235)	12/11/2001 3:39:20 PM
From: tuck	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1005

Peter, So far, so good on the next generation candidate from PTIE: >>SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Dec. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Pain Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: PTIE - news), a medical research company, today announced positive Phase I/II results with PTI-801, a novel narcotic painkiller. The Company believes PTI-801 is a safer version of immediate release oxycodone, a widely prescribed narcotic painkiller. Last year, over $1 billion of oxycodone was sold in the U.S. ``Our vision for PTI-801 is simply to develop a safer version of a blockbuster drug,'' said Remi Barbier, president and chief executive officer of Pain Therapeutics. ``We think the tremendous clinical and commercial appeal of this drug candidate will become more apparent as additional data is generated.'' The Phase I/II studies were designed by Pain Therapeutics to analyze the safety and pharmacokinetic properties of PTI-801 by oral administration. Twenty-two human volunteers or patients with chronic, moderate to severe pain participated. No treatment-related or unexpected adverse events were noted in these studies. Results from these studies indicate that PTI-801 is a viable drug candidate that is well tolerated in human volunteers and in patients with chronic pain. ``We believe PTI-801 will represent a new class of drugs to treat pain,'' said Nadav Friedmann, Ph.D., M.D., chief operating officer of Pain Therapeutics. ``Due to a unique mechanism of action, we believe PTI-801 can minimize the opioid tolerance, dependence or addiction that is often associated with repeat use of oxycodone. Based on this understanding, we now have in place a well thought out clinical development plan for PTI-801. This includes initiating a multi-dose safety study, followed by larger studies designed to provide compelling evidence of the drug's efficacy in chronic pain populations.'' About Opioid Painkillers Opioid painkillers are a $3 billion market in the United States and account for over five percent of all drug prescriptions. Opioids are drugs derived from the poppy plant. The clinical use of opioids to treat severe pain is widely accepted throughout the world. Despite their widespread use, opioid drugs have debilitating effects that limit their usefulness at all doses. Chronic use may lead to tolerance, dependence, addiction or medical abuse. As a result, some patients prefer to suffer through pain rather than to endure the adverse effects of opioid drugs. Effective pain management is a growing and unmet need in the United States. For example, according to the National Institutes of Health, over 40 million Americans are unable to find relief from their pain.<< snip Cheers, Tuck