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Biotech / Medical : GelTex Pharmaceuticals (GELX) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: James Silverman who wrote (43)	10/28/1997 6:23:00 PM
From: NY0001	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 127

Jim: I agree that you are not interested in nutraceuticals and I thank you for your incisive questions and patience to date. I will not discuss this with you anymore but will use this response as a request to Geltex management to reply to me because as a shareholder of Geltex I believe it is something they should consider. My discussions with analysts who follow the developing nutraceutical market indicate that using food to deliver what previously would have been delivered in a pharmaceutical format will reduce the number of people who would eventually require pharmaceutical treatment. Nutraceuticals would be inserted in a person's diet before a doctor prescribed pharmaceuticals as, in the cholestorol lowering market, pharmaceuticals have traditionally had side effects (including statins and bile acid sequestrants) whereas the nutraceuticals would not have side effects (they wouldn't be allowed in food if they did). Clearly J&J has recognized this threat (trend) and wants to profit from it rather than lose market share to it. I am unclear on exactly what side-effects Geltex has but I understand that they are the best of their class so far and much better than the current statins. Presumably Geltex will continue to lower any side-effects they are experiencing so they may eventually, if they don't already, qualify as a potential nutraceutical (food additive). I think this is a valid discussion. I sent your questions to Forbes and Rasio. I have not heard from Rasio but Forbes replied. - their cholestorol-lowering agent is a combination of phytosterols. Phytosterols occur naturally in plants and are already in our bodies as we eat plants. - there are no side-effects based on testing so far. - phytosterols lower LDL and total cholestorol. Forbes has early indications that their agent raises HDL but Rasio has not reported that indication yet. - effectiveness is lower than statins but the dosages are also low. - Rasio has published that regular use of their Benecol product reduces LDL by about 10% in the general population. Forbes has not published the results of their recent human-feeding trial yet as it is still under the terms of a non-disclosure agreement with the food manufacturer that paid for the trial. Analysts who follow Forbes believe that their phytrol product lowers LDL by approx. 20% - Forbes indicates that maximum effect of low dosage is reached on average after 60 days of daily use in food. This is not expected to be a problem because, unlike statins, there are no side effects and people ingest via food they would have otherwise eaten anyway. If anyone from Geltex monitors this forum, I would love to hear your response.