Time to walk away from small molecules?

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Anonymous

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Admit it: it is time for Amgen to knock off the small molecule nonsense and focus on large molecule therapeutics. It is our real strength. Unfortunately, our leaders have heard this before and believe they are taking us on a more enlightened path.
 








Anonymous said:
Admit it: it is time for Amgen to knock off the small molecule nonsense and focus on large molecule therapeutics. It is our real strength. Unfortunately, our leaders have heard this before and believe they are taking us on a more enlightened path.
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Any biotech would like to see a cabinet full of Oral drugs. It's cheaper and no weekly doctors appointments nor other therapies (including shots). Just a once in awhile doctor checkup.

I just read that Emisphere is working on a oral version of Deno (third phase just about wrapped up).
 




Anonymous said:
Any biotech would like to see a cabinet full of Oral drugs. It's cheaper and no weekly doctors appointments nor other therapies (including shots). Just a once in awhile doctor checkup.

I just read that Emisphere is working on a oral version of Deno (third phase just about wrapped up).
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Problem is that Amgen has no small molecule competency - been at for 15+ years with little to show. One in-licensed drug and only 1 compound that made it to PhII which was then given to Takeda. Not very impressive considering how much money has been poured in.
 




Anonymous said:
Any biotech would like to see a cabinet full of Oral drugs. It's cheaper and no weekly doctors appointments nor other therapies (including shots). Just a once in awhile doctor checkup.

I just read that Emisphere is working on a oral version of Deno (third phase just about wrapped up).
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I assume you mean DMab there Timmy. Maybe you have problems reading, because their bone drug in Phase III is an orally-delivered calcitonin. Ask Trinity Biosystems how well oral delivery works.
 




Anonymous said:
I assume you mean DMab there Timmy. Maybe you have problems reading, because their bone drug in Phase III is an orally-delivered calcitonin. Ask Trinity Biosystems how well oral delivery works.
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Read the second paragraph, it says orally. In fact, maybe you should read the article. Education is a wonderful thing to have!
 




Anonymous said:
Problem is that Amgen has no small molecule competency - been at for 15+ years with little to show. One in-licensed drug and only 1 compound that made it to PhII which was then given to Takeda. Not very impressive considering how much money has been poured in.
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Are you serious - is that really all the investment has produced? This must be a mistake
 




Anonymous said:
Any biotech would like to see a cabinet full of Oral drugs. It's cheaper and no weekly doctors appointments nor other therapies (including shots). Just a once in awhile doctor checkup.

I just read that Emisphere is working on a oral version of Deno (third phase just about wrapped up).
Click to expand...

Emisphere has an oral calicitonin. Calcitonin will not replace Dmab; only works for a short peroid of time before patients become non-responsive due to an escape mechanism.
 








The sad part is that all the work on small molecules necessarily sucks away resources which could be applied more profitably to our large molecule (protein) strengths. The fact is that small molecules are hard even for a company with a long history and competence -- this is why all Pharmas now are running to develop the competence Amgen once had in proteins.

Time to get honest with yourselves, guys. Become the world's best protein therapeutics company.
 




Anonymous said:
The sad part is that all the work on small molecules necessarily sucks away resources which could be applied more profitably to our large molecule (protein) strengths. The fact is that small molecules are hard even for a company with a long history and competence -- this is why all Pharmas now are running to develop the competence Amgen once had in proteins.

Time to get honest with yourselves, guys. Become the world's best protein therapeutics company.
Click to expand...

There is a reason why so many pharma companies are now developing biologics--Amgen is the only big company that went in the opposite direction. LOL!!! Should have stuck with what you do best--now look at the mess.
 




Anonymous said:
There is a reason why so many pharma companies are now developing biologics--Amgen is the only big company that went in the opposite direction. LOL!!! Should have stuck with what you do best--now look at the mess.
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Amgen, Gilead and Biogen Idec all have small molecule programs. Genentech had one going when Roche bought them, and it may still be going for all I know. So Amgen is not the only one going in that direction and you don't know what the fuck you're talking about.
 




Anonymous said:
Amgen, Gilead and Biogen Idec all have small molecule programs. Genentech had one going when Roche bought them, and it may still be going for all I know. So Amgen is not the only one going in that direction and you don't know what the fuck you're talking about.
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You're the idiot here! Gilead was built on anti-viral small molecules, genius! And Genentech's small molecule programs have ALWAYS been backed by Roche. Biogen is a bit player not worthy of discussion on this point. The reality is that it's a hell of a lot easier for a Pharma to add biologics to its portfolio than for a biotech to try and play Pharma. Amgen's total failure in the clinic with internally-derived small molecules provides indisputable evidence of this fact. What was once one of the greatest companies in Amgen will likely be brought down in no small part due to its ill conceived quest for modality independence.
 








Under KS small molecules is completely safe. His ego would never allow walking away from SM although the numbers say it's wise. Rate of return on investment here is way negative and no signs of improvement. Target selection and DC nomination process is to blame.
 
















Anonymous said:
The sad part is that all the work on small molecules necessarily sucks away resources which could be applied more profitably to our large molecule (protein) strengths. The fact is that small molecules are hard even for a company with a long history and competence -- this is why all Pharmas now are running to develop the competence Amgen once had in proteins.

Time to get honest with yourselves, guys. Become the world's best protein therapeutics company.
Click to expand...

It should be easy for those companies to acquire large molecule expertise now. Just hire all those people that Amgen let go in 2007, as well as those that will be let go in the next few days.
 








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