| An SI Board Since May 2002 |
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APPX |
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So far in 2002 the biotech sector has taken a major downward turn. The rejection by the FDA in recent months for several high profile potential new drugs has brought a sobering mood to investors and when you add the IMCL debacle, one can develop a very negative feeling towards this area of investing.
With this said, it is interesting to find a small biotech(American Pharmaceutical Partners..APPX) that actually is showing a product revenue profit and that has an exciting breast cancer drug in Phase II testing. At the current ASCO convention in Orlando, they have just released data from their Phase II trials and they have now taken the drug into Phase III testing.
The drug is ABI-007 and is a novel protein-engineered nanoparticle form of the current leading cancer treating drug, Paclitaxel…probably better known as TAXOL and marketed by BMY.
What appears to make the trial results appear so positive for ABI-007 as opposed to TAXOL is the method of delivery. BMY in their drug, they have to formulate the drug with cremophor(a solvent) to ensure that it is solubilized for intravenous injection. Because of the side effects from the cremophor, often patients have to be pre-treated with steroids and growth factor(G-GSF) support. The addition of cremophor apparently reduces the ability of the patient to receive the fully intended dosage of TAXOL.
The ABI-007 delivery method is a proprietary, cremophor-free, albumin-based nanoparticle of pactitaxel and it appears this will cause a sustained-release of the drug.
I would welcome the input from the true scientist as to the potential of this new delivery method. If it delivers the goods as shown in the data released at the ASCO conference, IMO this means more bad news for BMY. When it rains on them, it seems to pour
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