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 Your ASCO Crib Sheet
On your way to Chicago for the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)? For thousands of oncologists, not to mention businesspeople, investors, and others interested in the latest in cancer research, it's the event of the season. If you're more of a homebody, that's okay too, thanks to a legion of reporters, twitter feeds, live bloggers, and so on--you don't actually have to be in the Windy City to catch the breeze. (However, if you want the world's best hot dog, you'll still have to show up in person).
The meeting always covers a lot of ground, and this year is no exception. But there is nonetheless pretty widespread agreement on the presentations that will be moving research...and stocks...forward next week. More...
More By Karl Thiel
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| |  | | Most of the exciting ASCO news is yet to come, but a few released abstracts--like those for Array Pharmaceuticals' two MEK inhibitors, selumetinib and MEK162 for non-small cell lung cancer and melanoma, respectively--have already excited the community. Nevertheless, there's a lot of non-ASCO news from the past month to take note of--like Vertex gaining over $5 billion in value in a single day on the back of a relatively small phase 2 study in cystic fibrosis. That's a lot riding on the experience of just 37 patients, but the results were very strong and Vertex is looking like it owns this space. -KT | | | |  | | Notice there's less job-slashing news of late? That gives us room to celebrate things like overpaid CEOs and even some company expansions (gasp)! Contract research company PPD, recently taken private by the Carlyle Group and Hellman & Friedman, gets a new CEO in David Simmons, who comes from Pfizer. His focus on emerging markets will help the critical move of the CRO into emerging R&D hotbeds in Asia. -KT | | | |  | | The diagnostic wars are heating up. Roche failed in its bid to acquire Illumina, but Agilent is looking to expand its footprint by acquiring Dako, which specializes in tissue-based cancer diagnostics. We can expect more acquisitions in this space. GlaxoSmithKline is going hostile in its bid for Human Genome Sciences, but managed to nab proteomics company Cellzome in a friendly way. It has increased its stake in Theravance. But AstraZeneca? No thank you. -KT | | | |  |  | • Biotech Bay (Emeryville, California)
Adamas Pharmaceuticals
Vice President, Pharmaceutical Development
Will be responsible for providing leadership for all analytical, formulation, and process development activities. This position will be responsible for leading Adamas' product development activities and the related resource outsourcing in support of all product development activities.
• Biotech Bay (San Jose, California)
Lab Support, A Division Of On Assignment
Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance
Will provide leadership for the development, implementation, communication and maintenance of quality systems policies and procedures for the company as well as provide strategic direction in regulatory compliance in accordance with US FDA regulations and ISO requirements.
• BioCapital (Silver Spring, Maryland)
International Partnership for Microbicides
Chief Financial Officer
Will work with IPM leadership and the broader team to provide strategic guidance to and implementation of the organization's vision. The CFO will work as a key member of the Executive Team to lead and manage all aspects of the organizations strategic and operational financial plans. The CFO will work very closely with the CEO, the Board of Directors and their Finance Committee and colleagues on the Executive Team to align the strategic views of the Board and CEO with the activities of the organization and provide overall leadership in the areas of financial management and business development.
• Biotechxus (Houston, Texas)
Pfizer Inc.
Director/Sr Director, Regional Medical & Research Specialist
Responsible for providing clinical and research support for the therapeutic area in the region. The RMRS role is to enhance medical communication between Pfizer and therapeutic experts and researchers, support clinical and outcomes research development, facilitate research site selection and study placement, and assist with the support of both Pfizer sponsored and investigator initiated research activities.
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| | |  |  Biotech Bay Career Fair
San Francisco Airport Marriot, May 29, 2012, 1pm to 6pm. Job seekers can spend a day with HR representatives and Hiring Managers from top biotech, pharma, and medical device companies in the Bay Area. |  |  2012 BIO Career Fair
Hynes Convention Center, Monday, June 18, 2012, 2pm to 7pm. Job seekers can spend a day with HR representatives and Hiring Managers from top biotech, pharma, and medical device companies in the Massachusetts region. |
| |  | | Who wants a slice of KPCB 15? That's the 15th traditional fund from everyone's favorite blue chip venture capitalist. Not all the money will be going to biotech, of course, but those life sciences startups that do get some funding will be among the most closely watched emerging companies in the world. And Arena Pharmaceuticals didn't waste any time raising cash after getting a positive recommendation from an FDA advisory panel on its obesity drug lorcaserin. The company's stock has nearly tripled off its April low. -KT | | | |  | David Blech once wielded a huge amount of power in the biotech industry. He was one of the industry's earliest financiers, and co-founded Icos with recently deceased industry pioneer George Rathmann. He was also involved in the formation of numerous other companies including Incyte Pharmaceuticals, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Ariad Pharmaceuticals, and Neurocrine Biosciences. When he was tried for securities fraud back into the mid-1990s, he got leniency by acting as an informant against an attorney trying to blackmail him. He probably won't stay out of jail this time around--Blech pled guilty to two counts of fraud. He is, if nothing else, a true believer in the promise of biotechnology.
And remember that brazen theft a couple of years ago of $70 million in pharmaceuticals from an Eli Lilly warehouse? The thieves cut a hole in the metal roof of the building and spent over five hours forklifting drugs into two tractor trailers. But the ringleader apparently left a single fingerprint behind and now over a dozen accomplices are probably heading for jail time. -KT | | | |  | | Arena got a huge boost after an FDA panel backed its obesity drug, despite some earlier worries about safety data. Pfizer's Tafamidis, for a rare neurodegenertive disease, got much more tepid support from a panel--which is not too surprising considering that the agency urged them to reject the drug. Medivation is getting into the increasingly crowded prostate cancer space with the promising enzalutamide. And just to cover more news we don't otherwise have space for: FDA panels said 'no' to Regeneron's gout drug and J&J's anticoagulant Xarelto; and the agency rejected Amgen's prostate cancer drug Xgeva. -KT | | | |  |
Karl Thiel is an analyst for The Motley Fool, a columnist for BioWorld Today, and a contributor to Nature Biotechnology. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
You may contact Karl Thiel at Karl.thiel@biospace.com.
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Phone: 877-277-7585
Fax: 415-576-9217 |
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