| |
[Beginning of
Cramer's
verbatim
comments for
this segment...]
Jim:
This is Cancer
Research Week on
Mad Money.
Everyday, we're
taking a look at
the companies
that are doing
the most to
battle this
terrible
disease, and
represent what I
think are the
best investment
or speculation
opportunities.
Pharma and
biotech names
with great
prospects...
We started with
two big pharma
stocks,
Pfizer (PFE)
and
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.
(BMY*)...
the latter I own
for
my charitable trust,
ActionAlertsPlus.com...
And, as the week
has gone by, we
said we'd be
more
speculative...
progressively
more
speculative...
That brought us
to
Celgene Corporation (CELG)
on Tuesday, and
then
Immunogen Inc.
(IMGN)
yesterday.
Today, we're
taking a look at
another
speculative
biotech stock
that's engaged
in the fight
against cancer.
It's
Allos Therapeutics, Inc.
(ALTH)...
This is a stock
I recommended
back on February
27th. It was at
$5.64. It then
went as high as
$8.68 in
September. Now
the stock is all
the way back...
it's
round-tripped...
at $5.89, about
4% higher than
it was when I
originally said
it was a buy.
Remember, on all
these
speculations,
you've got to
like, take some
profits when
they ramp. I
still think
maybe this one
could be an
opportunity...
we've got to do
some work on it.
Allos has come
down, even
though
everything we
expected to come
to pass actually
happened. The
company's main
drug, Folotyn,
which treats
refractory
peripheral
T-cell lymphoma,
was approved by
the FDA on
September 24th.
It's an orphan
drug... the
first and only
treatment in the
U.S. approved
for patients
with this
particular type
of cancer. Allos
plans to launch
Folotyn
commercially in
January, but
it's doing a
trade launch to
physicians at
the American
Society of
Hematology
meeting. That's
taking place
from December
5th to December
8th. The meeting
can be a big
catalyst for
Allos since it's
expected to have
multiple Folotyn
drug
presentations,
and the
company's
developing the
drug for
multiple
indications.
Remember, that
is the jackpot
when it comes to
cancer research.
Included in that
is CTCL, that's
a rare form of
non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma, and
lung cancer,
with additional
data coming out
later this year
and in the first
half of 2010.
Now, Allos just
reported an
in-line quarter
on Tuesday...
But what matters
with these
speculatives
biotechs is
clinical data
and drug
approvals, not
quarters... at
least until
Allos launches
its first drug
in January. And,
as far as the
one big drug
goes, I think it
makes Allos
Therapeutics a
very cheap
stock. Folotyn
sales could
reach $300
million in the
U.S. And, even
if it only turns
out to be $150
million
opportunity, it
should still be
worth about $5 a
share to the
stock. That's
less than $1
below where it's
trading right
now.
Why has Allos'
drug done so
poorly since its
big drug was
approved by the
FDA?...
Alright... The
company did a
secondary (stock
offering) on
October 7th,
issuing more
stock at
$7.10... that
really banged
the stock. It's
been all
downhill since
then. Given now
that the company
has $84 million
in cash at the
end of the
quarter, I don't
think we have to
worry about
another one of
these, and now
we have a chance
to buy Allos for
nearly 25% less
than where it
was trading
before Folotyn
was approved. It
seems
interesting,
right?...
As the company
actually starts
selling the
drug, I think
its stock should
go higher. But
since this is
speculative, I
want to do some
more homework...
I want to talk
to Paul Berns.
He's the CEO of
Allos Therapeutics, Inc.
(ALTH)...
Jim:
Mr. Berns, welcome
to Mad Money...
Berns:
Oh hi Jim,
thank you.
Jim:
Mr. Berns, I'm
trying to gauge...
always put myself in
the head of our
viewers, okay... The
viewers hear that
there's this
American Society of
Hematology
conference coming
up, and I think
they're saying, well
why could that
impact a stock?...
It's just some
conference of
doctors... Can you
explain what goes on
there, and what you
might be presenting,
so that people know
it's not just
some... you know, so
that people know
it's not just me
saying it's an
important meeting.
Berns:
Sure. Thank you,
Jim. Well, the
American Society of
Hematology is the
largest
international
medical conference
for hematologist and
oncologist in the
world. And what you
typically find...
this is a
peer-reviewed
setting, by the
way... and what that
means is that you
typically find many
high-grade science
and clinical
development research
that is reviewed at
this setting, with
the world's leading
thought leaders as
well as
community-based
physicians that
treat patients in
various hematologic
cancers. And so this
becomes a very
important meeting
for companies like
our that have made
strategic
investments in
developing their
therapies to treat
these various
hematologic patient
populations.
As you mentioned, we
most recently
received approval
for Folotyn for the
treatment of
relapsed refractory
periphery T-cell
lymphoma, and it's
the first drug in
the world to be
approved for that,
and in the United
States in
particular. So this
represents an
important
opportunity for
companies to bring
forward with the
utility and
thoughtfulness of
key opinion leaders
that do this
research, and share
this data, as you
mentioned, with
other physicians,
and help them
understand how to
maximize the utility
of these drugs.
Jim:
Well let's talk
about the drug for a
second. It could be
available for
commercial sales
soon. But I don't
see you having a big
partner. Now I
always find it
reassuring to have a
big pharmaceutical
partner. You're
willing to go it
alone. Isn't that
risky?
Berns:
You know, I
don't think so. I
think, independent
of size, we've
certainly seen...
you can point to
examples where
companies have been
very effective in
commercializing
their own assets, as
predicated frankly
on the breadth and
depth of the
organizational
talent and skill
base that you put
together. We have a
very experienced
group of business
leaders, both on the
clinical development
side, as well as the
commercial side of
this business. And
we are very capable,
as our past track
records have
demonstrated, of
developing and
commercializing this
drug for ourselves
in the United States
and building
shareholder value
for our company.
Jim:
There are some
people - the critics
of your company -
who tell me, Jim,
don't feature ALTH.
It is a one-product
wonder. What do you
say to those
critics?
Berns:
I say that
you need to take a
look... In every of
these opportunities
are case-specific...
Folotyn, for
example, is a
product within a
pipeline of
development
opportunities. So
said in another way,
we have multiple
cancer patient
populations that we
are investing in
beyond just a
peripheral T-cell
lymphoma indication
that we've just
recently received.
So Folotyn
represents multiple
indications and
multiple cancer
populations as one
therapeutic asset.
Jim:
Now, are there
people all over the
country taking this
drug in some right
now in tests? Is
that what goes on?
Berns:
So, yeah...
so what's happening
Jim... On the heels
of the approval on
September 24th... we
were prepared, and
moved very quickly,
to actually
distribute Folotyn
as a brand through
the commercial
distribution systems
in the United States
to get Folotyn to
practicing
physicians that
treat relapsed
refractory
peripheral T-cell
lymphoma. That's the
first indication.
Beyond that, we have
parallel development
programs, as you
mentioned, in other
hematologic
malignancies such as
cutaneous T-cell
lymphoma, B-cell,
non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma, and solid
tumors, both lung
cancer and bladder
cancer, ongoing,
given the prior
historical activity
that we've observed
with Folotyn. So
Folotyn truly is
this pipeline within
a compound.
Jim:
Now, I hear all
these, and I know
that they take time
and they cost money.
You raised money not
that long ago. If
you stretch things
out, at what pace
are you burning
money, so we know if
there has to be
another deal, or we
should just think
that the deals are
done, you have
enough cash to get
through all these
test, and we could
be in good shape
financially?
Berns:
So I think,
as you reported
accurately, we had
our 3rd quarter
conference call with
the investment on
Tuesday, where we
ended the 3rd
quarter with $84
million in cash and
liquid investments.
We raised
approximately $93
million in the first
week of October, net
of fees, which gives
us a very strong
cash position, on a
Pro Forma basis, of
approximately $177
million. We're in a
very good position.
We're also an
interesting company,
Jim, in that we are
now selling Folotyn
and building
revenues, and we
expect to build
revenues quarter
over quarter as we
penetrate this PTCL
market, as we just
discussed. So we're
not in a position to
guide for future
years at this point,
but we feel we're in
a strong cash
position to see
ourselves through a
period of time,
clearly.
Jim:
Mr. Berns, you
have a good story.
I'm surprised the
stock's back at $5.
I think it's a great
opportunity. Thank
you so much for
coming on the show
sir.
Berns:
Thank you,
Jim.
▼ ▼
▼ ▼
▼
Jim's
comments AFTER the
interview:
Again, I talked to
you when I was in
Oklahoma... People
said, give me some
5,6, $7 stock that
could be huge. They
don't talk about the
downside as much,
but let me just tell
you... this is the
kind of stock that
could be huge. It's
not an investment,
it's a speculation,
because it doesn't
have a big
salesforce, and big
other products...
but you know
what?... I can't
believe the stock's
at $5. It's too
cheap. I'd buy some.
[verbatim recap]
[end of segment]
Read Jim's next Segment
here
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
See all
of
tonight's
stocks
mentioned
on
Yahoo!
Finance,
here... |
 |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
| |
|
| |
|
|
JIM CR |
JIM CRAMER MAD MONEY |
|
 |
| |
Mad Money
Portfolios...
We're tracking Jim's special
baskets of stocks
and & featured
ongoing stock picks. |
|
JIM CR |
JIM CRAMER MAD MONEY |
| |
Jim's
Charitable Trust
(see latest stock holdings
by Jim and what he's
buying and selling
for his Trust) |
|
JIM CR |
JIM CRAMER MAD MONEY |
| |
Free Stock Homework
(free stock
research tool) |
|
JIM CR |
JIM CRAMER MAD MONEY |
| |
Warren Buffett's Portfolio
(list of Warren
Buffett's stock
holdings) |
|
JIM CR |
JIM CRAMER MAD MONEY |
| |
Dow101.com
(list of all Dow 30
stocks) |
|
JIM CR |
JIM CRAMER MAD MONEY |
| |
Nasdaq101.com
(list of all Nasdaq
100 stocks) |
|
JIM CR |
JIM CRAMER MAD MONEY |
| |
SandP500Stocks.com
(list of all S&P 500 stocks) |
|
JIM CR |
JIM CRAMER MAD MONEY |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
 |
|