Expert Financial Analysis and Reporting

Overview I just finished publishing a detailed article for subscribers to my website detailing my view that Cytokinetics offers asymmetric upside potential. I thought that non-subscribers might be interested in a part of that article that went through the trials and tribulations of my long standing buy (two and one half years) on the stock. It […]

Purpose of this Report I listened carefully to CEO Robert Blum speaking at the Piper Jaffrey conference on December 1. This note is based on his comments on the probable (almost certain) upcoming phase 3 trial of omecamtiv mecarbil. I have built on his remarks to try to put this in an investment perspective. Will […]

Critical Issue in Interpreting the Data Northwest just recently presented length of survival data for 39 patients evaluated in its phase 1 trial of DCVax Direct. . These patients were suffering from 13 different y types of solid tumors. The common characteristic was they were in the terminal phase of their disease and their tumors […]

Terms of the Royalty Deal Agenus announced on September 9th that it had signed a royalty transaction with Oberlan Capital from which they will immediately receive $100 million. In return, Oberlan will receive (for a period) 100% of royalties stemming from the use of Agenus’ QS-21 adjuvant in Glaxo’s shingles and malaria prophylactic vaccines. This […]

SmithOnStocks Mailbox  Comments on Agenus, ImmunoCellular, Discovery Laboratories, Neuralstem, Kite and Juno About the Mailbox: My mailbox comments are brief notes on stocks in which I am involved. They can come from recent events or from subscribers’ questions. Comments are meant to address specific issues about these stocks and are not full and balanced reports. […]

Overview An FDA advisory panel on April 30 recommended by a vote of 22 to 1 that Amgen’s cancer vaccine talimogene laherparepvec be approved for the treatment of later stages of inoperable metastatic melanoma. The final decision will be made by the FDA, but it would be very surprising for the FDA to go against […]

The $40 million will fund the Company through the end of 2015. CEO Linda Powers indicates that this is the cornerstone of the Company’s financing plans. I am speculating that there will be as much as $60 million more capital raised this year that will take the Company well past topline DCVax-L data in 2016. […]

Observations about the Phase 2 Trial Results I spent the weekend thinking about the data released in the phase 2 trial and chose the word observation very carefully to describe my current thinking. The full results of the study will be published in a peer reviewed journal and/or presented at a major neurological medical conference. […]

There has been a lot of speculation about how much it costs to manufacture one course of individualized therapy of DCVax-L. In its manufacturing process, autologous living cells are removed from the patient’s body, manipulated ex vivo and then injected back into the body. This may take seven to eight days, has a number of […]

Introduction A number of subscribers have suggested that I write more on recent news events that relate to companies that I follow. This note is in response to these requests giving my take on some recent news releases. I would appreciate your feedback on whether this is of any value to you. I am considering […]