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Biotech / Medical : XOMA. Bull or Bear? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Robert K. who wrote (8071)	12/15/1998 9:10:00 PM
From: Robert S.	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 17367

I agree that your presented scenario may very well unfold just as you envision. The problem with many of the posts on this board is that just because BPI is apparently "safe", some believe this entitles the utilization of BPI for any indication where it may prove to be of benefit. After all, if its "safe" why not use it? Such utopian views do not account for real world circumstances (such as financial aspects) and lead to hyped potential market size, IMO, for BPI.

To: Robert K. who wrote (8071)	12/15/1998 10:08:00 PM
From: Bluegreen	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 17367

Bob, how many times are you going to go through this type of thing? You have explained events to him in baby steps innumerable times but once again here you are full circle starting all over again. One question, what kind of clinician uses a drug on people in an indiscriminate manner IF it doesn't work? Give me a break! If McCamant, Murphy, Taipan and Prohost say Neuprex might have HUGE potential as antibacterial agent, why argue possible limited sepsis issues? All the arguing in the world is not going to change the fact that the above EXPERT newsletters are screaming BUY Xoma at these levels. All four newsletters saying the same thing at the same time. Now that is what really frustrates people who are slamming Xoma, you might find fault with one or two newsletters but ALL FOUR? I don't think so. These four newsletters think we have a potential winner here and DSMB meets soon. Are you ready?<g>

To: Robert K. who wrote (8071)	12/16/1998 2:19:00 AM
From: Bluegreen	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 17367

ANTIBACTERIAL NOT SO MUCH ANTISEPSIS IN MY OPINION. Notice how Scannon talks of antibacterial even when referring to Meningo. trial. He ain't talking sepsis now is he? WHERE IS THE BIG MONEY TO BE MADE??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????>>>>>>>Alexander Fleming found the property in a common bread mold. In more recent years, pharmaceutical companies would send employees out to exotic climes to bring back soil samples. The dirt then would be screened for potentially helpful organisms. In the 1980s, researchers began trying to build their own antibiotics by combining molecules. But those efforts were hampered by a limited understanding of the microbes' genetic profiles. That changed in the mid-1990s, when DNA sequencing took off. The complete gene set of some bacterial strains now is known. "Now, designing antibiotics because we know the genomic sequence of bacteria becomes possible," said Dr. Patrick Scannon, * chief scientific and medical officer at Xoma Corp in Berkeley. Based on that knowledge, researchers combine chemicals to find compounds that will hit the right "targets" in a bacterial cell, a process known as combinatorial chemistry. "With the search-the-dirt method, you might come up with 1,000 molecules to test," Scannon said. "Now combinatorial chemistry gives us a million molecules." New rapid methods of screening those molecules to see if they have any effect on a cell's DNA means that many more potential drug compounds are available to researchers. "The good news is that our chances of finding something that will actually work is markedly improved," Scannon said. * Even so, a potential new drug from Xoma with antibiotic capability was discovered the old-fashioned way: Scientists at New York University knew that white blood cells can kill bacteria, so they set about finding how they do it. * Eventually they isolated a human protein. Xoma then cloned it and made it into a formulation called Neuprex. Human trials of the drug on children afflicted with an often deadly blood infection called meningococcemia have proved promising. The drug also shows an ability to boost the strength of existing antibiotics.<<<<<<<<<<<<

To: Robert K. who wrote (8071)	12/19/1998 2:05:00 PM
From: Tharos	Respond to of 17367

I think there is room for Neuprex somewhere in this picture. springnet.com CriticalCareChoices May 1997 Understanding the Hemodynamics of Sepsis Sepsis is the leading cause of death in ICUs. An estimated 600,000 people develop sepsis or septic shock each year, and even with the most aggressive treatment, only 50% to 60% survive. Drug companies are investigating several promising agents to treat sepsis (see Wanted: A Drug to Put the Brakes on Sepsis), but no cure has emerged yet. In the meantime, sepsis is on the rise because more pathogens are becoming antibiotic-resistant. And more people are at risk than ever before because of advanced age and multiple medical problems.