I just got some good info from a buddy of mine and he says to buy, buy, buy the stock MICU right now!! It's in the Nasdaq. He has a targeted date of 6 months to a year that this stock will be up to $25-$30 by then. It's around $13.50 right now which would pretty much double your money....believe me this guy is good. He's always right on with his target dates of when the stocks he studies will rise and drop, so load up and collect the easy $$$$ with us. It's a semi long term investment, so don't bother checking this stock everyday. Check it in six months and you'll see. Just wanted to share this info with you guys....
Long term stock investment...make $$$
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What's up guys!! Just wanted to pass the word along that it is time to BUY BUY BUY this MICU stock right now....it's going down which is good at the moment...the last time I checked it was under $13. Buy the crap out of this thing right now and collect later when it hits the target price of $20-25 in about 5 months or so. I'm on to a couple other hot stocks and I'll pass the word on once I get all the info....
I just got info from my buddy on this MICU stock right now and again BUY THE HOUSE on this thing RIGHT NOW!!!! New target dates set from him....
3 months: $15
12 months: $23
Right now it's a little over $12 and if you wait until the 12 month target date...pretty much DOUBLE YOUR MONEY!!!
3 months: $15
12 months: $23
Right now it's a little over $12 and if you wait until the 12 month target date...pretty much DOUBLE YOUR MONEY!!!
RS...could you get your buddy to elaborate on the point that around May 25 this stock went from around 23$ to 12$ in one day giving up all gains since the ipo 4 yrs ago???
I'll ask him about that........I'm sure he's banking on it to go back up here soon, but I wasn't aware of that dramatic drop in one day! I'll ask him, but this guy knows his stuff, alot more than me when it comes to stocks 
While I don't necesaarily agree with the price target of MICU, I do subscribe to a biotech newsletter that closely follows the company. I will post all of his past and future thoughts on the stock shortly when i get a chance.
3/23/03
The biotech rally last week was the best we?ve seen in recent months. This corresponded with the general upbeat trend in all the US equity markets. Today?s note will focus on Versicor (VERS), a small biotech company developing a franchise in infectious disease. Last week the company released results of a Phase III trial with anidulafungin. This drug belongs to a new class of antifungals called echinocandins. They work by an entirely different mechanism than other two currently available classes (triazoles and amphotericins) of anti-fungal agents. The echinocandins have the advantage of being cidal while not having the serious toxicities of the amphotericins. The real advantage of the echinocandins is that they can more easily treat resistant organisms. The only approved member of this class is Cancidas (caspofungin from Merck) and it is being used widely. Anidulafungin and micafungin from Versicor and Fujisawa respectively are in the pipeline as potential competitors. Fujisawa filed on micafungin with the FDA in April of ?02 and received an FDA letter on January 29th ?03 asking for more data. This may put both of these drugs on similar time-lines. The other new antifungal on the market is voriconazole (Vfend) from Pfizer but again this is a different class of drug but definitely an improvement over previous members of its class and is approved to treat life-threatening infections.
What I like about Versicor is that anidulafungin is an approvable drug in light of the just released Phase III results. The company hopes to file with the FDA by end April using this Phase III data supplemented with Phase II data from an invasive candidiasis trial and interim data from a Phase III aspergillosis study. They also have a near-term pipeline candidate in dalbavancin, a long acting drug with a similar spectrum of activity as vancomycin. This could be very useful in getting patients home quickly and make outpatient care simpler. VERS? stock went down a few points after announcing results of the Phase III anidulafungin trial. The trial met the primary endpoint of non-inferiority to the comparator, fluconazole. However at a repeat endoscopy a few weeks after therapy more patients in the anidulafungin arm recurred. The drug did have a very good safety profile. On a quick analysis most investors came to the conclusion that giving anidulafungin intravenously was no better than the current oral therapy and patients recurred more frequently so therefore this was no great shakes. What?s missing in this analysis is that the company has really no intention of trying to treat esophageal candidiasis. We already have a very successful and simple oral therapy. However, this indication is probably the easiest route through the FDA-- that is unless the FDA raises the bar. It is like Celgene getting Thalidomide approved for leprosy?did anyone think this was really going to be a major use? The real goal is to get anidulafungin approved quickly and then have it used in invasive candidiasis and candida septicemia (many candida infections of these kinds are caused by organisms resistant to fluconazole) as well as invasive aspergillosis. Phase III trials are underway for these other more serious candida infections. For these indications anidulafungin should be a superior drug to the common triazoles, however there will be competition from others in its class. In summary I think investors did not appreciate Versicor?s strategy for anidulafungin. With one late phase drug about to be filed with the FDA, another in Phase III trials and a deep pipeline this company could certainly be an attractive takeover candidate for a large pharma looking to solidify an infectious disease franchise. I like Versicor at the current price of $10.47?in fact I think it?s a bargain. VERS? financial statistics include a market cap of $272 million, 26 million shares mostly in a public float, and cash and equivalents of $62 million with no long-term debt to speak of.
The biotech rally last week was the best we?ve seen in recent months. This corresponded with the general upbeat trend in all the US equity markets. Today?s note will focus on Versicor (VERS), a small biotech company developing a franchise in infectious disease. Last week the company released results of a Phase III trial with anidulafungin. This drug belongs to a new class of antifungals called echinocandins. They work by an entirely different mechanism than other two currently available classes (triazoles and amphotericins) of anti-fungal agents. The echinocandins have the advantage of being cidal while not having the serious toxicities of the amphotericins. The real advantage of the echinocandins is that they can more easily treat resistant organisms. The only approved member of this class is Cancidas (caspofungin from Merck) and it is being used widely. Anidulafungin and micafungin from Versicor and Fujisawa respectively are in the pipeline as potential competitors. Fujisawa filed on micafungin with the FDA in April of ?02 and received an FDA letter on January 29th ?03 asking for more data. This may put both of these drugs on similar time-lines. The other new antifungal on the market is voriconazole (Vfend) from Pfizer but again this is a different class of drug but definitely an improvement over previous members of its class and is approved to treat life-threatening infections.
What I like about Versicor is that anidulafungin is an approvable drug in light of the just released Phase III results. The company hopes to file with the FDA by end April using this Phase III data supplemented with Phase II data from an invasive candidiasis trial and interim data from a Phase III aspergillosis study. They also have a near-term pipeline candidate in dalbavancin, a long acting drug with a similar spectrum of activity as vancomycin. This could be very useful in getting patients home quickly and make outpatient care simpler. VERS? stock went down a few points after announcing results of the Phase III anidulafungin trial. The trial met the primary endpoint of non-inferiority to the comparator, fluconazole. However at a repeat endoscopy a few weeks after therapy more patients in the anidulafungin arm recurred. The drug did have a very good safety profile. On a quick analysis most investors came to the conclusion that giving anidulafungin intravenously was no better than the current oral therapy and patients recurred more frequently so therefore this was no great shakes. What?s missing in this analysis is that the company has really no intention of trying to treat esophageal candidiasis. We already have a very successful and simple oral therapy. However, this indication is probably the easiest route through the FDA-- that is unless the FDA raises the bar. It is like Celgene getting Thalidomide approved for leprosy?did anyone think this was really going to be a major use? The real goal is to get anidulafungin approved quickly and then have it used in invasive candidiasis and candida septicemia (many candida infections of these kinds are caused by organisms resistant to fluconazole) as well as invasive aspergillosis. Phase III trials are underway for these other more serious candida infections. For these indications anidulafungin should be a superior drug to the common triazoles, however there will be competition from others in its class. In summary I think investors did not appreciate Versicor?s strategy for anidulafungin. With one late phase drug about to be filed with the FDA, another in Phase III trials and a deep pipeline this company could certainly be an attractive takeover candidate for a large pharma looking to solidify an infectious disease franchise. I like Versicor at the current price of $10.47?in fact I think it?s a bargain. VERS? financial statistics include a market cap of $272 million, 26 million shares mostly in a public float, and cash and equivalents of $62 million with no long-term debt to speak of.
03/30/03
In one of the last notes (see archives) I wrote about Versicor and how I thought the street misinterpreted the Phase III anidulafungin data, which did hit the primary endpoint of non-inferiority to fluconazole in candida esophagitis. The company has just changed its name to Vicuron (MICU)?for no particularly good reason I can see?anyway this is supposed to reflect the merger with Biosearch Italia S.p.A. The stock has moved up incrementally since that note and I am going to add 1000 more shares to the model portfolio. Basically their new antifungal agent will compete with Cancidas from Merck. An NDA for another competing product from Fujisawa?s has been filed in the US but a recent FDA letter clouds the approval time-line. MICU has a strong pipeline and I still think they are a potential buyout candidate. The stock should move with the upcoming anidulafungin filing and I think the current price represents a good entry point.
In one of the last notes (see archives) I wrote about Versicor and how I thought the street misinterpreted the Phase III anidulafungin data, which did hit the primary endpoint of non-inferiority to fluconazole in candida esophagitis. The company has just changed its name to Vicuron (MICU)?for no particularly good reason I can see?anyway this is supposed to reflect the merger with Biosearch Italia S.p.A. The stock has moved up incrementally since that note and I am going to add 1000 more shares to the model portfolio. Basically their new antifungal agent will compete with Cancidas from Merck. An NDA for another competing product from Fujisawa?s has been filed in the US but a recent FDA letter clouds the approval time-line. MICU has a strong pipeline and I still think they are a potential buyout candidate. The stock should move with the upcoming anidulafungin filing and I think the current price represents a good entry point.
07/13/03
On another note today?s crash has opened up some buying opportunities. I am adding 2000 more shares of Vicuron (MICU) at $13.94/share to the Model Portfolio. I will write in more detail later but they should have fairly clear sailing on FDA approval of their new antifungal agent, anidulafungin. The only approved agent in this class is Caspofungin from Merck and this is as big seller. The other competition is from Fujisawa?s micafungin. Fujisawa filed with the FDA well before Vicuron but their application has been delayed. It is likely that the FDA will require more studies?other than the prophylaxis trial in neutropenia which used Amphotericin B as a control and showed equal efficacy. I think they are going to need to show efficacy in some real fungal disease in a Phase III setting. The other new class of antifungals is represented by Voriconazole (Pfizer), which although incredibly active has many more side effects than the echinocandins. Also I like MICU?s pipeline. They are raising more money (about $70 million) with some dilution. The current market cap is $669 million with about $140 million net cash
On another note today?s crash has opened up some buying opportunities. I am adding 2000 more shares of Vicuron (MICU) at $13.94/share to the Model Portfolio. I will write in more detail later but they should have fairly clear sailing on FDA approval of their new antifungal agent, anidulafungin. The only approved agent in this class is Caspofungin from Merck and this is as big seller. The other competition is from Fujisawa?s micafungin. Fujisawa filed with the FDA well before Vicuron but their application has been delayed. It is likely that the FDA will require more studies?other than the prophylaxis trial in neutropenia which used Amphotericin B as a control and showed equal efficacy. I think they are going to need to show efficacy in some real fungal disease in a Phase III setting. The other new class of antifungals is represented by Voriconazole (Pfizer), which although incredibly active has many more side effects than the echinocandins. Also I like MICU?s pipeline. They are raising more money (about $70 million) with some dilution. The current market cap is $669 million with about $140 million net cash
5/24/04
A short note on Vicuron
Vicuron (MICU) traded down close to 9 points today (closing at $13.04) on the announcement that the FDA had only issued an approvable letter (as opposed to an approval letter) for Anidulafungin, their lead antifungal agent. The problem with the large Phase III trial in esophageal candidiasis was the recurrence rate. MICU used a trial design similar to the one Merck used for the approval of their first-in-class drug, Cancidas. However the FDA has become more conservative over time, especially with one member of this new class (echinocandins) already approved, and now demands a higher mark. This Phase III trial was designed for a quick approval. In reality none of the echinocandins will be used for esophageal candidiasis since a much cheaper treatment (Diflucan) is already very effective. The real need for this class of drugs is for invasive disease in which you don?t have information on the sensitivity or species of yeast in hand. Merck?s sales demonstrate the market potential for a new and possibly better echinocandin. It is very likely that anidulafungin will get approved but with a delayed time-line. One route to approval is to use the current trial in invasive fungal disease?results expected early 2005
MICU will also be presenting data from three pivotal Phase III trials on dalbavancin, the second drug in their rich pipeline. Dalbavancin may turn out to be a very important drug for MRSA, not only because of its convenience but also because it may be more effective than vancomycin (because of increased drug levels) and Zyvox. From a clinical point of view I certainly like the ability to use this drug in the outpatient setting with weekly injections (actually probably day 1 and day 8) as opposed to twice daily injections for vancomycin. Zyvox is just too expensive with too many side effects and despite Pfizer?s attempts to slant and combine trial results it is probably no better than vancomycin.
MICU is one of the few companies developing antibiotics. One reason more companies are not in the antibiotic game is the increased risk caused by more stringent FDA criteria for non-inferiority studies (a traditional trial design for antibiotics).
When all is said and done I think this will prove to be a good entry point for MICU?the market cap is now down to $737 million. I bought more in my personal account today at about $13/share.
A short note on Vicuron
Vicuron (MICU) traded down close to 9 points today (closing at $13.04) on the announcement that the FDA had only issued an approvable letter (as opposed to an approval letter) for Anidulafungin, their lead antifungal agent. The problem with the large Phase III trial in esophageal candidiasis was the recurrence rate. MICU used a trial design similar to the one Merck used for the approval of their first-in-class drug, Cancidas. However the FDA has become more conservative over time, especially with one member of this new class (echinocandins) already approved, and now demands a higher mark. This Phase III trial was designed for a quick approval. In reality none of the echinocandins will be used for esophageal candidiasis since a much cheaper treatment (Diflucan) is already very effective. The real need for this class of drugs is for invasive disease in which you don?t have information on the sensitivity or species of yeast in hand. Merck?s sales demonstrate the market potential for a new and possibly better echinocandin. It is very likely that anidulafungin will get approved but with a delayed time-line. One route to approval is to use the current trial in invasive fungal disease?results expected early 2005
MICU will also be presenting data from three pivotal Phase III trials on dalbavancin, the second drug in their rich pipeline. Dalbavancin may turn out to be a very important drug for MRSA, not only because of its convenience but also because it may be more effective than vancomycin (because of increased drug levels) and Zyvox. From a clinical point of view I certainly like the ability to use this drug in the outpatient setting with weekly injections (actually probably day 1 and day 8) as opposed to twice daily injections for vancomycin. Zyvox is just too expensive with too many side effects and despite Pfizer?s attempts to slant and combine trial results it is probably no better than vancomycin.
MICU is one of the few companies developing antibiotics. One reason more companies are not in the antibiotic game is the increased risk caused by more stringent FDA criteria for non-inferiority studies (a traditional trial design for antibiotics).
When all is said and done I think this will prove to be a good entry point for MICU?the market cap is now down to $737 million. I bought more in my personal account today at about $13/share.
That is it, the guy who's Biotech newsletter I subscribe tohas done extremely well over the last 3 - 4 years. As you can see, he has a very good understanding of the technology and the companies he follows. He is a doctor that consults to a few biotech hedge funds and sits on a couple of boards of biotech companies.
I don't usually like to give out my sources, because I don't look as smart if everyone knows the same info as me, buuuutt I'll make an exception this time. Just kidding...the website is biotechinsight.com. I think you can get it pretty cheap.
Jack, I hope you don't get mad about me posting this link.
Jack, I hope you don't get mad about me posting this link.
Doughboy......all of that info was GREAT!!!!!! I'm glad to see your source is on this MICU stock....I"ll be buying some more shares shortly here as well as I think it's going up...my buddy maybe gets the same info you get..I'll ask him. Thanks for the writeups and let's hope this one does what's expected.......
Phase III trials are always unpredictable. Hope it works out for you.. The economy looks sluggish for the summer..
I don't own MICU, and hope they work out also. There is one thing I can tell you. I can tell you that the market may look sluggish this summer, but to say the economy looks sluggish is to make a false statement. We are seeing growth in business now like we haven't seen in quite a while. Without getting into a rant about tax cuts, and blah, blah, blah.......I do know that we in an upswing.
Yeah..I do agree that we are in an upswing. I just talked with my buddy and he is so positive that MICU is such a good buy right now and to not worry...it will be $$$$$ in less than a year, so jump in as you can. It's a long investment if you have the patience for it.
I am a "virign" to the stock market and am looking for an education regarding the MICU "play".
I contacted a rural Iowa broker regarding a purchase of said stock and he refused to handle the transaction because of the companies finanacial losses the past 4 years.
2000= -15.3 M 2001 = -32.8 M 2002 = -48.8 M 2003 = -174.1 M
The broker "flat out" told me to invest somewhere else and he would be happy to take the 2% commission.
I suspect the broker wouldn't act on my behalf partly because of the "good 'ol boy" senario, because my Dad uses this broker for investing purposes.
I am anxious to hear what the MJ stock market veterans will have to say on this situation.
Thanks for the "heads up" on this stock and it has been interesting to view MICU each day.
CranMan The CrazyMan
I contacted a rural Iowa broker regarding a purchase of said stock and he refused to handle the transaction because of the companies finanacial losses the past 4 years.
2000= -15.3 M 2001 = -32.8 M 2002 = -48.8 M 2003 = -174.1 M
The broker "flat out" told me to invest somewhere else and he would be happy to take the 2% commission.
I suspect the broker wouldn't act on my behalf partly because of the "good 'ol boy" senario, because my Dad uses this broker for investing purposes.
I am anxious to hear what the MJ stock market veterans will have to say on this situation.
Thanks for the "heads up" on this stock and it has been interesting to view MICU each day.
CranMan The CrazyMan
Wow...thanks for the insite Cranman. That's shocking to hear about that broker refusing to take the stock and his comments about it. I read recently that MICU had a lawsuit put against them and I'm assuming that's why the price is dropping so fast right now, but like I said this is "long term" deal, so I'm not expecting anything positive for awhile (months to be exact). I know I've read many up and down things about MICU in here and all around, but I'm sticking with it.
