The Week in Review #39 During the Departed Week Three Prohost Portfolio Picks Hit Their 52-Week Highs The three picks referred to in the above title are, Novartis (NVS), Array (AARY) and Ionis (IONS). Previous Prohost Letters discussed Novartis and Array and continued to remind that they are Prohost favorites. The time has come to take a deeper look at Ionis; starting with the reasons …

CRISPR Therapeutics' (CRSP) stock added around $8 today while reporting financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2018. Here is what Samarth Kulkarni, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of CRISPR Therapeutics, has stated,“This past year was truly transformational for CRISPR Therapeutics as we achieved milestones across our key programs in β-thalassemia, sickle cell disease and immuno-oncology. We’re pleased with the progress we’ve made in …

The United States FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to AMT-061. The European Medicines Agency gave it access to the Priority Medicine (PRIME) regulatory initiative. Gene therapy firm, uniQure (QURE), announced updated clinical data in patients treated in the ongoing Phase 2b study of AMT-061; an investigational AAV5-based gene therapy containing a patent-protected  FIX9-Padua (Factor 9) for the treatment of patients with severe and moderately severe hemophilia B. The announced data, which …

Now You See it, Now You Don’t Deliberate Omissions of Real Facts Real facts might be displayed or concealed depending on the news announcers’ or bloggers’ self-interests. The following contains cases of deliberate or unintentional omission of facts that led to the decline of fundamentally sound biotech and biopharmaceutical firms in bullish market during the departed trading week . . . This content is for paid subscribers. Please …

Prohost Letter #425 When Common Sense Fails to Explain the Market Performance It is not unusual for the stock market to be in a selloff mood for a few days. However, in the last couple of months, the market unexpectedly plunged deep into the ocean of the unknown. The exaggerated volatility was nerve-wracking for professional analysts. This is especially true for candid analysts who base …

The Week in Review #34 Improving on Immunotherapy and preventing one of its serious side effects. Removal of glutamine leads to a substantial reduction in cell growth or induces cell death in certain types of cancer cells, indicating that these cells are dependent on, or "addiected" to, glutamine. Normal cells do not depend much on glutamine . . . This content is for paid subscribers. …

IMMUNOTHERAPY  The Checkpoint Inhibitors The most revered news was the discovery of the checkpoint proteins on the surface of the immune system cells. The checkpoint proteins’ natural job is to put a break on the immune system cells to prevent them from attacking people’s own body cells. An immune attack on host cells can lead to disabling and life-threatening autoimmune diseases. Long before the scientists …

Prohost Letter #424 Following the Stars Less Science and More Logic We reiterate that while a human star is born every once in a while on Earth, several stars born daily in research labs may be designated every other day by the FDA and other health regulatory agencies around the world. These agencies call these potential stars’ breakthrough drugs, but not all the molecules designated …

The Week in Review #31 IN THE DEPARTED WEEK NOVEL MIGRAINE DRUGS ARE APPROVED ELI LILLY AFTER AMGEN AND TEVA In less than five months, the FDA approved three products belonging to four drug developers – all targeting calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) for the prevention of migraine headache. The latest for Eli Lilly (LLY) last week . . . This content is for paid subscribers. …

Novartis’ (NVS) financials results exceeded analysts’ expectations. The firm’s research institutions’ strategy, well-designed structure, plans for innovation and accurate execution led to a wealthy and competitive pipeline with more than 200 projects in clinical development. Novartis is flying into the future finding its way to more effective treatments and possible cures. As a matter of fact, Novartis is at the end of the road towards …

Incyte (INCY) announced positive topline results from its pivotal Phase 2 REACH1 trial evaluating ruxolitinib (Jakafi®) in combination with corticosteroids for patients with steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). The study met its primary endpoint, with a 55% overall response rate (ORR) at Day 28. In addition, the best overall response rate (BORR), the number of patients achieving a response at any time point during the …

The Week in Review #23  ASCO  2018 - Small  publicly-­traded  oncology  biotech  firms,  large  oncology  biotech  firms,  and  giant  biopharmaceutical  firms,  in  addition  to  some  private  biotech  companies,  all  presented  results  and  observations  about  their  cancer  drugs  at  the  2018  American  Society  of  Clinical  Oncology  (ASCO)   meeting.  Most  presentations  were  useful,...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Amgen’s (AMGN) new once a month drug Aimovig™ (erenumab-aooe) for the prevention and treatment of migraine in adults. Aimovig is the first and only FDA-approved treatment specifically developed to prevent migraine. The drug blocks calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor (CGRP-R) believed to play a critical role in the occurrence of migraine. The drug will be marketed by Amgen and Novartis (NVS).  Aimovig 70 mg is …

The Week in Review #21 Part 1 THE MARKET - Like symphonic orchestras that bring to the listeners’ ears, minds and souls melodies composed by legendary authors, the stock market reflects what’s going on in the world, which would positively or negatively impact the lives and well being of the earth’s residents . . . This content is for paid subscribers. Please click here to subscribe or here to …

NOVARTIS TO ACQUIRE AVEXIS A few months ago, Novartis (NVS) CEO agreed to cash out of the company’s consumer health joint venture with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), which brought in cash intended to further improve and expand Novartis’ pipeline. Here we are. Yesterday, Novartis announced its intention to acquire the gene therapy firm AveXis (AVXS) at $8.7 billion, paying $218 for each share of this firm. In a conference call on Monday, …

The Week in Review #20 THE MARKET - My friend asked: “Are  you  scared?” “Of  what?” I asked “The  market?” The  market? No,” I  said.  We are afraid of those who are rendering the market nervous and  temporarily confused, as we observed while monitoring its volatility.  The market has never been chronically confused . . . This content is for paid subscribers. Please click here to …

Amgen (AMGN): Phase 3b results from LIBERTY study assessing the safety and efficacy of Aimovig™(erenumab) 140 mg in patients with an episodic migraine who had experienced two to four previous preventive treatment failures demonstrate that the study met its primary and secondary endpoints.    With regard to meeting the primary endpoint, the results demonstrate that patients on Aimovig experienced at least a 50 percent reduction from baseline in …

The Treatment is Not A New Way as Being Stated, It is Only the Target, Which Has Been Changed   Outstanding news announced that leukemia patients who relapsed after being treated with the chimeric receptor antigen T cell (CAR T) targeting CD-19 were saved from imminent death by a CAR T targeting CD-22. The new treatment, which is being presented in some articles as a …

The Week in Review #11 A New Era - Faster than the speed of light, the management of diseases is shifting from fast improvement to a total gigantic unprecedented change. Some of the conquering approaches towards providing long-­lasting cures look as if the outcome of magic rather than mere science . . . This content is for paid subscribers. Please click here to subscribe or here to log …

Important news has come from the FDA, which issued new guidelines to speed the introduction of treatments with human cells and tissues, including gene therapy. Cracking down on rogue clinics offering dangerous or unproven versions of gene therapy or stem cell therapy is also included in the report. Scott Gottlieb, the commissioner of the FDA stated that regenerative medicine and other important gene therapy treatments …