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Biotech / Medical : Ligand (LGND) Breakout! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Andrew H who wrote (12968)	1/2/1998 8:20:00 PM
From: Flagrante Delictu	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 32384

Andy,>> "There will be big winners & big losers." I can't believe the reporter didn't ask Doug Lind of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter to name his candidates in each category. I believe I have seen him at various conferences attending LGND presentations Yet, he can't seem to summon the courage{ or intelligence} to recommend it. One would think that if a biotech analyst thought most biotech products & many companies would fail, that he would want to advise his clientele as to which companies to buy or short so as to enable them to take advantage of the big winners & big losers he foresaw for '98. Can any threadster who has access to Morgan Stanley research provide us with his pans & favorites? Bernie.

To: Andrew H who wrote (12968)	1/2/1998 8:36:00 PM
From: Henry Niman	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 32384

Andy, Maybe its not a coincidence that FDA reform on off-label use goes into effect in the same quarter that LGND expects a profit.

To: Andrew H who wrote (12968)	1/2/1998 9:01:00 PM
From: Machaon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 32384

Comments on the article that you posted: << Most products will fail and many companies will fail. >> Sounds like "sky is falling" type of talk. Biotechs are high risk, and products will fail. But, he is talking about 1998. "Most" will fail? << By contrast, he said biotech stocks in previous years tended to move in concert with sector leaders >> 1997 was a year of tremendous purchases of the "big cap" leaders, not only in biotech. Basing predictions of how biotechs will do in 1998, based on an unusual 1997 trading year, may not be correct. << increased difficulty of U.S. biotech companies to obtain financing for ongoing operations >> This certainly is always a problem. But, the big drug companies are still going to need new products and will be willing to pay for good science, as in the case of LLY and LGND. Andy, thanks for posting the article. It was interesting, but I found it too negative, such as when it implied that most biotech products will fail "in 1998", IMHO. I'm not an expert in this, though. I wonder what percentage of biotech companies fail each year? I wonder how the "off-label" rule will effect GENZL's "femur only" Carticel procedure? I've found before, when analysts say that the sky is falling; that is the time to buy! (selectively) Regards, Bob