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: Stewart Whitman who wrote (4729)	7/4/1998 11:04:00 AM
From: scaram(o)uche	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 6136

Stew: Nonetheless, this will be a major "knock" on the issue this week. The mail has already started to role in, saying that Johnson should realize that, once a company starts to make money, the intent should be to continue doing such. I counter...... the immature pipe is a tremendous asset. The sales force, as you noted, is a tremendous asset. The european rights are "leverage" tools. I still believe that we're going to see a chunk of the company, perhaps 49%, go the route of a Chiron-like deal. The concept is sound.... finance a fledgling biotech in return for a marketing alliance and a piece of the future...... it just turns out that neither Penhoet nor Binder (AMGN, internal profits) could pull it off. GNE stumbled big-time, but we are getting a feel for what could be, were the funding placed in the hands of insightful, lucky management. DD has to be blind if they are not considering such. But.... the knock this week will be that numbers will continue to come down, just based on continuing operations. Combine that with this BS about the emergence of resistant viruses and the overdone Sustiva frenzy (good-looking drug, but it is not "the answer", and DuPont has now telegraphed the -266 and Viracept studies in an abstract), and you have a tough situation. Peter..... I have the highest respect for Tony Fauci. As I've said here, I didn't have any faith in REMUNE as a prophylactic. I had dismissed the product as irrelevant, and IMNR as noise. I've never owned IMNR, and it is my most successful "short" to date. However, it appears that there is a "HAART chronic disease" window to walk through, and that it would be wise to be a player. Data, not Fauci, will call the shots. The last time that Johnson et al. clobbered their shareholders like this was the offering at $30/share. We then rode to $110. My position (disclaimer)..... I sold my puts too early. The small profit, which could have been a large profit, paid for the puts and some calls. The calls were supposed, in my mind, to do well. They are now quite a bit out of the money, however. So..... I don't have much of a vested interest. Izzy..... that's the reason that I didn't make a big deal out of the NNRTI attack. I not only thought that everyone knew that it was coming, but I also place it in a different perspective than the popular press is doing. Outta here for a week's vacation. Hope everyone does well. Rick