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


To: scaram(o)uche who wrote (22198)6/13/1998 8:53:00 PM
From: Mudcat  Respond to of 32384
 
Couldn't have said it better!



To: scaram(o)uche who wrote (22198)6/13/1998 10:40:00 PM
From: DrJerry  Respond to of 32384
 
Rick: I read Henry's posts differently- they are informative and I have never sensed disdain except in re: to Tony who begs for it and probably thrives on it. His comment about your complaints of dilution fro several years are fact, are helpful (especially if one like to use ligand as a trading vehicle like I do), and are in my opinion respectful and not disdainful. At any rate, his latest post clearly welcomes your informed comments and others have iterated the same position. Let's stay away from character attacks. By the way I love trading LGND warrants in a range of <7 to 9. 30% gains are very satisfing.



To: scaram(o)uche who wrote (22198)6/14/1998 7:02:00 AM
From: Henry Niman  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 32384
 
Rick, I think that "disdain" is a bit strong for my comments on your comments (although such a term seems to come close to your opinion of LGND senior management).

Many posters on this board have in fact indicated that they trade LGND (buy at $11-$12 and sell at $14-$16) a strategy that you, and many others have pointed out. I have recommended LGND as a long term play based on their underlying technology and huge pipeline.

I did expect LGND's oscillating pattern to end sooner than it has, and those who played that pattern as described above have done very well (and made it more difficult to break the pattern).

I think that LGND has remained in that pattern longer than I expected in part because of the Biotech sector's under-performance and poor clinicals. I thought that last year would be a banner year for the sector because of the many products in advanced clinicals and expected the success of the sector to reward LGND, because of their excellent progress and results in the clinical area. Instead, Biotechs came up with failure after failure in the Phase III or FDA review stage, so the "early" rewards for excellent Phase II data or anticipated NDA filings have disappeared.

The continued failings this year seems to have pushed the "reward" phase out even further, so even though LGND has filed an NDA for topical Panretin and received a unanimous postive rec for ONTAK, the street now views the glass as "half empty" (drug will be approved and technology will be validated, but the market size is too small and "off label" use remains to be seen).

I expect LGND to continue moving forward on many fronts (headline grabbers will be synergies between rexinoids and SERMs for diabetes and breast cancer treatment and prevention, as well as the scientific breakthrough of the polypeptide hormone mimics (G-CSF is first).



To: scaram(o)uche who wrote (22198)6/14/1998 10:21:00 AM
From: tonyt  Respond to of 32384
 
Ah! Now we know why LGND has performed so poorly, its those damn traders ("<henry> did expect LGND's oscillating pattern to end sooner than it has, and those who played that pattern as described above have done very well (and made it more difficult to break the pattern").



To: scaram(o)uche who wrote (22198)6/15/1998 2:20:00 PM
From: Harold Engstrom  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 32384
 
The return that Ligand shareholders have seen is very poor. How do you assess the actual value of the pipeline?

Just as importantly, is it possible to assess Ligand's infrastructure and its ability to deliver: process development, manufacturing, ability to conduct effective clinicals, marketing, sales, distribution, etc.... ? Is Ligand capable of actually bringing significant products to market in a timely way?

Also, is it possible to trust management that has so little regard for return to shareholders. Ligand management should husband its capital rather than lavish it on themselves and spend it wastefully on programs. What commitment has Ligand management made to its shareholders that will ensure that it succeeds?

Can Ligand make it?