Health and Healthcare

Biotechs & Pharmas Bracing For ASCO Annual Meeting

This weekend we have the mother of all future cancer treatment conferences: ASCO, or The American Society of Clinical Oncology.  Cancer stocks in the last few weeks have been seeing a muted response ahead of the event that biotech investors have traditionally braced for.  At various points on the website you can find a full list of contributing and presenting companies.  This is only a sample of the companies presenting data and it is very possible that the dates and even the companies may have changed.  Also, you’ll probably start seeing news here at this ASCO News Site either late Thursday evening or Friday. Some of these dates and presentation schedules have been compiled over a multi-week period, so it is very likely that some of these will have changed.

SATURDAY, JUNE 2

Genentech (DNA) will show data with Roche on Avastin plus a chemotherapy dual-mix cocktail for first line treatment in non-small cell lung cancer patients.  Later on at ASCO, a failed Avastin study for the treatment of pancreatic cancer will be shown.  Some Phase III Avastin data in kidney cancer will also be presented next week. Genentech will also be showing data with partners OSI Pharmaceuticals (OSIP) and Imclone (IMCL) in later days.

Pfizer (PFE) will present data on Sutent’s safety and efficacy in Phase II liver cancer studies.

If you forgot about Dendreon (DNDN), this will be the company’s last known data presentation on Provenge after getting the FDA delay.  Investors will be looking closely at any ‘New Data’ presented because much of the ongoing study data is being treated as old data.

Arqule (ARQL) and Exelixis (EXEL) are presenting data as well on molecules that are deemed cancer targets

Others to watch are Onyx Pharmaceuticals (ONXX) and partner Bayer (BAY), because their liver cancer studies are under concern over toxicity.  Its Nexavar data will be presented later for liver cancer Phase III.

Amgen (AMGN) will have study posters up discussing safety of its anemia treatment Aranesp that many patients have to use.  It is no secret that the reimbursement rates, effectiveness and safety, and the dosage have been under fire and worse for some time now.  Most of the damage has been done and many feel that more cautionary and worrisome days are ahead.

Immunogen (IMGN) will be releasing some preliminary data on Herceptin-DM1 in its Genentech pact for the treatment of breast cancer.

SUNDAY, JUNE 3

Telik (TELK) will post some data in the studies of Tecyta in overian cancer, which failed to meet endpoints.

Celgene (CELG) will be presenting data on a Revlimid-plus study in multiple myeloma patients.

Regeneron (REGN) will show Phase II data on VEGF-TRAP for advancedtreatment-resistant ovarian cancer and another phase II study innon-small cell lung cancer.

Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) will present preliminary Phase III datadesigned to be a fight against advanced and chemo-refractory metastaticbreast cancer.

GlaxoSmithkline (GSK) will also present Phase III Tykerb studies for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) will present data on targeting pathways to kill tumor cells.

NEXT WEEK

GPC Biotech (GPCB) will post some new data in its Phase III prostate cancer studies.

Imclone (IMCL) will release details of a failed study of Erbitux for pancreatic cancer.

Merck (MRK) will discuss future molecular targets for pediatric cancer.

Pfizer (PFE) will be posting further Phase II data on monoclonal antibodies for the possible treatment of melanoma.

Medarex (MEDX) will post Phase II data on melanoma studies.

Introgen (INGN) will post Advexin data for the marking of head and neck cancers.

deCODE Genetics (DCGN) will present on the ethical and financial needs in cancer genetics.

A sample of other stocks to watch in the sector are Cytogen (CYTO),Monogram Bio (MGRM), Telik (TELK), Threshold Pharmaceuticals (THLD),NeoPharm (NEOL), and Invitrogen (IVGN).  There are many many morecompanies that will be presenting.  Last year when we were in theprocess of rolling up our companies into one, I did a very full list of companies and the subsequent presentations.Here you can see that to see a much wider list of companies becausethese companies become "ASCO-ADDICTS" and most go back year after year.

Jon C. Ogg
May 30, 2007   

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