Post by marriott on Jul 22, 2015 0:20:30 GMT
from the Motley Fool
Sean Williams: Whether you realize it or not, global cancer drug spending topped $100 billion in 2014, and it could grow to as much as $147 billion by 2018 according to IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics. For cancer patients, it means potentially game-changing therapies are on the way. For investors, it could mean the opportunity to piggyback on some life-saving medicines.
One cancer drug that I'd suggest investors closely monitor is Geron's (NASDAQ:GERN) imetelstat, which is targeted at treating myelofibrosis, a rare form of bone marrow cancer that leads to scarring. Currently, there is just one approved myelofibrosis therapy in the United States: Incyte's Jakafi.
Jakafi is a JAK2 inhibitor that's been shown to provide clinical improvement in studies, such as in spleen volume reduction and hematocrit control, but it does not produce partial or complete responses in patients. In other words, it strictly minimizes patient symptoms to improve quality of life.
Geron's imetelstat could change the game. In prior clinical studies, both partial and complete responses were observed in myelofibrosis patients. The downside to imetelstat? It comes with possible liver safety concerns, as the Food and Drug Administration halted studies on the experimental drug between mid-March 2014 and early Nov. 2014. Geron is obviously free to advance the drug now with the hold lifted, but its safety concerns still echo loud and clear.
What makes matters even more intriguing is that healthcare conglomerate Johnson & Johnson is betting up to $935 million on Geron that imetelstat will displace JAK2 inhibitors in the future. It paid Geron $35 million upfront in a collaborative deal this past November, and will deliver $900 million more in undisclosed development, regulatory, and sales milestones.
Imetelstat has serious backers; now it's just a matter of whether or not it works in larger studies.
Sean Williams: Whether you realize it or not, global cancer drug spending topped $100 billion in 2014, and it could grow to as much as $147 billion by 2018 according to IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics. For cancer patients, it means potentially game-changing therapies are on the way. For investors, it could mean the opportunity to piggyback on some life-saving medicines.
One cancer drug that I'd suggest investors closely monitor is Geron's (NASDAQ:GERN) imetelstat, which is targeted at treating myelofibrosis, a rare form of bone marrow cancer that leads to scarring. Currently, there is just one approved myelofibrosis therapy in the United States: Incyte's Jakafi.
Jakafi is a JAK2 inhibitor that's been shown to provide clinical improvement in studies, such as in spleen volume reduction and hematocrit control, but it does not produce partial or complete responses in patients. In other words, it strictly minimizes patient symptoms to improve quality of life.
Geron's imetelstat could change the game. In prior clinical studies, both partial and complete responses were observed in myelofibrosis patients. The downside to imetelstat? It comes with possible liver safety concerns, as the Food and Drug Administration halted studies on the experimental drug between mid-March 2014 and early Nov. 2014. Geron is obviously free to advance the drug now with the hold lifted, but its safety concerns still echo loud and clear.
What makes matters even more intriguing is that healthcare conglomerate Johnson & Johnson is betting up to $935 million on Geron that imetelstat will displace JAK2 inhibitors in the future. It paid Geron $35 million upfront in a collaborative deal this past November, and will deliver $900 million more in undisclosed development, regulatory, and sales milestones.
Imetelstat has serious backers; now it's just a matter of whether or not it works in larger studies.