RiverBabe's Baby Biotechs

[riverbabe]

Dendreon DNDN update from SA today: Valeant Pharmaceuticals appears poised to buy bankrupt cancer vaccine maker Dendreon (OTCPKNDNQ) after another potential buyer dropped out of the bidding process, Reuters reports. Valeant (NYSE:VRX) has agreed to pay $400M for the assets of Dendreon, best known for its prostate cancer vaccine, Provenge.

Still trying to recover from the overnight 75% haircut I took couple of years ago.

[riverbabe]

Well this finally paid off big. Methinks biotechs may require patience I don't have.

Good going! IMHO they're all a crap shoot. AMRN is now $1.07 and is having trouble reporting Dec. 31st results. Yikes. http://biz.yahoo.com/e/150112/amrn8-k.html

[Louetta]

R.B.: For many moons I have followed the picks of Longitude Capital (family connection). Got a few good picks (e.g. AMRN and JAZZ). Now I see they have a 13% stake in ESPR. I can't see it. Would be interested in any thoughts you may have on ESPR.

Well this finally paid off big. Methinks biotechs may require patience I don't have.

[riverbabe]

Made an Ebola play yesterday -- NLNK. A few to choose from, but they're all starting at Phase 1 trials anyway. Bot at 23.52 and it closed at 22.95 (of course!)

Down and out!

[riverbabe]

Made an Ebola play yesterday -- NLNK. A few to choose from, but they're all starting at Phase 1 trials anyway. Bot at 23.52 and it closed at 22.95 (of course!)

[riverbabe]

Hi River, holding any QCOR? Not me...

No, not QCOR. But I have been in and out of (similar) RTRX several times with spectacular results.

[toxo]

Hi River, holding any QCOR? Not me...

[riverbabe]

River, After the long wait of over 3 years my son told me he bought some calls right as MNKD tanked before the news and he pocketed a fast $500. Some of the only good news I've heard.

--------------------billy

That is terrific!

[billyjoe]

River, After the long wait of over 3 years my son told me he bought some calls right as MNKD tanked before the news and he pocketed a fast $500. Some of the only good news I've heard.

--------------------billy

[riverbabe]

MNKD's ship has finally come in after several years. Unfortunately I jumped long ago. FDA apparently will approve Afrezza inhaleable insulin. MNKD more than doubles in after hours trading. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...#axzz2xg73mtbf

---------------------billy

I bailed a long time ago too. Didn't want to chance the binary this time again. Oh well...

[billyjoe]

River,
I'm all in now. Bought at 5.30 shortly before your post and again today at 5.08. Barchart has support at 4.97 and 4.84. Resistance 5.31 and 5.52. VV has a stop at 4.68.

----------billy

MNKD's ship has finally come in after several years. Unfortunately I jumped long ago. FDA apparently will approve Afrezza inhaleable insulin. MNKD more than doubles in after hours trading. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...#axzz2xg73mtbf

---------------------billy

[riverbabe]

River, You probably got the e-mail from Zacks about ACHN (follow the money). Any thoughts on them? They dropped like a rock after trials stopped on their Hepatitis 3 drug. Funds are buying them up like crazy in the last few weeks. BIIB and ALXN keep showing up on my graphs. These bios have burned me so often I should just put them all on a no buy list. Checking my watch list and finding a 50% drop is a nightmare that won't go away.

-------------------billy

I got it but would have had to chase it at that point. So didn't get in. (I really like FTM, not a stock. LOL). My nightmare was first a >50% haircut in DNDN and then the same in AMRN. My newest profits have more than made up for them. Thank you, market god.

[billyjoe]

River, You probably got the e-mail from Zacks about ACHN (follow the money). Any thoughts on them? They dropped like a rock after trials stopped on their Hepatitis 3 drug. Funds are buying them up like crazy in the last few weeks. BIIB and ALXN keep showing up on my graphs. These bios have burned me so often I should just put them all on a no buy list. Checking my watch list and finding a 50% drop is a nightmare that won't go away.

-------------------billy

[Louetta]

So Louetta, do you think maybe someone somewhere knew something? Looks like you got a good tip. Shows also that I knew NOTHING! NOTHING!

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/01/13/sanofi-unit-to-buy-700-million-stake-in-rare-disease-company/?nl=business&emc=edit_dlbkam_20140113

"Sanofi Unit to Buy $700 Million Stake in Rare Disease Company Genzyme, the American biotechnology unit of the French drug maker Sanofi, is buying a 12 percent stake in Alnylam Pharmaceuticals for $700 million as part of an expanded alliance to develop treatments for rare genetic diseases...."

Very likely. We have a family connection with a VC firm which deals in biotech. I originally got AMRN from them, latter JAZZ. Selling JAZZ too early is the biggest mistake I've ever made, I think. CADX is a more recent one which has done very well.

[riverbabe]

Alnylam (al-NIGH-lam) is an orphan-drug biopharmaceutical company with headquarters in the constellation ORION (see home page, LOL). Headquarters is visible from planet Earth as the center star of Orion's belt! A subsidiary on the planet Earth in the Milky Way galaxy is located in Cambridge, Mass. The company's pipeline drugs are based on a new technology using RNAi (RNA interference). For those of you all who do not have an advanced degree in biochem or other biotech sciences, don't throw in the towel just yet. What is important here is that they have a good pipeline of products with some success in Phase 2 studies. They are currently enrolling at least one Phase 3 study. http://www.alnylam.com/Programs-and-Pipeline/index.php They have been presenting at various conferences and the latest Press Release is here: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix....479&highlight=

They have lots and lots of issued patents and pending patents all over the world: http://www.alnylam.com/Intellectual-...view/index.php and http://www.alnylam.com/Intellectual-...tate/index.php They are also well represented by major pharma as research and development partners.

In short, as Lou said, they are a promising early development baby biotech. They sort of remind me of BMRN and AMRN early on. And we all know that BMRN is doing well and AMRN just crashed and burned. So ya pays yer money and takes yer chances. OR you can bet the short term pops whenever they schedule another conference to report more good results. OR you can wait a few years for terrific results from the Phase 3 study and then bet on a run up to an FDA PDUFA date or European approval. OR big excited takeover rumors and another short term pop.

I wish I were 25 again with a load of money and a lifetime to wait. Not to mention could take the risks involved in any baby biotech's evolution. Also wish I could have a clearer view of Orion's belt to see what's in the stars for ALNY.

So Louetta, do you think maybe someone somewhere knew something? Looks like you got a good tip. Shows also that I knew NOTHING! NOTHING!

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/01/13/sanofi-unit-to-buy-700-million-stake-in-rare-disease-company/?nl=business&emc=edit_dlbkam_20140113

"Sanofi Unit to Buy $700 Million Stake in Rare Disease Company Genzyme, the American biotechnology unit of the French drug maker Sanofi, is buying a 12 percent stake in Alnylam Pharmaceuticals for $700 million as part of an expanded alliance to develop treatments for rare genetic diseases...."