tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929542393182500042024-02-02T14:19:49.494-08:00The Biotech RundownAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-39595880620905117782014-11-24T00:18:00.002-08:002014-11-24T00:18:25.635-08:00Update: Rexahn Q3 Earnings, Bull Thesis Reiterated<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 17px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
In May I wrote a PRO <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/2215513-rexahn-pharmaceuticals-an-undervalued-oncology-play-with-risk-diversification" sasource="froma" style="border: 0px; color: #579fc4; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">article</a> on Rexahn (NYSEMKT:<a href="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/rnn" style="border: 0px; color: #579fc4; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="">RNN</a>) with a thesis stating that Rexahn's novel drug candidate, RX-3117, has shown enough potential in clinic to warrant a partnership, which could drive immediate shareholder value. This expectation was aligned with management's stated goal to acquire a partner for RX-3117 around mid 2014. Admittedly, however, my initial expectation was not met because no partnership for RX-3117 has been established. Furthermore, I argued that this compound, along with Rexahn's two other primary drug candidates, Supinoxin and Archexin, diversify Rexahn's risk profile, given that each program is being advanced concordantly, and thus the risk of failure of one program could be mitigated by the success of another. After the Q3 earnings event, I see no reason to modify my bull thesis, since R&D is on track to achieve important value driving catalysts, bolstered by a strong cash position that should provide enough runway into 2H 2016.</div>
<div>
See full article at Seeking Alpha: <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/2694025-update-rexahn-q3-earnings-bull-thesis-reiterated">http://seekingalpha.com/article/2694025-update-rexahn-q3-earnings-bull-thesis-reiterated</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-26951849610427384602014-11-24T00:17:00.002-08:002014-11-24T00:17:16.105-08:00MabVax Is Under The Radar, But Undervalued: CEO David Hansen<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 17px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Today, I am discussing an emerging biotech company called MabVax Therapeutics (OTCQB:<a href="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/mbvx" style="border: 0px; color: #579fc4; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="">MBVX</a>).</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 17px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<img alt="MBVX Chart" src="http://static.cdn-seekingalpha.com/uploads/2014/11/14/saupload_33db1ae5beca2cc808a4718a17b93c04.png" style="border: 0px; display: inline; max-width: 640px; outline: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 17px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
In order to gain more insight, I conducted an email interview with David Hansen, President and CEO of MabVax.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 17px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
See interview at Seeking Alpha: <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/2688235-mabvax-is-under-the-radar-but-undervalued-ceo-david-hansen">http://seekingalpha.com/article/2688235-mabvax-is-under-the-radar-but-undervalued-ceo-david-hansen</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-76101167068929461022014-11-24T00:15:00.004-08:002014-11-24T00:15:38.620-08:00OXiGENE: Q3 Earnings And Avastin Approval, Bull Thesis Reiterated<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 17px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
In March I wrote a bullish <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/2108163-oxigene-incorporated-an-undervalued-opportunity-in-biopharmaceuticals" sasource="froma" style="border: 0px; color: #579fc4; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">article</a> on OXiGENE (NASDAQ:<a href="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/oxgn" style="border: 0px; color: #579fc4; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="">OXGN</a>), stating the company was undervalued, but weak financials, poor historical stock performance and a suboptimal manufacturing capacity would impede the company's progression to the cancer market. I argued that these inefficiencies could prompt management to sell the company at a discount relative to what I believe to be the true value of OXiGENE's lead ovarian cancer synergy, Zybrestat/Avastin. After all, OXiGENE has disappointed investors time and time again on many fronts, namely by conducting frequent capital raises and failing to execute properly in clinic.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 17px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
This week, however, shareholders received some encouraging news: OXiGENE's Q3 earnings <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/2676085-oxigene-oxgn-ceo-dr-dave-chaplin-on-q3-2014-results-earnings-call-transcript" sasource="froma" style="border: 0px; color: #579fc4; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">report</a> corroborates management's plan to advance Zybrestat/Avastin to a late-stage clinical trial, with an adequate cash position to reach that objective. Precisely, management stated that it expects cash on hand to provide enough runway for R&D through 2016, which includes advancing the Phase 2 study for Zybrestat and GI-NETs, the Phase 1 B2 study in ovarian cancer, the OXi4503 Phase 1 program, and the Baylor University research collaboration. Nevertheless, it is important to note that it is possible, if not likely, that additional capital could be raised before that date. This is one of the many perils faced by micro-cap biotech companies. Shareholders should be aware that capital raises are oftentimes detrimental to the value of the stock.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 17px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 17px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
See full article on Seeking Alpha: <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/2683765-oxigene-q3-earnings-and-avastin-approval-bull-thesis-reiterated">http://seekingalpha.com/article/2683765-oxigene-q3-earnings-and-avastin-approval-bull-thesis-reiterated</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-38425430510686900022014-11-24T00:13:00.003-08:002014-11-24T00:13:59.288-08:00Update: OXiGENE Presents Zybrestat/Avastin Data, Bull Thesis Remains Intact<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 17px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
In March I wrote a bullish <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/2108163-oxigene-incorporated-an-undervalued-opportunity-in-biopharmaceuticals" sasource="froma" style="border: 0px; color: #579fc4; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">article</a> on OXiGENE (NASDAQ:<a href="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/oxgn" style="border: 0px; color: #579fc4; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="">OXGN</a>), stating the company was undervalued, but weak financials, poor historical stock performance and a suboptimal manufacturing capacity would impede the company's progression to the cancer market. I argued that these inefficiencies could prompt management to sell the company at a discount relative to what I believe to be the true value of OXiGENE's lead ovarian cancer synergy, Zybrestat/Avastin. After all, OXiGENE has disappointed investors time and time again on many fronts, namely by conducting frequent capital raises and failing to execute properly in clinic. Monday, however, shareholders were met with somewhat positive news, as researchers presented data from the Phase 2 study of Zybrestat/Avastin. While the stock remains volatile, I reiterate my "somewhat bullish" thesis on OXiGENE as researchers recommend advancing the program to a late-stage trial.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 17px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
See the full article on Seeking Alpha: <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/2668875-update-oxigene-presents-zybrestat-avastin-data-bull-thesis-remains-intact">http://seekingalpha.com/article/2668875-update-oxigene-presents-zybrestat-avastin-data-bull-thesis-remains-intact</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-74001892980570561392014-07-28T12:10:00.001-07:002014-07-28T12:10:30.764-07:00OXiGENE Inc. May Be A Buyout Target OXiGene Inc. (OXGN) is primed for a full data readout of the Phase 2 Zyb/Avastin Study. I suspect that this should create Big Pharma interest and drive shares higher soon. Stay tuned!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-78738685129961295982014-06-10T21:08:00.001-07:002014-06-10T21:08:11.264-07:00Is A Giant Leap For MannKind Possible?<a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/2261363-is-a-giant-leap-for-mannkind-possible">http://seekingalpha.com/article/2261363-is-a-giant-leap-for-mannkind-possible</a><br />
<br />
Already 20,000 views!<br />
<br />
<br />
Stay tuned,<br />
<br />
TrevorAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-46323000739233507022014-06-10T08:35:00.001-07:002014-06-10T08:35:20.157-07:00AstraZeneca: Pfizer Wants It, So Should Youhttp://seekingalpha.com/article/2260183-astrazeneca-pfizer-wants-it-so-should-youAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-55641838024224805622014-06-07T00:10:00.001-07:002014-06-07T00:10:12.314-07:00Why AstraZeneca Could Outperform-- The Motley Fool<a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/06/06/why-astrazeneca-could-outperform.aspx#.U5K6wYg2qkA.blogger">Why AstraZeneca Could Outperform</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-67704599657762130392014-06-05T13:16:00.001-07:002014-06-05T13:16:48.216-07:00Newsletter PROMOGood Afternoon,<br />
<br />
Subscribe to my newsletter to get the inside scoop on my interviews and Seeking Alpha, TalkMarkets and The Motley Fool articles!<br />
<br />
I am also available for free consultations.<br />
<br />
Best regards,<br />
<br />
Trevor LowenthalAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-23373613617208525712014-06-02T21:35:00.004-07:002014-06-02T21:35:39.584-07:00Baxter (BAX) ReviewGood Evening,<br />
<br />
We recently wrote an SA article on Baxter (BAX), which is accessible here: <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/2249613-baxter-international-a-yield-enhancing-strategy-on-a-diversified-healthcare-corporation">http://seekingalpha.com/article/2249613-baxter-international-a-yield-enhancing-strategy-on-a-diversified-healthcare-corporation</a><br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-9573246148876475382014-06-01T23:19:00.001-07:002014-06-01T23:19:19.563-07:00Endocyte Interview<div class="article_title" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<h2 style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 24px 0px 1px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 2px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Interview With Mike Sherman, Chief Financial Officer Of Endocyte</span></h2>
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="about_wrap" style="border: 0px; color: #959595; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="about" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">About:</span><span class="ticker" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(2, 73, 153) !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/ecyt" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(2, 73, 153) !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Endocyte, Inc.">ECYT</a></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="include_wrap" style="border: 0px; color: #959595; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="include" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Includes:</span><span class="ticker" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(2, 73, 153) !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/mrk" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(2, 73, 153) !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Merck & Co Inc.">MRK</a></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-size: 13px;"></span></span><br />
<div class="sep" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 2px; color: #2c2c2c; font-size: 13px; height: 2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #2c2c2c; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div class="summary_content" id="summary_content" style="border: 0px; color: #2c2c2c; font-size: 13px; margin: 27px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div class="title" style="border: 0px; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Summary</span></strong></div>
<ul style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 6px 0px 24px 43px !important; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 7px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Endocyte is an emerging oncology play listed on the Nasdaq GS.</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 7px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Phase 1 trial of EC1456 is progressing well, and management remains optimistic despite the termination of the Phase III PROCEED Trial.</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 7px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We reached out to Mike Sherman, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Endocyte for further insight on this opportunity.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="cleaner" style="border: 0px; clear: both; color: #2c2c2c; float: none !important; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div class="article_content" style="border: 0px; color: #2c2c2c; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div id="article_non_filtered" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Today we are elucidating an emerging oncology play in Endocyte Pharmaceuticals (<a href="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/ecyt" style="border: 0px; color: #579fc4; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Endocyte, Inc.">ECYT</a>). The company has roughly a $262 million market cap and is listed on the Nasdaq GS. In order to gain more insight on this opportunity, we commenced an email interview with Mike Sherman, Chief Financial Officer of Endocyte.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Interview</span></strong></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In layman's terms, what is Endocyte all about?</span></strong></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Endocyte develops small molecule drug conjugates (SMDCs) and companion imaging agents for the treatment of cancer and other serious diseases. The company's proprietary technology platform technology is based on Philip Low's, Ph.D., and Chris Leamon's, Ph.D., research. Endocyte initially focused on folate receptors expressed on cancer cells, and today the company develops a pipeline of drug candidates targeting a variety of receptors found on diseased cells and co-develops these with companion imaging agents with the goal to provide precision medicines to patients for better outcomes.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Could you provide a brief technical explanation?</span></strong></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The company's SMDCs are highly targeted yet potent therapeutics that are delivered directly to the diseased cells. Importantly, through the SMDC technology, negative effects on healthy cells are minimized. Endocyte designs its SMDCs to target receptors that are expressed or overexpressed on diseased cells.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">SMDC are comprised of three modules: a high-affinity targeting small molecule as the targeting ligand, a spacer/linker that is stable in the bloodstream and releases the active drug from the targeting ligand when the SMDC is taken up by the diseased cell through endocytosis, and a drug payload. The targeting ligand binds specifically to receptors that are expressed or overexpressed on diseased cells. Upon binding, the SMDC is subsequently internalized by a natural endocytosis process.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Once inside the cell, the serum-stable linker selectively releases the potent drug which is now active. Endocyte's companion imaging agents employ the same targeting ligand as the SMDCs, replacing the drug payload with an imaging agent. The imaging agents are used for the non-invasive identification of patients who express or overexpress the receptor targeted by the SMDC, so only patients that are likely to respond to treatment will receive the drug.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Due to their modular character, SMDCs use a variety of different targeting ligands, linker systems, and drug payloads with different mechanism-of-action, to create a pipeline of novel SMDC candidates.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What's your overview on the future of your specialization or niche in the cancer industry?</span></strong></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Precision medicines, such as SMDCs, will inevitably permeate many disease areas (both cancer and non-cancer), but oncology indications remain a very important target. Due to the modular character of Endocyte's technology platform, established and new targeting ligands that carry different drug payloads are being developed. For example, our EC1456 uses a very potent tubulysin as a drug payload which is more potent than vintafolide's vinblastine. This has shown in pre-clinical experiments to be very active against folate receptor-positive tumors resistant to vintafolide, paclitaxel and cisplatin.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Endocyte remains confident in its SMDC platform and is fortunate to have several SMDCs with highly potent warheads in development. Furthermore, the company is in a strong financial position to continue to advance our promising clinical programs.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Does the company have proprietary intellectual property in the form of patents, trademarks, copyrights, etc.?</span></strong></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Endocyte wholly owns a platform with the potential for treating a wide range of diseases - from cancers to inflammation-based diseases like arthritis and kidney disease.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Endocyte recently presented preclinical data at the AACR. Is management encouraged/discouraged by the findings?</span></strong></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Endocyte continues to advance the pipeline of wholly-owned candidates based on our SDMC technology platform, and was excited to discuss these exciting new findings at the AACR Annual Meeting. For the first time, Endocyte disclosed the preclinical data for the folate-targeted tubulysin SMDC, named EC1456, which is specifically targeted to folate receptor-expressing tumors and produces curative activity in 100 percent of animals treated under conditions that do not cause appreciable toxicity. EC1456 was further confirmed to be highly active against folate receptor-positive tumors resistant to vintafolide, paclitaxel and cisplatin.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What part of the business do you think is being ignored that has more upside potential than Wall Street is giving it?</span></strong></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The initiation of the Phase 1 trial of our proprietary SMDC targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), EC1169, will allow us to explore a new target with our potent tubulysin cytotoxic warhead. In addition, our Phase 1 trial of EC1456, which continues to progress well, provides an additional opportunity to target the folate receptor, which is expressed on many different cancer types. EC1456's drug payload tubulysin, has demonstrated curative activity in preclinical models that were resistant to paclitaxel, cisplatin as well as vintafolide (with its drug payload vinblastine). The lead drug, vintafolide, which is partnered with Merck, is also being evaluated in combination with docetaxel in patients with non small cell lung cancer. It was announced in March that the phase 2b TARGET trial met its primary endpoint. Detailed results are expected to be presented at ESMO in late September.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why would someone be compelled to purchase your product or service? What specific needs does it address?</span></strong></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Endocyte is a biopharmaceutical company and leader in developing targeted therapies for the treatment of cancer and other serious diseases. Endocyte uses its proprietary technology to create novel SMDCs and companion imaging agents for precision targeted therapies. The company's SMDCs actively target receptors that are over-expressed on diseased cells, relative to healthy cells. This targeted approach is designed to enable the treatment of patients with highly active drugs at greater doses, delivered more frequently and over longer periods of time than would be possible with the untargeted drug alone. The companion imaging agents are designed to identify patients who are therefore more likely to benefit from treatment.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">On March 21, Merck (<a href="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/mrk" style="border: 0px; color: #579fc4; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Merck & Co Inc.">MRK</a>) and Endocyte</strong> <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/merck-endocyte-announce-european-chmp-120500881.html" rel="nofollow" style="border: 0px; color: #579fc4; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">announced</strong></a> <strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">that they received CHMP positive opinions for VYNFINIT and FOLCEPRI and NEOCEPRI in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. Can you please explain what this could mean for the company?</strong></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Endocyte has since withdrawn the marketing authorization application for these drugs as a result of the results of the phase 3 trial which was recently terminated.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At this point, what is management's pipeline priority?</span></strong></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We are in a strong financial position to continue to advance our promising clinical programs. The initiation of the Phase 1 trial of our proprietary SMDC targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), EC1169, will allow us to explore a new target with our potent tubulysin cytotoxic warhead. In addition, our Phase 1 trial of EC1456, which continues to progress well, provides an additional opportunity to target the folate receptor, which is expressed on many different cancer types. EC1456's drug payload tubulysin, has demonstrated curative activity in preclinical models that were resistant to paclitaxel, cisplatin as well as vintafolide (with its drug payload vinblastine).</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What potential value-driving catalysts can investors generally expect in both the short and long term?</span></strong></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Full results of Phase 2b TARGET trial, including latest overall survival data, to be presented at an upcoming medical conference in 2014; and updates on Phase 1 progress for proprietary pipeline agents, EC1456, a folate-targeted tubulysin agent, and EC1169, a PSMA-targeted tubulysin agent.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is statistical significance in Overall Survival critical to the future of Vintafolide?</span></strong></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The FDA had confirmed that PFS would be an appropriate endpoint for accelerated approval in platinum resistant ovarian cancer and that final approval would require an overall survival (<a href="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/os" style="border: 0px; color: #579fc4; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Oregon Steel Mills Inc.">OS</a>) endpoint. In non small cell lung cancer, overall survival would be the primary endpoint required for FDA approval.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What's your market cap, cash burn and current cash and debt position?</span></strong></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Market Cap is approx. $270M (5/23/14). Net cash outflow from operations for the first quarter of 2014 was $17.4 million compared to $10.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2013 and $15.5 million in the first quarter of 2013. Current Cash was $131.5M as of March 31, 2014. On a pro forma basis, including cash received on April 2nd as part of a secondary stock offering, cash and cash equivalents were $233 million. The company has no debt.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is there anything else that you would like our readers to know about Endocyte?</span></strong></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Endocyte vision is to make precision medicines available to physicians and patients for the treatment of cancers and other difficult-to-treat diseases.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Endocyte recently stopped the clinical trial for Vintafolide citing a lack of improvement in PFS, and the stock price subsequently dropped 60%. Do you believe that the investment/analyst community is overreacting to this event?</span></strong></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Endocyte was surprised and disappointed to learn of the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) recommendation to stop the Phase 3 PROCEED trial in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (PROC). Updated overall survival results from the TARGET trial in NSCLC will be important in determining the development path for vintafolide. Future development of vintafolide is in Merck's control.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We remain confident in our SMDC platform and are fortunate to have several SMDCs with highly potent warheads in development. Furthermore, we are in a strong financial position to continue to advance our promising clinical programs. The initiation of the Phase 1 trial of our proprietary SMDC targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), EC1169, will allow us to explore a new target with our potent tubulysin cytotoxic warhead. In addition, our Phase 1 trial of EC1456, which continues to progress well, provides an additional opportunity to target the folate receptor, which is expressed on many different cancer types. EC1456's drug payload tubulysin, has demonstrated curative activity in preclinical models that were resistant to paclitaxel, cisplatin as well as vintafolide (with its drug payload vinblastine).</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(End of Interview)</span></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Disclosure: </strong>I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-86144295413576002292014-06-01T23:15:00.004-07:002014-06-01T23:17:03.196-07:00Rxi Interview<div class="article_title" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<h2 style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 24px 0px 1px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 2px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Interview With Dr. Geert Cauwenbergh, President And CEO Of RXi Pharmaceuticals</span></span></h2>
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="about_wrap" style="border: 0px; color: #959595; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="about" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">About:</span><span class="ticker" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(2, 73, 153) !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/rxii" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(2, 73, 153) !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="RXI Pharmaceuticals Corporation">RXII</a></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-size: 13px;"></span></span><br />
<div class="sep" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 2px; color: #2c2c2c; font-size: 13px; height: 2px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #2c2c2c; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div class="summary_content" id="summary_content" style="border: 0px; color: #2c2c2c; font-size: 13px; margin: 27px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div class="title" style="border: 0px; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Summary</b></span></div>
<ul style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 6px 0px 24px 43px !important; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 7px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">RXi is an emerging micro cap listed on the Nasdaq CM.</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 7px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It has a significant opportunity to market self-delivering RNAi compounds which could fill a largely unmet medical need in wound healing.</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 7px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We reached out to Dr. Geert Cauwenbergh, President and Chief Executive Officer ((CEO)) of RXi for further insight on this opportunity.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="cleaner" style="border: 0px; clear: both; color: #2c2c2c; float: none !important; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div class="article_content" style="border: 0px; color: #2c2c2c; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div id="article_non_filtered" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Today we are considering an emerging micro cap called RXi Pharmaceuticals (<a href="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/rxii" style="border: 0px; color: #579fc4; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="RXI Pharmaceuticals Corporation">RXII</a>). This company operates within the biopharmaceutical industry, has roughly a $39 million market cap and is listed on the Nasdaq CM. In order to gain more insight on this opportunity, we conducted an email interview with Dr. Geert Cauwenbergh, President and CEO of RXi.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">In layman's terms, what is RXi all about?</span></i></b></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">RXi is all about using a biological mechanism (RNAi), that exists in the human cells, to selectively reduce the levels of bad or excessively expressed proteins to fight diseases, while only minimally affecting other biological systems in the body.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">RNAi is a naturally occurring phenomenon by which short double-stranded RNAs interfere with the expression of targeted genes. The development of therapeutics based on RNAi technology takes advantage of this phenomenon and potentially allows us to reduce the expression of particular genes within living cells. The discovery of RNAi is regarded as a significant advancement in the scientific community, as evidenced by the selection of RNAi as the "Breakthrough of the Year" in 2002 by the journal Science and by the 2006 Nobel Prize in Medicine being awarded to the co-discoverers of RNAi, including Dr. Craig Mello. RNAi offers a novel approach to the drug development process because RNAi compounds can potentially be designed to target any one of the thousands of human genes, many of which are undruggable by other modalities.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">RXi is focused on developing innovative therapies based on our proprietary, self-delivering RNAi (sd-rxRNA) platform. Therapeutics that use RNA interference, or "RNAi," have great promise because of their ability to down-regulate the expression of specific genes that may be over-expressed in disease conditions. RXi's sd-rxRNA oligonucleotides are designed for therapeutic use and have drug-like properties, such as high potency, target specificity, serum stability, reduced immune response activation, and efficient cellular uptake. This allows sd-rxRNAs to achieve efficient cellular uptake and potent, long-lasting intracellular activity.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Could you provide a brief technical explanation?</span></i></b></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">RXi Pharmaceuticals has developed a proprietary RNAi platform of 'self-delivering' RNAi compounds termed sd-rxRNA. These compounds are efficiently taken up by cells without the need for a delivery vehicle, and represent an advancement in the RNAi therapeutics field for local applications. RXi's sd-rxRNA oligonucleotides are designed for therapeutic use and have drug-like properties, such as high potency, target specificity, serum stability, reduced immune response activation, and efficient cellular uptake. These hybrid oligonucleotide combine the beneficial properties of conventional RNAi and antisense technologies. Taken together, the design, modification pattern and shorter duplex region allows sd-rxRNAs to achieve efficient cellular uptake and potent, long-lasting intracellular activity.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">RXI-109 is an sd-rxRNA that targets the mRNA of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), a gene known to modulate fibrosis and scar formation. RXI-109 is initially being developed to reduce or inhibit scar formation in the skin following surgery. RXi Pharmaceuticals believes that reducing the level of CTGF early in the wound healing process will result in a reduced level of scarring. RXI-109 may have broad applicability for prevention of scarring or fibrosis in other tissues and indications including the eye.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">At this point, do you have any idea of how effective RXI-109 is for anti-scarring?</span></i></b></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The first clinical trials with RXI-109 (RXI-109-1201 and RXI-109-1202) showed excellent safety and tolerability, with ascending single and multiple doses, as well as dose dependent reduction of the CTGF protein and the mRNA that controls production of this protein. Thus, we were able to detect the expected RNAi effect in our first clinical trials.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Two Phase 2 clinical trials are currently underway to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of RXI-109 on the outcome of scar revision surgeries performed on hypertrophic scars on the lower abdomen (RXI-109-1301) or elective surgical excision of two similarly sized and placed keloids (RXI-109-1401). In these studies, the subjects are predisposed to scarring, either hypertrophic scars or keloids, and a difference in RXI-109 vs. placebo treated areas will be evaluated. Preliminary results will be compiled and reported before the end of 2014 for initial patients reaching 3 months post treatment.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">What are the main challenges that the industry in which you operate faces today?</span></i></b></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">From an operational perspective, biotech is an industry that absorbs a lot of money in order to arrive at meaningful innovation for the health and wellbeing of people. The chronic need for cash combined with the short term orientation of many investors today creates a difficult environment to be long term focused for small companies.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In terms of the use of RNA technology, many of the early challenges in the industry have been at least partially met. The addition of nucleotide modifications have improved compound stability, reduced inflammatory response, and helped to improve specificity. The main challenge remaining is delivery, not just into the cells (which the sd-rxRNAs achieve) but to the site of action in the body. At RXI we are focusing on local applications to avoid the issue of systemic delivery. In addition to dermal applications, RXi has initiated an ophthalmology program in which local delivery to the retina is possible via intraocular administration. Other RNAi companies are developing a variety of delivery options, including lipid nanoparticles, as a way to support systemic delivery to the liver. Numerous programs are in place in which the oligonucleotide / lipid nanoparticle is taken up by the liver and reduction of their specific target can be evaluated in vivo. Many of these have shown the desired effect in human clinical studies. Delivery to organs other than the liver is the next challenge to be met.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">In what ways do you feel the current stock price does not value Rxi's strengths or weaknesses?</span></i></b></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">With one of the most exciting technology platforms in the siRNA space, RXi Pharmaceuticals is by far the smallest company among the publicly traded RNAi companies. Its fully diluted market cap is 2 to 5 times lower than that of other companies in this space, some of which don't even have a product in clinical development.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Could you please go over your patent portfolio?</span></i></b></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">RXi was recently granted a patent from the USPTO (patent # 8,664,189), covering CTFG-targeting sd-rxRNAs for the treatment of fibrotic disorders. In addition, RXi has received a Notice of Allowance for a key patent, titled "Reduced Size Self-Delivering RNAi Compounds", which broadly covers both the composition and methods of use of RXi's self-delivering platform technology. This key patent broadly covers RXi's technology platform. This platform differentiates us from the competition, providing us with a powerful advantage to deliver our RNAi compounds without complicated formulations, which are commonly used with the other siRNA compounds in clinical development.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">RXi's intellectual property estate includes patents and patent applications related to chemistries, sequences, configurations, compounds, delivery technologies, and therapeutic targets. This IP has been developed by RXi as well as in-licensed or acquired from third parties. We believe these patents and patent applications define broad coverage for the development and commercialization of advanced RNAi therapeutics. In particular, they relate to novel and proprietary structural and chemical modification patterns, used to introduce "drug-like" properties to rxRNA® compounds. Fundamental IP related to development of RXi's rxRNA compounds covers distinct structures with duplex length shorter than 15 bases, or longer than 25 bases in the con- text of advanced and diverse chemical modification patterns. These patents also cover RNAi compounds against targets that are believed to play an important role in fibrosis as well as diseases of the eye, cancer and inflammatory diseases.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In 2013, RXi further strengthened its patent portfolio with the acquisition of the OPKO RNAi intellectual property estate. The OPKO RNAi estate includes 12 patent families and provides broad patent filings for siRNA compounds which target genes involved in angiogenesis, cancer, immune disorders and inflammatory diseases. Methods for siRNA delivery across the blood-brain and blood-retina barrier are also disclosed for therapeutic and diagnostic use.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Who are the emerging competitors in the RNAi industry?</span></i></b></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">While some large pharmaceutical companies have reduced their programs in RNAi, it still remains a large component of the oligonucleotide therapies being pursued. Many companies, including smaller biotechs like RXi, are focused on developing RNAi-based therapeutics. Some of the main RNAi companies actively working on the use of RNAi through systemic delivery are Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Tekmira Pharmaceuticals, Arrowhead Research, PhaseRx, Arcturus Therapeutics and Silence Therapeutics. In addition to RXi, RNAi companies focused primarily on a local delivery approach include Quark Pharmaceuticals, AuraSense Therapeutics and Sylentis. The local delivery approach includes ophthalmology applications.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are numerous companies working in the wound healing or dermal scarring area but few are utilizing an oligonucleotide approach. Of active programs using oligonucleotides, at least two companies are targeting CTGF, RXi with RXI-109 and Pfizer with an antisense oligonucleotide. As noted here, RXi is currently conducting its Phase 2 trials, while Pfizer has completed several Phase 2 trials with positive results showing reduced scar formation. Additional wound healing targets are being pursued by other companies using oligonucleotides; an example is Coda Therapeutics which is in Phase 2 with an antisense that targets connexin43 for improved wound healing.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">What differentiates your therapies from others on the market, as well as those currently in development?</span></i></b></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are currently no FDA approved therapeutics that are intended to reduce the formation of dermal scars. If approved, RXI-109 would fill a very large unmet medical need, especially for those people prone to poor scarring. This type of therapeutic could ultimately have great benefit for trauma, surgical or burn patients (especially relating to raised or hypertrophic scarring or contracture scarring), surgical revision of existing unsatisfactory scars, and in the treatment, removal and inhibition of keloids (scars which extend beyond the original skin injury). In the US, there are approximately 177,000 scar revision surgeries conducted each year, and over 42M surgical procedures.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our most direct competitor is Pfizer with the CTGF-targeting antisense oligonucleotide for which positive Phase 2 results have been obtained in the reduction of scarring following surgery. RXi is currently conducting a phase 2a trial which could demonstrate that RXI-109 is effective in reducing the recurrence of keloids after keloidectomy (keloid excision). Keloids are benign skin growths which are essentially scars that continue to grow past the original boundaries of the injury. People with certain skin types including those of African, Hispanic and Asian descent, may be more prone to keloids. While a cosmetic concern, keloids can also be very uncomfortable (itching, pain, tenderness) and can result in tightened skin areas that affect movement and function. As such, there is a large unmet medical need for a drug to reduce growth or recurrence of keloids.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">In your opinion, is there risks in your current business that are under appreciated by investors?</span></i></b></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Likely not. Indeed, some 10 years ago, as a result of many failures, the RNAi approach was all but abandoned by larger companies. It is only in the past few years that gradually people have started to realize that, with novel technologies, the issues of naked siRNAs and the delivery of those compounds can actually be resolved. There is still a lot of hesitation out there; hence the wild fluctuations in share prices for the companies involved in RNAi. I think it can only get better (slowly) from here.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">What part of the business do you think is being ignored that has more upside potential than Wall Street is giving it?</span></i></b></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Once people will understand that our sd-rxRNA platform is applicable to many body systems and diseases, Wall Street will see the upside potential. We will need to provide good proof of clinical efficacy, with one of our early clinical candidates, to start that recognition process.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Do you have any plans to increase awareness of the stock?</span></i></b></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The best promotion of our stock will be delivering meaningful clinical data. In the meantime, we do talk regularly about our self-delivering platform, and how it can become transformational once we have been able to link the clear effects on biomarkers (lowered mRNA for the target proteins, and lower protein contents in the treated tissues) to the clinical benefits. Data will be the best promotion.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is RXi actively considering partnership opportunities for RXI-109?</span></i></b></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">RXi's therapeutic platform is broadly applicable to the discovery and development of products in multiple therapeutic areas. Our current partnering strategy for the dermal scarring program is focused on funding its development until the completion of clinical proof of concept studies. However, we remain interested in establishing early stage platform partnerships and collaborations - including research, discovery and development collaborations in the therapeutic areas of dermatology, fibrosis and ophthalmology as well as in specific diseases and targets of interest to our potential partners.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">RXi also has opportunities in the establishment of platform development collaborations with potential pharmaceutical partners, to further improve and develop our RNAi therapeutic platform. As our preclinical and clinical pipeline continues to mature, we will establish specific product focused alliances, enabling us to further advance our pipeline. RXi continuously engages pharmaceutical companies, interested in RXi's dermal and ophthalmology programs, to provide updates on our progress in these areas.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why would someone purchase your product or service? What specific needs does it address?</span></i></b></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It addresses medical needs that today cannot sufficiently be addressed by other products. In the specific case of hypertrophic scars and keloids, no FDA approved therapeutic agents exist. Physicians often use drugs off label (corticosteroids, cytostatics, radiotherapy etc.).</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">What is it about your management team that makes them uniquely capable of executing on this business plan?</span></i></b></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Highly capable, hardworking, very knowledgeable in our space, nimble, and focused on getting the work done without spending hours in meeting rooms. Also, everybody in management actually does several aspects of the drug development process very much hands on themselves.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">What are the probable exit scenarios?</span></i></b></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Partnering; acquiring or being acquired; gradually building a complete organization including commercial activities.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">At this point, what is management's pipeline priority?</span></i></b></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">First our RXI-109 for dermal scarring, and second building up our ophthalmology franchise.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">What potential value-driving catalysts can investors generally expect in both the short and long term?</span></i></b></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Clinical data with RXI-109 in scarring; exciting results in ophthalmology; deals (in and out); and earlier stage interesting pharmacology data against other protein targets.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">What is the adequacy of RXi's funding relative to its goals?</span></i></b></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">At this point, our goals are aligned with our funding. Obviously we want to grow and do more. To achieve that we will need to selectively look for targeted financing.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">What's your current financial position?</span></i></b></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">On May 15, 2014, RXI had $13.2 million, and no debt. Cash burn is about $2.5 million per quarter and we have cash for another 5 quarters. We also have access to an equity line for another $18 million.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">With the company currently advancing its clinical program, do you have an idea of what the associated costs will be?</span></i></b></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We are currently only advancing one clinical program (i.e. skin scarring, specifically for hypertrophic scars and for keloids). We have generally a good idea of what the costs associated with that development will be.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Are you encouraged by institutional ownership? Do you think RXi is gaining traction among retail investors?</span></i></b></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We are gradually building institutional ownership. Our move to NASDAQ has certainly been helpful in that regard. It appears that RXi seems to be a fairly popular company with the retail and day trading community. We cherish both the institutional side and the retail side very much.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is there anything else you would like our readers to know about RXi?</span></i></b></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">RXi is potentially one of the few biotech companies that will have a material impact on the treatment approach for several diseases, based on its unique, self-delivering RNAi technology platform.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(End of Interview)</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Disclosure: </strong>I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-12894615270013810002014-06-01T23:10:00.000-07:002014-06-01T23:10:01.083-07:00Upcoming InterviewGood Evening,<br />
<br />
I currently have several interviews in the works. Subscribe to my newsletter to get full access to these materials before they are released on Seeking Alpha and TalkMarkets.<br />
<br />
Email me at tmlowenthal@ucdavis.edu for more info.<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-6154549056617007612014-05-30T09:03:00.003-07:002014-05-30T09:03:57.839-07:00Interview with RXi Pharmaceuticals Management<h4>
Good Morning,</h4>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today we are considering an emerging micro cap called RXi Pharmaceuticals (RXII). This company operates within the biopharmaceutical industry, has roughly a $39 million market cap and is listed on the Nasdaq CM. In order to gain more insight on this opportunity, we reached out to Dr. Geert Cauwenbergh, President and Chief Executive Officer of RXi.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
Access my article here: <a href="http://www.talkmarkets.com/content/us-markets/interview-with-rxi-pharmaceuticals-management?post=44049">http://www.talkmarkets.com/content/us-markets/interview-with-rxi-pharmaceuticals-management?post=44049</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-78482449971553721712014-05-29T18:57:00.003-07:002014-05-29T18:57:47.932-07:00TalkMarkets Good Evening,<br />
<br />
I just wanted to make everyone aware of an emerging investor site called <a href="http://www.talkmarkets.com/">TalkMarkets</a>. I will be writing for TalkMarkets in addition to Seeking Alpha. Please check out my interview with the CFO of Endocyte (ECYT), available now on TalkMarkets.<br />
<br />
It can be accessed here: <a href="http://www.talkmarkets.com/content/stocks--equities/interview-with-endocyte-management?post=44042">http://www.talkmarkets.com/content/stocks--equities/interview-with-endocyte-management?post=44042</a><br />
<br />
We hope everyone enjoyed our last call on BioLife Solutions (BLFS). It reached ~10% over the two days following the article release on SA. Feel free to contact me for newsletter subscription information, where you name the price!<br />
<br />
Stay tuned!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-59306624500040972272014-05-28T07:36:00.000-07:002014-05-28T07:36:44.641-07:00BioLife UpdateHello Everyone,<br />
<br />
My article on BioLife Solutions, Inc. (BLFS) was released on May 22 AH. I first recommended the stock at $2.30; now it is trading around $2.55. I hope those who subscribed to my newsletter and, better yet, those who have purchased premium stock reports had the opportunity to establish a position.<br />
<br />
IF you are interested in subscribing or purchasing reports, please contact me to stay updated on my stock ideas!<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-67315837015269304172014-05-23T19:10:00.000-07:002014-05-23T19:10:05.439-07:00BioLife Solutions, Inc.Hello everyone,<br />
<br />
Please check out my new PRO article on Seeking Alpha. It covers an emerging micro cap called BioLife Solutions, Inc (BLFS). Access the article below:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/2233903-biolife-solutions-a-heavily-discounted-high-growth-opportunity">http://seekingalpha.com/article/2233903-biolife-solutions-a-heavily-discounted-high-growth-opportunity</a><br />
<br />
<br />
Please contact me at tmlowenthal@ucdavis.edu if you are interested in subscribing to my newsletter.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-20002936723961822002014-05-20T23:58:00.002-07:002014-05-20T23:58:36.548-07:00Premium Stock Report AnnouncementGood Evening,<br />
<br />
Due to increasing demand, we have constructed a premium stock report payment option that should appear on the right. These reports give you full access to my research on upcoming articles that I write for Seeking Alpha. Please be aware that purchasing a stock report does not mean that you will be immediately provided with one. Writing my articles takes time, as I put a lot of analysis into each piece. However, it is worth the wait. My PRO articles have proven to catalyze stock movement. Look at my latest article release on Rexahn Pharmaceuticals (RNN) as an example. It moved the stock by 30%; 10% the first day of the release, and 20% the second day. Needless to say, it is worth the wait.<br />
<br />
I already have one report submitted for publishing as of this evening...<br />
<br />
If you have any questions/comments/concerns, please contact me at tmlowenthal@ucdavis.edu and I will be happy to assist you.<br />
<br />
Best,<br />
<br />
TrevorAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-47788285049872118432014-05-15T09:39:00.002-07:002014-05-15T09:40:11.226-07:00Rexahn Follow Up<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Hello Everyone,</span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
The last two days have been very exciting. We released a Seeking Alpha article on Rexahn (RNN) when the stock traded at $0.80, and over the past two days it has skyrocketed nearly 30% to $1.05. We hope that you were all able to capitalize on this amazing investment opportunity.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
If you haven't read it already, the article is accessible here for 30 days: <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/2215513-rexahn-pharmaceuticals-an-undervalued-oncology-play-with-risk-diversification" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://seekingalpha.com/<wbr></wbr>article/2215513-rexahn-<wbr></wbr>pharmaceuticals-an-<wbr></wbr>undervalued-oncology-play-<wbr></wbr>with-risk-diversification</a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
In light of increasing demand for the newsletter, we are in the process of converting it to a premium subscription service. We are very encouraged by the overwhelming support from our followers and strongly believe in this approach. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Please contact Trevor Lowenthal at <a href="mailto:tmlowenthal@ucdavis.edu" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">tmlowenthal@ucdavis.edu</a> for more information about the transition to a premium subscription service. We are happy to assist in any way possible.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Stay tuned!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-26148258892172566882014-05-11T23:34:00.000-07:002014-05-11T23:34:09.931-07:00New Article Our new article is being published early next week. Sign up for our newsletter and stay on top of our latest stock ideas! Contact Trevor Lowenthal at tmlowenthal@ucdavis.edu for further information.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-70687119857167372872014-05-11T23:32:00.000-07:002014-05-11T23:34:40.582-07:00Opexa Therapeutics: An Optimal Buyout Target Pending Successful Results From Abili-T<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 17px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Today we are considering a long position in an emerging micro cap called <b>Opexa Therapeutics </b>(<a href="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/opxa" style="border: 0px; color: #579fc4; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="">OPXA</a>). This company operates within the biopharmaceutical sector, has a $45 million market cap and is listed on the Nasdaq. One of the primary reasons that we are considering a long position is that we believe the ongoing clinical success of Opexa's lead drug candidate, <b>Tcelna (imilecleucel-T</b>), could translate to regulatory approval and potentially fill a significantly unmet medical need in patients with Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS). In conjunction, we believe Merck Serono, the biopharmaceutical division of Merck (<a href="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/mrk" style="border: 0px; color: #579fc4; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="">MRK</a>), which has option and licensing rights to Tcelna, could purchase Opexa at a substantial discount before exercising this agreement.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 17px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Of course, our thesis is contingent on whether the topline results (expected in mid-2016) from the Phase IIb "Abili-T" clinical study are positive. But also keep in mind that Merck Serono has the option to exercise the license at any point during the trial, which is not likely given the lack of incentive, but possible nonetheless. If topline results are positive, a buyout is probable since it would allow Merck Serono to avoid up to $220 million milestone payments, as well as tiered 8-15% royalty payments to Opexa on the future global net sales of Tcelna, a drug that could become only the second FDA approved treatment for SPMS. Opexa's three main pipeline developments, in order of priority, are:</div>
<ol style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23px; margin: 5px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 26px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 27px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Tcelna for SPMS (Fast-Track FDA <a href="http://www.opexatherapeutics.com/investors-relations/why-invest/default.aspx" rel="nofollow" style="border: 0px; color: #579fc4; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Designation</a>)</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 27px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Tcelna for Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS)</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 27px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Monocyte-Derived Stem Cells (MDSC) for Diabetes Mellitus</li>
</ol>
<div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><span style="line-height: 27px;">Read our full SA article here: </span></span><a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/2170193-opexa-therapeutics-an-optimal-buyout-candidate-pending-successful-topline-results-from-abili-t">http://seekingalpha.com/article/2170193-opexa-therapeutics-an-optimal-buyout-candidate-pending-successful-topline-results-from-abili-t</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-24514709521618224462014-04-28T12:16:00.001-07:002014-04-28T12:16:36.958-07:00Newsletter<br /><div class="post-header" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;">
<div class="post-header-line-1">
</div>
</div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-4446871536251288840" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 578px;">
Hello everyone,<br /><br />If you are interested in receiving premium stock ideas via a free newsletter email subscription service, please contact Trevor Lowenthal at tmlowenthal@<span class="skimlinks-unlinked">ucdavis.edu</span> for more information.<br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />Trevor Lowenthal</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-82446910361695428622014-04-23T09:38:00.001-07:002014-04-23T09:38:29.077-07:00Oragenics, Inc.Please check out my new Seeking Alpha article on Oragenics, Inc.<br />
<br />
<br />
It can be accessed at: http://seekingalpha.com/article/2153743-the-bull-case-for-oragenics-buy-the-30-percent-discount-hold-for-long-term-success-of-the-lantibiotic-programAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-44468715362512888402014-04-13T09:54:00.001-07:002014-04-14T09:19:09.984-07:00NewsletterHello everyone,<br />
<br />
If you are interested in receiving premium stock ideas via a free newsletter email subscription service, please contact Trevor Lowenthal at tmlowenthal@ucdavis.edu for more information.<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
<br />
Trevor LowenthalAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-892954239318250004.post-2480156775478808442014-04-13T09:47:00.002-07:002014-04-13T09:47:33.724-07:00Synthetic Biologics: The Trimesta Advantage<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
<b>Overview</b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
With major advancements in its drug pipeline over the last two years, Synthetic Biologics (SYN) has popped on the radar of retail investors, philanthropists and major institutions. Only a year ago, its average share volume stagnated around 50,000 as both analysts and traders alike ignored the company's promising endeavors. However, exceptional investor conference presentations, most notably, the ROTH Conference earlier this month by Chairman and Executive Officer (CEO) Jeff Riley, along with several key data updates and strategic partnership announcements with Intrexon (XON) and Cedars-Sinai have propelled the average share volume to record highs of over one million. Accordingly, the stock price recovered from a low of $.95 in December to a three-year high of $3.20 near the close on March 14.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
These historical events have placed Synthetic on the forefront of reinvigorating treatments for life threatening under-treated diseases, including Pertussis and <i>Clostridium difficile</i> (<i>C. Difficile or C. diff</i>). However, its most notable novel treatment is Trimesta, which has proven efficacy in slowing the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and while compelling, we must examine whether it yields the potential to compete with Teva Pharmaceutical's (TEVA) Copaxone, Biogen's (BIIB) Tecfidera, and Novartis' (NVS) Gilenya.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
<b>Trimesta Background</b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
Mr. Riley's esteemed approach of developing "sexy drug candidates"(that is, innovative drug candidates that seek to revamp the treatment of infectious and genetic diseases) compliments the fact that Synthetic's primary drug candidate, Trimesta, has proven efficacy when implemented in conjunction with Teva's Copaxone drug. Summarizing the clinical findings of Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl, Clinical Director of Synthetic's Trimesta trials, there is no longer a question of whether Trimesta is effective in reducing symptoms of MS in conjunction with Copaxone.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
Through extensive trials, Dr. Voskuhl has proven that the drug is capable of restoring estriol in women who may lack optimal levels after taking contraceptives. It also helps that Trimesta has been used for four decades, but simply lacks approval by the FDA. Moreover, Dr. Voskuhl's examination of subjects treated with Trimesta/Copaxone combination demonstrated its effectiveness in slowing the progression of MS symptoms in women, with a calculated 80% reduction of brain lesions. Dr. Voskuhl also found that the drugs possess healing components which help regenerate the myelin sheath. For those who are not aware of the significance of this unexpected finding, it is imperative to note that MS is induced by damage to the myelin sheath. Therefore, the capacity of the drugs to regenerate the myelin sheath (a process known as remyelination) is paramount since it may indicate that a potential cure for MS is within reach.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
In layperson's terms, picture the myelin sheath as the wire of a power cord. When the rubber protecting the wire gets stripped, the wire cannot conduct as well. Likewise, deterioration of myelin (the protective outer-layer of the myelin sheath) inhibits neurological functions, including cognition and motor control. The regeneration of myelin reverses this debilitating process.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
Dr. Voskuhl plans to report topline results next month and a detailed analysis of these findings in the second half of 2014.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
<b>Drug Advertisement</b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
The apparent risks to marketing Trimesta are extensive. Primarily, Synthetic has a serious disadvantage to its aforementioned Big Pharma competitors in the drug advertisement space. As any pharmaceutical company would acknowledge, a drug is only as successful as the management's ability to advertise it to consumers. Failure to sustain optimal media coverage of a drug causes its sales to stagnate regardless of its effectiveness in treating a disease. In order to evaluate the scope of Synthetic's disadvantage in this regard, please observe the following graph of social media utilization:</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
<img _fcksavedurl="http://static.cdn-seekingalpha.com/uploads/2014/3/18/15830262-13951829637820919-tmlowent.png" hspace="6" src="http://static.cdn-seekingalpha.com/uploads/2014/3/18/15830262-13951829637820919-tmlowent.png" style="max-width: 670px;" vspace="6" /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
We can see from above that without serious advertisement efforts, the company might struggle to attract patients with Trimesta. Precisely, Biogen already has a massive lead when it comes to patients spreading the word about their drug, Tecifidera, with over 600 social media posts mentioning it over a one-month period alone. Teva's Copaxone follows in second with over 500 posts, while Novartis' Gilenya struggles to make waves with MS patients as it slumbered around the 200-post mark as of last year.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
Since Trimesta is still in clinical trials, it's difficult to project where it would sit on this chart, but given the fact that the already-established drugs in the MS space are somewhat homogenized in terms of how they're administered and frequency of treatment, we believe that substantial media coverage of Trimesta may take less time than some might expect. Case in point, Trimesta is oral estriol which does not require weekly or monthly injections (or infusions) on a continuing basis. Used in conjunction with Copaxone, which is administered via injection, Trimesta would join only three other oral MS drugs, Tecifidera, Gilenya and Aubagio. With more patients transitioning to Tecifidera (yielding a <a _fcksavedurl="http://www.mmm-online.com/tecfidera-sales-soar-cannibalize-older-med/article/318318/" href="http://www.mmm-online.com/tecfidera-sales-soar-cannibalize-older-med/article/318318/" rel="nofollow" style="color: rgb(2, 73, 153) !important;" target="_blank">market share of 4%</a> as of last year), compared to both Gilenya and Aubagio (which stagnate around 1% market share), there is plenty of attention on Synthetic's upcoming Trimesta Phase II Topline announcement on April 29th; enough so for the drug to surpass Gilenya and Aubagio in the MS market share for oral pills upon FDA approval given the ongoing success of Copaxone.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
<b>Competing Drug Profiles</b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
Biogen's Tecifidera is on the verge of blockbuster status and has left Novartis' Gilenya and Sanofi's (SNY) Aubagio competing for sales scraps. Nevertheless, there are important reasons for the this disparity among oral MS drugs. First, Gilenya has <a _fcksavedurl="http://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/news/20130425/new-ms-drug-qa?page=2" href="http://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/news/20130425/new-ms-drug-qa?page=2" rel="nofollow" style="color: rgb(2, 73, 153) !important;" target="_blank">side effects</a>ranging from liver enzyme elevations (which may lead to liver disease), and heart rate reduction. In fact, some patients taking the drug abruptly died upon its arrival to the market. As a result, Novartis relabeled the drug after these patient deaths fostered an unwavering stigma among physicians. Ever since, the drug's market share has been limited by that stigma despite the company's relabeling efforts and the fact that it is not prescribed to patients with specific heart conditions or those taking certain heart medications. In regard to Sanofi, patients taking Aubagio are deterred from practicing contraception because the drug may lead to birth defects and adverse affects on the sperm. While the drug didn't prompt a similar stigma to that of Gilenya, its these side affects seem unattractive enough to place both in the same boat.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
Tecifidera holds a clear advantage over both drugs due to its active ingredient, which has nearly a 20-year history of treating psoriasis in Germany. As a result, physicians are more inclined to prescribe it over Aubagio and Gilenya at a <a _fcksavedurl="http://www.mmm-online.com/tecfidera-sales-soar-cannibalize-older-med/article/318318/" href="http://www.mmm-online.com/tecfidera-sales-soar-cannibalize-older-med/article/318318/" rel="nofollow" style="color: rgb(2, 73, 153) !important;" target="_blank">rate</a> of 65%, versus 33% and 53%, respectively. In terms of cost, Tecifidera fairs well against its competitors as seen in the table below:</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
<img _fcksavedurl="http://static.cdn-seekingalpha.com/uploads/2014/3/18/15830262-13951832564773378-tmlowent.png" hspace="6" src="http://static.cdn-seekingalpha.com/uploads/2014/3/18/15830262-13951832564773378-tmlowent.png" style="max-width: 670px;" vspace="6" /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
Noted<i>: The drug cost to patients will vary depending on the insurance coverage that they have.</i></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
While it is suprising that Aubagio costs less than its competitors and yet its sales do not match those of its competitors, we attribute the its misfortune to the apparent risks associated with taking it while practicing contraceptives. Also, the efficacy of Aubagio does not meet that of Tecfidera, which some predict will acquire two out of every five dollars of sales outside of the US market. Nevertheless, all three oral MS drugs are expensive, and while there is significant cost variation among them, it is fairly arbitrary relative to other non-oral applications.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
<b>The Trimesta Advantage</b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
Regardless of partnering with a major player, e.g., Intrexon or Teva, Synthetic wouldn't have a hard time garnering favor of Trimesta among healthcare providers. While Trimesta has been used for as long as four decades, Copaxone, Teva's non-oral MS drug, thrives with over 25% market share. Of course, this is expected to decline dramatically following the loss of its patent protection in April, and with Synthetic holding numerous <a _fcksavedurl="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/synthetic-biologics-announces-issuance-u-110000257.html" href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/synthetic-biologics-announces-issuance-u-110000257.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: rgb(2, 73, 153) !important;" target="_blank">patents</a> (U.S. Patent 8,658,627, as well as U.S. Patents 8,372,826 and 6,936,599), we suspect that many of those lost drug sales will fall in the hands of this small biotech company. Given that Copaxone is an FDA-Approved drug that currently dominates the market share of MS, we expect that optimal insurance coverage and healthcare favoring of Trimesta/Copaxone treatment would require little effort by Synthetic's management.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
<b>The Risk</b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
As Synthetic lacks the financial resources and manpower to commercialize its drug, and with only an approximated $140 million market cap as of March 18, any attempt towards commercializing Trimesta would most certainly require significant share dilution way beyond its 13$ million stock offering last December. That is, of course, if the Phase II Trimesta data is positive, otherwise the conversation of commercializing the drug is pointless.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
We must also consider the potential that the amount of patients transferring over to Teva's 40 mg, thrice-weekly Copaxone drug is of relevant concern to any talk of a potential Synthetic buyout or partnership. We found an interesting <a _fcksavedurl="http://news.investors.com/030614-692319-teva-stock-rises-on-leerink-upgrade.htm?ven=yahoocp&src=aurlled&ven=yahoo" href="http://news.investors.com/030614-692319-teva-stock-rises-on-leerink-upgrade.htm?ven=yahoocp&src=aurlled&ven=yahoo" rel="nofollow" style="color: rgb(2, 73, 153) !important;" target="_blank">report</a> that suggests an approximated 40% of patients will transition from the original Copaxone drug to this new third-generation product. If true, Synthetic's Trimesta/Copaxone drug treatment might fail to significantly detract from the sales of Teva's new product. Consequently, Synthetic may end up having to grab the bull by the horns in terms of facing off against pharmaceutical giants within the MS space. This is an extremely difficult task for a company that has never put a drug on the market. Needless to say that this analysis doesn't even include other companies, including Novartis and Momenta Pharmaceuticals (MMNTA), which plan on commercializing generic versions of Copaxone when its patent protection expires in April. Clearly, the overall competition within the space has become increasingly tenser with the inclusion of these major players.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
<b>Bottom Line</b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
Ultimately, we believe that Trimesta has the potential to claim a significant percentage of MS market share from Teva, Novartis and Biogen. While the upcoming data reading will ultimately determine the drug's future, we expect that Synthetic's outstanding management team and extensive pipeline, as well as its strong institutional support (approximately 60 percent) should facilitate the appreciation of shareholder value regardless of Trimesta's fate. Nevertheless, biotech investments have inherent risks. While we hope that this article enables our readers to make informed decisions whether or not to initiate a position in the company, they must also determine whether taking a contrarian approach is financially sound.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
Happy trading...</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
<strong>Disclosure:</strong> I am long SYN.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705606657654051089noreply@blogger.com0