How Much For Life? Allos Therapeutics Says $30,000 - Per Month

The cost of Folotyn (pralatrexate injection) runs about $120,000 a year, a price tag that few drugs for incurable, rare cancers can match. With the runaway cost of healthcare under intense debate, critics contend that Allos Therapeutics' (ALTH-$5.99) drug for for relapsing or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma is excessive — especially since clinical benefit, such as improvement in progression-free survival or prolonging life, has not been demonstrated. In the pivotal PROPEL trial that led to FDA approval, duration of response was, on average, 9.4 months and the mean overall survival time was 14.7 months.

Will insurers push back on the cost of Folotyn treatment? Continue Reading at BNET PHARMA….

Editor David J Phillips does not hold a financial interest in any stocks mentioned in this article. The 10Q Detective has a Full Disclosure Policy.

Abbott Labs Looks to TriLipix and Certriad for Future Success'

The success behind Abbott Laboratories’ (ABT-$53.78) patent-expiry settlement with Teva Pharmaceutical is that it buys the drug maker more time to switch patients from its blockbuster drug TriCor to the brand sequel TriLipix.

Efforts to broaden the commercial appeal of Abbott’s lipid franchise, which also includes Niaspan (extended-release niacin) and Simcor (simvastatin/niacin extended release), hinges on a fixed-dose combination of TriLipix and Crestor, to be called Certriad.

What are the competitive threats coming down the pipeline? Continue Reading at BNET Pharma….

Editor David J Phillips does not hold a financial interest in any stocks mentioned in this article. The 10Q Detective has a Full Disclosure Policy.

GameStop's Gamer Hell

In fiscal 2008, GameStop (GME-$21.35) generated approximately 40 percent of its sales and 56 percent of its operating profit during the all-important fourth-quarter holiday selling season. Christmas is also critical to the company’s cash flow. For the first half of fiscal 2009, GameStop bled $261 million. Nonetheless, the nation’s largest video game retailer expects to generate free cash flow in the range of $400 million to $425 million this fiscal year — fueled by holiday sales.

Last week Wal-Mart declared “Game On,” announcing 15-20% savings on 25 top video game titles, including bestsellers Rock Band: Beatles (Wii) and Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360). Could GameStop find coal in its Christmas stocking this year? Read more at BNET Retail….

Editor David J Phillips does not hold a financial interest in any stocks mentioned in this article. The 10Q Detective has a Full Disclosure Policy.

Valero 'Fills 'Er Up With Ethanol Profits

Valero (VLO-$16.36) is looking to improve margins by shifting its crude diet away from heavy sours to lighter “sweet” (lower sulfur content) grades of oil. Prior to the shuttering of doors at the 200,000 barrel-per-day heavy crude facility in Delaware City, Valero had idled about 20 percent of its total capacity of 2.8 million barrels of oil a day — with another 24 percent of refinery utilization down for maintenance.

Cost cutting will not be enough to shore up weak fundamentals. Though refineries coming online in China and Brazil are expected to serve domestic markets, capacity expansions in the Middle East and India are expected to cater to export markets, dampening any hoped for recovery in near-term refinery margins at Valero. Read More at BNET ENERGY….

Editor David J Phillips does not hold a financial interest in any stocks mentioned in this article. The 10Q Detective has a Full Disclosure Policy.

More on Novartis' Promising MS Drug Fingolimod

Novartis’ (NVS-$55.78) fingolimod, first in a new class of immunomodulatory drugs called S1P-receptor modulators, reduces circulating levels of white blood cells (by bottling them up in lymph nodes). Though effective in relapsing forms of MS, treatment with fingolimod – like all disease-modifying agents – is not without risk Skin cancer being Novartis’ alleged alabatross. The FDA will likely weigh the drugs promising efficacy, however, against this adverse event by requiring Novartis to develop a RiskMap protocol.

Can fingolimod cross the finish line before German drug maker Merck KgaA’s cladribine tablet and be the first oral MS treatment to market?

Continue Reading at BNET Pharma….

Editor David J Phillips does not hold a financial interest in any stocks mentioned in this article. The 10Q Detective has a Full Disclosure Policy.

Second Life for Pfizer's HIV Drug Selzentry

Pfizer’s (PFE-$18.85) anti-HIV drug Selzentry is now approved for combination use with other antiretroviral agents for treatment-naïve patients infected with CCR5-tropic HIV-1. Granted accelerated approval by the FDA in August 2007 for treatment-experienced patients infected with the R5 HIV-1 strain, industry pundits forecasted sales of more than $500 million by 2012. Uptake of Selzentry by HIV specialists has been less than expected — a marketing disaster — with Pfizer reporting paltry sales of just $46 million in 2008.

Will expanded labeling lead to usage beyond salvage therapy for this entry inhibitor? Read More at BNET Pharma….

Editor David J Phillips does not hold a financial interest in any stocks mentioned in this article. The 10Q Detective has a Full Disclosure Policy.

Jacked up Dreams at Incyte

In the newly inked commercial deal with Novartis, drug designer Incyte (INCY-$8.39) retained exclusive rights for the development and potential commercialization of INCB18424 in the US. With more than 100,000 patients suffering from MF or related disorders, on the surface this looks like a sound commercial strategy. Think again — although the company had about $361 million in cash available as of November 5, no revenue stream currently exists to fund in-house development.

With an accumulated deficit of $1.3 billion sitting on its balance sheet, Incyte knows first hand the financial risks that coincide with navigating a small molecule compound from proof-in-principle and clinical trials to FDA approval and commercial viability.

Read more at BNET Pharma….

Editor David J Phillips does not hold a financial interest in any stocks mentioned in this article. The 10Q Detective has a Full Disclosure Policy.