If Novartis’ MS Drug Falters, Biogen Will Gain

[Anonymous]

Evidence that Gilenya may cause heart problems has hit NVS hard
Jan 23, 2012, 11:38 am EST | By Barry Cohen, Health Care Writer

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) investors driven to panic Friday after reports that the company’s multiple-sclerosis pill, Gilenya, may be causing heart problems.

One analyst thinks so. Karl Heinz Koch, an analyst at Helvea SA in Zurich, said in a telephone interview with Bloomberg BusinessWeek that the Novartis drug is likely to be related to the deaths of 11 people who were taking the medicine. “With all the experience we have with the drug, my comfort level is relatively low, you can never be 100% sure,” Koch told Bloomberg BusinessWeek, adding that the uncertainty isn’t helping the company’s share price.

Concerns over Gilenya hit Novartis shares hard. On Friday, the stock dropped more than 5.5%
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[Anonymous]

One analyst thinks so. Karl Heinz Koch, an analyst at Helvea SA in Zurich, said in a telephone interview with Bloomberg BusinessWeek that the Novartis drug is likely to be related to the deaths of 11 people who were taking the medicine. “With all the experience we have with the drug, my comfort level is relatively low, you can never be 100% sure,” Koch told Bloomberg BusinessWeek, adding that the uncertainty isn’t helping the company’s share price.

It is actually the other way round, Bloomberg report on their website: “In my view this is highly unlikely to be related to the drug, but of course they have to check that,” Karl Heinz Koch, an analyst at Helvea SA in Zurich, said in a telephone interview today. “With all the experience we have with the drug, my comfort level is relatively high, but you can never be 100 percent sure. It certainly doesn’t help the share price.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-...eviewed-by-eu-after-11-patient-deaths-2-.html

I am happy to see that a Swiss analyst has so much insights into our data and the medical skills of a certified neurologist that he's in the position to analyse the data and draw robust conclusions from it at a glance; something NVS and several agencies need several weeks for. Why hasn't he be considered to succeed Trevor Mundel? Karl Heinz Koch is a genius, no doubt.