NEWS & COMMENTS

PROHOST    FILTER

     Three biotechnology topics impose themselves as priorities: Influenza, immunostimulation and diabetes. When such priorities surface, a lot of hype surfaces with them. Hundreds of firms have issued press releases about products that prevent infection with the new flu viral strains, or treat the resistant strains when people succumb.  Also, a revolution is taking place in the treatment of both types of diabetes and therapeutic vaccines. These subjects will be tackled in depth both upcoming Prohost E-letters and N-letters for subscribers only.

      Otherwise, investors are waiting for tomorrow’s Amgen’s announcement of its quarterly results. Amgen is still genius and still #1 biotech firm, sharing its front seat row with Genentech (DNA). Another front row company, Imclone, will also report its financial results tomorrow. Many analysts have optimistic expectations that the firm will post  solid results on increased sales of its cancer treatment Erbitux. However, some analysts are concerned about the future of Erbitux’ growth, which will soon face a competitor, panitumumab, developed by Amgen and is expected to be approved based on superior results. In addition, investors and analysts are waiting for the outcome of the of a patent lawsuit that may affect Imclone's valuation.

IN THE

MEDIMMUNE (MEDI): According to the firm, the approval of its improved version of the nasal spray vaccine is imminent. The vaccine will be ready for the 2007-08 flu season, even though federal regulators have asked for some clarification and additional information related to data previously submitted. MEDI said it will respond within two to four weeks to the FDA requests. The firm is confident about the approval of the vaccine and more good news is expected. (See Prohost upcoming E-letter)

GTC BIOTHERAPEUTICS GTCB obtained agreements from new and existing institutional investors to purchase 12 million shares of GTC's common stock at a price of $1.38 per share, the closing bid price for the common stock immediately before entering into the binding agreements for the transaction.  

READ MORE: GTC Biotherapeutics to Raise $17.5 Million in Registered Direct Offering

What do we think about this firm’s technology, products and valuation will be in the upcoming issue of Prohost E-letter.

NOVAVAX (NVAX) received positive results from several pre-clinical studies relating to the company's pandemic and seasonal influenza vaccines, which are under development. Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh and the Southern Research Institute in Birmingham, Ala., have been collaborating with Novavax to test the company's virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines for various strains of influenza.  

READ MORE:  Novavax Receives Positive Results From Pre-Clinical Studies of Influenza Vaccines

ALNYLAM PHARMACEUTICALS (ALNY) announced that a new key patent from its exclusively held "Tuschl II" patent series was issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The newly issued U.S. patent (U.S. Patent No. 7,078,196 or " '196 patent") broadly covers methods of making small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), the molecules that mediate RNAi, and includes 79 claims covering chemical modifications needed to introduce "drug-like" properties in RNAi therapeutics.  

READ MORE: Alnylam Receives New Issued U.S. Patent Broadly Covering Small Interfering RNAs and Strengthens Leadership in Intellectual Property for RNAi Therapeutics

Prohost is independent publication providing information on biotech companies. Prohost does not accept compensation from companies that are featured or profiled. It is strongly recommended that any purchase or sale decisions to any of the featured companies be discussed with a financial advisor or broker prior to completing any such purchase or sale decision. All statements or expressions are the opinion of Prohost and are not meant to be a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell, or hold securities. Investing in embryonic companies, micro-cap and growth securities is highly speculative and carries a high degree of risk. It is possible that an investor can lose all of his/her investment in this type of companies that are profiled. The information that Prohost relies on is either through the profiled company, news services, research reports, interviews, or other outside sources that Prohost believes are reliable. Prohost makes no representations, warranties or guarantees as to the accuracy or completeness of the disclosure of the profiled companies and accepts no responsibilities for inaccuracies or misleading content in any material supplied by those clients. There can be no assurance that future events relating to the profiled company will occur as anticipated. The information contained herein is provided as an information service only. Past performance of featured companies does not guarantee the future success of any currently featured or profiled company. We encourage our readers to invest carefully and read the investor information provided by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and/or the National Association of Securities Dealers ("NASD"). We also strongly recommend that you read the SEC advisory to investors concerning Internet Stock Fraud, which can be found at: http://www.sec.gov/consumer/cyberfr.htm