| Clarient Reports 2010 First Quarter Results (PR Newswire) Clarient, Inc. , a premier anatomic pathology and molecular testing services resource for pathologists, oncologists and the biopharmaceutical industry, today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2010. Â First quarter 2010 net revenue was $26.6 million, a 14.8 percent increase over the $23.2 million net revenue in the 2009 first quarter and a sequential increase of 14.5 percent over the $23.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2009. Â us.rd.yahoo.com |
Alliance Healthcare downgraded on imaging, prices (AP) An RBC Capital Markets analyst downgraded shares of Alliance Healthcare Services Inc. Thursday, saying its diagnostic imaging volume will stay low due to the weak economy, and Medicare reimbursement should remain under pressure. us.rd.yahoo.com |
Magic Formula Investing: Top 10 Fastest Growing Companies Steve Alexander submits:No metric is more loved on Wall Street than revenue growth rates. The pace of revenue growth is usually a major factor in the valuation assigned to a given company. Analysts routinely "pooh-pooh" quarterly earnings per share beats that are accomplished through cost cutting or share buybacks rather than top-line (sales) growth.To a large extent, this is understandable. The life blood of any company is sales. There is a limited amount of growth that can be extracted through cost controls, reflected by the old business wisdom that "you can't cost cut your way to prosperity!". The very best stock opportunities are those with significant revenue growth potential that can achieve that growth with relatively little capital investment, and where the stock can be bought at a reasonable price.Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |
Celldex Reeling From Pfizer Breakup EP Vantage submits:The writing had been appearing on the wall in increasingly large red letters over Pfizer’s (PFE) commitment to Celldex Therapeutics’ (CLDX) brain cancer vaccine, rindopepimut (PF-04948568 / CDX-110) for some time now. Despite reporting decent if unspectacular phase IIb data at Asco this summer, Pfizer’s silence ever since over phase III plans was looking ominous (Event - Celldex hoping Asco data will move cancer vaccine into phase III, May 12, 2010).Nevertheless, all break-ups are painful when they finally happen and Celldex’s shares tumbled 26% on Friday to a record low of $3.53, valuing the Massachusetts biotech at just $113m despite it sitting on $65m in cash. Investors, unmoved by Celldex’s ambitious and positively spun response, are naturally more concerned about the reasons why Pfizer decided to ditch the vaccine and Celldex’s determination to go it alone with phase III trials, which will most likely need to be funded by dilutive financing.Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |
Sanofi-Aventis Seeks the Holy Grail of Insulin Joseph Krueger submits: Last week, Sanofi-Aventis (SNY) confirmed that it is on the prowl for diabetes partnerships. Bloomberg reported statements made by Riccardo Perfetti, the Senior Medical Director for Sanofi-Aventis’ diabetes unit, that Sanofi-Aventis may unveil “at least another couple critical partnerships” in diabetes in the months to come. Most interesting to me was a quote stating that they: “…may consider candidates for a successor to its best-selling product, the long-acting insulin Lantus, and for a new, fast-acting insulin."Given my recent interest in fast acting insulins up for approval soon, I spent some time considering this statement: Who would Sanofi-Aventis most likely be after?I came up with three novel fast-acting insulin delivery systems which could be up for potential partnership: Mannkind’s (MNKD) Afrezza, Biodel’s (BIOD) Linjeta, and Halozyme’s (HALO) rHuPH20 insulin. These three candidates represent unique approaches to insulin delivery, and are all strong candidates to fill the needs which remain in the fast-acting insulin market. As an investor in this arena, I clearly would like to know which one is the most likely one up for partnership with SNY. In order to make a prediction, investors need to consider what needs these candidates could fill for SNY. To make this assessment, investors need to have some background about the existing fast acting insulin market, and the “next generation” players who are also seeking partnerships. So first, some background:Types of existing fast acting insulins:The existing fast acting insulins all work on the same principle: The insulin is changed by altering its structure (substituting amino acids) so that it does not form hexamers. Native insulin is found in the hexameric state, which decreases its absorption rate when injected. Herein lies the problem: diabetics trying to time their insulin dose to control blood sugar find that it takes too long for regular insulin to enter the blood stream, causing blood sugar spikes (hyperglycemia); and due to its slow absorption remains in the blood stream too long, causing dangerous blood sugar dips (hypoglycemia). Thus, the most critical factor for insulins are their pharmacokinetic profile; how quickly they enter and remain in the bloodstream. The fast-acting analogues of insulin are altered to have charge repulsion at key locations on the molecule, which prevents the formation of insulin hexamers, and decreases the time it takes for them to enter the blood stream. For the scientists, Insulin Aspart (Novolog) is regular insulin which has been mutated so that the amino acid proline on the beta-chain of insulin (B28), is substituted with an aspartic acid residue. Insulin lispro (Humalog) is made by switching positions B28 (Lys) and B29 (Pro) on the insulin beta -chain. Insulin glulisine (Apidra) is made by replacing the amino acid asparagine in the beta chain at position B3 with lysine and the lysine in position B29 with glutamic acid. For the layman, all of these three modified insulins work in very similar ways: 1-2 mutations at critical sites in the insulin molecule prevent hexamers from forming, and the insulin is absorbed quicker. Due to the similar nature of these insulins, all three of these fast acting insulins have nearly identical pharmacokinetic profiles (insulin lispro vs insulin glulisine shown below). These fact acting insulins distinguish themselves from standard recombinant human insulin (RHI), but not significantly apart from each other. The major fast acting insulin players:Of the three main insulin producers, Eli Lilly (LLY), Sanof- Aventis and Novo Norodisk (NVO): Novo Nordisk has been involved in the diabetes market since insulin was first developed in the 1920s. Novo Nordisk sales of fast-acting insulin Novolog (insulin aspart) is the longest-established and highest-selling product in the fast acting insulin market. Eli Lilly is the second largest competitor with its fast-acting insulin product Humulog (insulin lispro). Both of these companies are stiff competition for Sanofi-Aventis, of the three the newest comer to the insulin market with Apidra (insulin glulisine). Sanofi has taken the lead of the long-acting insulin analog market with its blockbuster product, once-daily Lantus (insulin glargine), but Apidra sales pale in comparison to Novalog and Humalog. Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |