Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

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

To: Steve Fancy who wrote (3973)	4/2/1998 1:40:00 AM
From: billkirn	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 6136

Steve: Remember, the lack of Roche R&D contribution will start affecting earnings now. We need to reduce our earnings expectations over the next 6 months or so. I wouldn't be surprised if earnings will disappoint expectations over the next few quarters, maybe not this one. What will drive this great company will be the next drug, let's hope ag3340 exceeds expectations. Some people think it will. Bill

To: Steve Fancy who wrote (3973)	4/2/1998 3:13:00 PM
From: margie	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 6136

As far as obtaining information on foreign sales of Viracept, I think the data is available by subscription only from the IMS or from one of their subsidiaries. The web site for the IMS, which is part of the company Cognizant (CZT on the NYSE) cognizantcorp.com Then chose IMS International or America or Global or whatever. Or you could try calling Roche in NJ. FYI, there are others who use TA to follow this stock and have predicted some of the recent movements the last few months. It's in the Short Term trading section on SI: The 56 point TA Message 3886415 >Stock seems like it's in a clamp lately> It does seem so. "Set me free, why don't you.. BillKirn, your concerns were already priced into the earnings estimates in December, when the Roche research collaboration ended and estimates were reduced. However in January of 98, Agouron beat those estimates and the FY 98 earnings were increased upwards to .98. The estimates had been lowered in December, from $1.00 to .96 for FY98 and from $2.31 for FY 99 to $1.92. According to a PW Report on 3/18/98, "Agouron is on track to meet or exceed our projected $92 million in Viracept US sales this quarter" and there are no indications otherwise. Are your comments based on facts or opinions? You're entitled but... Everyone feels that news is coming and I guess it's just a matter of when. Maybe Agouron is in a quiet period now before earnings and can't issue press releases. I guess that estimates of US Viracept sales of $350 million for FY98 and $475 million for 99 aren't enough. And that is US sales. I don't know if any of this is specific to Agouron. For now, the "market" is into Internet stocks, telecommunications, software etc at least this week. Maybe what Agouron needs is to market a "search engine for drugs" kind of like Yahoo. Did anyone hear about Robert Gallo's "new" finding of a yet unidentified protein in the urine of pregnant females which suppresses Kaposi's sarcoma, is active against HIV, and also suppresses angiogenesis. I don't believe it is new research. What is new is that the mystery substance is not human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) as previously thought but an unidentified protein. However, Gallo hasn't isolated the HAF protein yet or identified it and then it needs to be produced for tests. He says it is not as effective as protease inhibitors but is less toxic. It will also be a year or two before clinical trials can start, according to Gallo. An editorial in Nature Medicine where the article appeared commented: "This is not without problems-the only known source is first trimester human urine and it took 40 liters (42.4 quarts) just to get this far."