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

To: Joe Wesley who wrote (2554)	4/25/1999 9:40:00 AM
From: Art Bechhoefer	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 4676

To All: Many thanks for the info on Genta, the Massachusetts based company that is also doing research on antisense drugs. It appears that they have an effective treatment for breast and other type cancers when combined with drugs such as tamoxifen. However, looking at their financial statement is enough to induce ulcers, if not cancer itself. They're hanging on, just barely, whereas ISIS is far more likely to deliver a product that makes money for shareholders. I also talked recently with an official at INEX Pharmaceuticals in Vancouver, BC, a company with which ISIS had a research relationship in the recent past. INEX is developing molecules that are able to deliver a drug to a specific site, thereby increasing its effectiveness without increasing toxicity to the whole body. The official at INEX said that the research with ISIS was discontinued, in his opinion, because ISIS was more interested in a systemic type of treatment. I'm not trained in biotech, but what this suggests to me is that ISIS hopes that its antisense products, when injected or taken orally, will interfere with proteins that contribute to tumor growth. By targeting a particular protein, ISIS apparently hopes that its systemic approach will have an impact on that protein no matter where it may be in the body. In looking broadly at antisense technology and its likelihood of being able to treat a number of diseases successfully, I conclude that, while I might like to invest in a company like GENTA, with a drug that looks promising for a variety of cancers (so far tested only in mice), ISIS is the ONLY antisense company in good enough financial condition to attract investors. All these companies have intrinsic risks, but ISIS appears to have the greatest probability of success.