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

To: Robert K. who wrote (8708)	2/13/1999 9:26:00 PM
From: Cacaito	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 17367

Emisphere (EMIS) is working on several oral hormones and peptides. Their most advance product is oral heparin. But it is not to replace the IV form, but to get to the coumadin market. Time and precision are major factors in changing from IV to oral. The technique is a hollow pedtide sphere and the heparin inside, the gastric and intestinal enzimes digest the sphere but no time, neither strength left to digest the heparin which is then absorbed to the blood stream. Neat. Inhale Therapeutics is working on the pulmonary route of large proteins (bpi is a huge protein) via jets of gas, their most advance product is Inhale insulin, again for the long term market, not to replace the IV forms. Alkermes is working in long term delivery of intramuscular shots, again spheres of pedtides to slow release drugs. Their most advance is growth hormone, to be given once a month instead of daily. Oral epogen was try in newborn animals. Probably the Alkermes model is the most suitable to Epogen and Neupogen, again for long term problems. The change toward more oral antibiotics, fast switch to oral forms and the like is a serious field. But do not envision septic shock and other very serious infections to be switch. Osteomielitis with resistant organisms is an example of ability to switch to Quinolones (cipro)and get good coverage, but if a Bpi form again resistant organism comes to the field it will be an excellent add on. Nurses are already treating many of this patients at home. If anything a bigger market for Bpi with the tendency to oral forms and or home treatment. Efficiency is highly important, Bpi will provide it. Cystic fibrosis is a model where a complex drug (Dornase alfa from GNE) is delivered directly to the lungs via fine nebulization. Good partner with Xoma already (maybe GNE needs xoma's lawyers experiences fighting Centocor). Oral mucosa delivery, transcutaneous, rectal mucosa, vagina, nose are in investigation for delivery of complex proteins. Microtubes with microchips for single time implants for precise delivery is being investigated. All this bring more future to Bpi. No disclaimers apply.

To: Robert K. who wrote (8708)	2/15/1999 7:30:00 PM
From: Robert S.	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 17367

RobertK, the articles I presented were to show that there are cost effective alternatives to expensive medical treatments. How therapeutic they are, relative to BPI, remains to be seen. I agree that oral pharmaceuticals to treat sepsis are improbable in the near future; researchers are having a difficult enough time finding efficacious intravenous treatments. Be that as it may, I don't believe one can ignore financial considerations for therapeutic treatments as you have also acknowledged: Message 6290499