| PPD Launches Expert Community for Online, Interactive Exchange of Industry Viewpoints (Business Wire) WILMINGTON, N.C.----PPD, Inc. today announced it has launched Expert Community, an online, interactive area on its corporate website, www.ppdi.com, where company and other industry professionals can engage in a robust exchange of ideas and opinions regarding important clinical research topics and trends. us.rd.yahoo.com |
Is Mannkind the Next Takeover Target? KLLJ Investments submits: It is no secret that Big Pharma is in desperate need to fill their pipeline to replace the unprecedented number of BlockBuster drugs set to come off patent in the coming years. Sanofi-Aventis (SNY) is a top 5 Pharma company that has openly stated they will be looking to do small to mid-size acquisitions (>$15B) to beef up their pipeline. Rumors abound on who the targets are. Analysts point to Allergan (AGN,) Biogen (BIIB) and Genzyme (GENZ) as likely candidates. What if that target is a relatively unknown company on the verge of releasing the next blockbuster? What if that target is MannKind Corporation (MNKD)? It seems outrageous that a company with a market cap under $800M could warrant a premium of more than 100% or so. However, MannKind isn’t your normal public company. Al Mann, founder and CEO of MannKind still owns 44.5% of the outstanding shares of MannKind. Al has previously stated that he won’t invest in a venture unless he can make at minimum 10X his investment. So far, Al Mann has invested $800M+ out of his own pocket to fund MannKind. The company has spent north of $1.6B to develop their Technosphere platform and to bring AFREZZA to market. No acquisition of MannKind will happen without Al Mann’s approval and that number would be $10B or more in my estimation. To learn more about Technosphere and AFREZZA, you can read my previous articles and blogs on the subject. Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |
Did the Market Overreact to Curis's Latest Setback? EP Vantage submits:Curis (CRIS) was punished on the stock market for the second time in as many months Monday after releasing a disappointingly opaque announcement on a phase II trial of its lead candidate, the hedgehog pathway inhibitor GDC-0449, in ovarian cancer. In what could politely be described as a vague statement, Curis said further analyses are needed before a decision on continuing development can be taken. This has prompted investors to conclude that study has, or will, fail and comes at an unsteady time for Curis, following so soon after the drug’s failure in colon cancer (CRC) in June (Prickly response as Curis' hedgehog candidate disappoints, June 17, 2010). However, it is worth bearing in mind that Roche (RHHBY.PK) is pitting this first-in-class candidate in numerous tumor types, and phase II data from the most promising setting, basal cell carcinoma (BCC), has yet to be seen. The drug’s potential might seem to be narrowing, and it certainly remains high risk, but it is too early to completely write it off, something that the stock market appears to be doing.Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |
U.K. Reverses Stance On Alzheimer's Drugs The U.K.'s health-care costs watchdog said it aims to lift limits on the use of four Alzheimer's drugs by the state-funded National Health Service, a move that could benefit hundreds of thousands of people. online.wsj.com |
Physician Panel Tilts Medicare Fees A secretive panel that helps set Medicare's fees has stoked a debate over whether doctors have too much control over the flow of taxpayer dollars in the $500 billion program. online.wsj.com |