The Wall Street Transcript Publishes Monoclonal Antibodies Report In Chase H&Q 18th Annual Healthcare
Conference Issue
NEW YORK, Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Nine leading analysts and 85 Medical CEOs examine the Medical sector in the latest issue of The
Wall Street Transcript (212-952-7433) or www.twst.com/info31.htm
In a vital review of this sector for investors and industry professionals, this valuable 300-page Special Issue features:
1) Monoclonal Antibodies -- In an in-depth Analyst Interview (1,800 words) Jay Kim, Associate Analyst with Hambrecht & Quist,
examines the business models of emerging small cap biotech firms, especially those with antibody-based programs, exciting niche
opportunities, new discoveries, the outlook for the sector, and specific stock recommendations.
"Recombinant proteins and monoclonal antibodies were the foundation of the biotech industry initially," declares Kim. "During the 1980s
and into the early 1990s, there were some major setbacks with monoclonal antibodies in clinical development. One of the primary reasons
for these failures was that the antibodies were made of 'murine' sequences, murine being mouse. However, we have seen changes over the
past few years with several antibody-based products reaching the market; MedImmune's (Nasdaq: MEDI) Synagis, Centocor's Remicade,
Genentech's (NYSE: DNA) Herceptin, and Protein Design Lab's (Nasdaq: PDLI) Zenapax, all of them are partially or fully humanized,
meaning that human antibody genes are incorporated into producing these antibodies. In other words, these antibodies are made up of a
combination of human and mouse protein sequences."
"The reason why there were disappointments in the 1980s was that they were using a technology based on the mouse rather than on the
human," states Kim. "That is one significant reason for early development failures. Also, poor target selection is another one. For example,
let's look at non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In the past, several groups were looking at the CD19 antigen for treating non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma, but they ran into problems with selectivity and expression levels of the target. It turned out that the CD20 antigen was a more
specific and stable target for this disease. IDEC's (Nasdaq: IDPH) Rituxan and Coulter's (Nasdaq:CLTR) Bexxar are designed to bind
CD20. So target selection is another one as well."
"I think genomics is going to play a big role in the antibody field. In the past couple of weeks, CuraGen (Nasdaq: CRGN) and Human
Genome Sciences (Nasdaq: HGSI) signed major deals with Abgenix (Nasdaq: ABGX), a leading player in the antibody arena," says Kim.
"What they intend to do is to take the large pool of targets and related information derived from the genomics programs and then apply
Abgenix's antibody technology platform to create antibody drugs against these targets. Antibodies are usually given by subcutaneous or
IM injection or intravenously, which may be a disadvantage to orally bioavailable small molecule drugs. But the development time is much
faster for antibodies than for small molecules."
"Several companies are looking at autoimmune and inflammatory diseases with monoclonal antibodies," declares Kim. "One that I would
like to highlight is Genentech and LeukoSite's LDP-O2 monoclonal antibody. Again, this is humanized, meaning that about 90% of the
antibody is human and 10% is murine. The benefit of having a humanized antibody is that it has a longer half-life, so dosing schedules
may be more convenient. Also a longer half-life enables the antibody to get to the target before it is cleared and as result, it may be more
efficacious. LDP-02 is a monoclonal antibody being used to treat inflammatory bowel disease. It's currently in PhaseII development." "I
think when you see a product like ReoPro, first introduced in 1994, become an important aspect of interventional cardiology, when you see
Rituxan for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma arrive in 1997, and the other big ones like Genentech's Herceptin and Remicade and Synagis all
approved in 1998, people start to wonder if this is a short-term anomaly or a long-term trend," says Kim. "And I think most people are
realizing that it's actually the latter. We believe the next wave of antibody therapeutics are going to come from two companies, Abgenix and
Medarex (Nasdaq: MEDX). They are devoted to developing fully human antibodies. They have unique technology platforms, XenoMouse
(Abgenix) and HuMab-Mouse (Medarex) systems, which are slightly different. Each company has created a proprietary transgenic mouse
system that expresses human antibodies rather than mouse antibodies."
Kim asserts, "If you look at the deal flow over the past year, it has been red hot. I think you're going to see this trend continuing with a lot
of smart money, that is the pharmaceutical and biotech companies, being invested into these antibody technologies. I think antibodies are
here to stay."
Abgenix: (aktuell) 159$ = +14,80%
Gruß TGK
Conference Issue
NEW YORK, Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Nine leading analysts and 85 Medical CEOs examine the Medical sector in the latest issue of The
Wall Street Transcript (212-952-7433) or www.twst.com/info31.htm
In a vital review of this sector for investors and industry professionals, this valuable 300-page Special Issue features:
1) Monoclonal Antibodies -- In an in-depth Analyst Interview (1,800 words) Jay Kim, Associate Analyst with Hambrecht & Quist,
examines the business models of emerging small cap biotech firms, especially those with antibody-based programs, exciting niche
opportunities, new discoveries, the outlook for the sector, and specific stock recommendations.
"Recombinant proteins and monoclonal antibodies were the foundation of the biotech industry initially," declares Kim. "During the 1980s
and into the early 1990s, there were some major setbacks with monoclonal antibodies in clinical development. One of the primary reasons
for these failures was that the antibodies were made of 'murine' sequences, murine being mouse. However, we have seen changes over the
past few years with several antibody-based products reaching the market; MedImmune's (Nasdaq: MEDI) Synagis, Centocor's Remicade,
Genentech's (NYSE: DNA) Herceptin, and Protein Design Lab's (Nasdaq: PDLI) Zenapax, all of them are partially or fully humanized,
meaning that human antibody genes are incorporated into producing these antibodies. In other words, these antibodies are made up of a
combination of human and mouse protein sequences."
"The reason why there were disappointments in the 1980s was that they were using a technology based on the mouse rather than on the
human," states Kim. "That is one significant reason for early development failures. Also, poor target selection is another one. For example,
let's look at non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In the past, several groups were looking at the CD19 antigen for treating non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma, but they ran into problems with selectivity and expression levels of the target. It turned out that the CD20 antigen was a more
specific and stable target for this disease. IDEC's (Nasdaq: IDPH) Rituxan and Coulter's (Nasdaq:CLTR) Bexxar are designed to bind
CD20. So target selection is another one as well."
"I think genomics is going to play a big role in the antibody field. In the past couple of weeks, CuraGen (Nasdaq: CRGN) and Human
Genome Sciences (Nasdaq: HGSI) signed major deals with Abgenix (Nasdaq: ABGX), a leading player in the antibody arena," says Kim.
"What they intend to do is to take the large pool of targets and related information derived from the genomics programs and then apply
Abgenix's antibody technology platform to create antibody drugs against these targets. Antibodies are usually given by subcutaneous or
IM injection or intravenously, which may be a disadvantage to orally bioavailable small molecule drugs. But the development time is much
faster for antibodies than for small molecules."
"Several companies are looking at autoimmune and inflammatory diseases with monoclonal antibodies," declares Kim. "One that I would
like to highlight is Genentech and LeukoSite's LDP-O2 monoclonal antibody. Again, this is humanized, meaning that about 90% of the
antibody is human and 10% is murine. The benefit of having a humanized antibody is that it has a longer half-life, so dosing schedules
may be more convenient. Also a longer half-life enables the antibody to get to the target before it is cleared and as result, it may be more
efficacious. LDP-02 is a monoclonal antibody being used to treat inflammatory bowel disease. It's currently in PhaseII development." "I
think when you see a product like ReoPro, first introduced in 1994, become an important aspect of interventional cardiology, when you see
Rituxan for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma arrive in 1997, and the other big ones like Genentech's Herceptin and Remicade and Synagis all
approved in 1998, people start to wonder if this is a short-term anomaly or a long-term trend," says Kim. "And I think most people are
realizing that it's actually the latter. We believe the next wave of antibody therapeutics are going to come from two companies, Abgenix and
Medarex (Nasdaq: MEDX). They are devoted to developing fully human antibodies. They have unique technology platforms, XenoMouse
(Abgenix) and HuMab-Mouse (Medarex) systems, which are slightly different. Each company has created a proprietary transgenic mouse
system that expresses human antibodies rather than mouse antibodies."
Kim asserts, "If you look at the deal flow over the past year, it has been red hot. I think you're going to see this trend continuing with a lot
of smart money, that is the pharmaceutical and biotech companies, being invested into these antibody technologies. I think antibodies are
here to stay."
Abgenix: (aktuell) 159$ = +14,80%
Gruß TGK
