Biotech Losers of 2013: AVEO, INFI, AFFY, and ARIA -- Where Are They Now?

Despite having lost more than 90% of its market valuation in the last 21 months, AVEO Pharma’s (AVEO-$1.24)  management believes it can drive shareholder creation by moving forward with other early-stage, oncology assets, principally by securing partnerships after providing proof-of-concept data. Though attractive commercial opportunities do exist, even in highly competitive markets, for targeted cancer therapies, we question this management team’s ability to develop their putative “first-in-class clinical assets” following the debacle of the VEGF receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, tivozanib, last year.

Read more at PropThink: https://propthink.com/the-market-just-isnt-convinced-the-aveo-nightmare-is-over/

Evolving Phase 1 data presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting held in early December 2013 showed not only that earlier safety concerns on Infinity’s (INFI-$9.20) lead asset, IPI-145, had been overblown, but that the drug demonstrated impressive efficacy in patients with either relapsed or refractory CLL (81% of patients had been treated with three or more systemic therapies), too.

Continue Reading at PropThink: https://propthink.com/drugs-disappointed-investors-2013-infinitys-ipi-145/

Unfortunately, we’ll never know the “would of, could of” commercial potential for Affymax’s (AFFY-$0.70) anemia treatment, brand-name Omontys. After posting sales of $34.6 million for the nine-month period ending December 31, 2012 – slightly below analyst forecasts, suggestive of the contract-grip Amgen held on dialysis centers – Omontys was recalled on February 23, 2013 following reports of severe hypersensitivity reactions including anaphylaxis in 0.2% (or about 50 patients) — including fatal reactions in 0.02% of the 25,000 patients –within 30 minutes of their first IV dose in the post-marketing phase. Almost a third of the reported cases required prompt medical intervention and in some cases hospitalization, according to an FDA safety alert issued at the time.

Read more at PropThink: https://propthink.com/fda-approved-drugs-disappointed-2013-affymaxs-omontys/

Though the stock price of Ariad Pharma (ARIA-$7.25) has rallied off its 52-week low of $2.15 per share (October 31, 2013) to the $7.00 level, it still trades significantly below its 52-week high of $23.00 (September 11, 2013). The relief rally has stalled for two reasons:

• Iclusig competes in an already crowded market for just two rare cancers. According to National Cancer Institute statistics, approximately 5,200 new cases of CML and 1,800 new cases of Ph+ ALL are diagnosed each year in the United States; and,
• Ariad has discontinued – after consulting with the FDA – its EPIC trial, which had been designed to investigate the use of Iclusig in the front-line settings.

Continue reading at PropThink: https://propthink.com/fda-approved-drugs-disappointed-investors-2013-ariads-iclusig/

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.