Sustainable Picks For Laid-Back Dividend Investing

Related posts:

1. Dendreon Corp.’s Latest Developments: What They Mean
2. Giancarlo Nicoli adheres to Seeking Alpha’s Gold Standard Compliance

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No related posts.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/332852-dendreon-corp-s-latest-developments-what-they-mean

Related posts:

1. Dendreon: Management Signals Stock is Undervalued and a Potential Takeover Candidate.
2. Dendreon Announces CEO and Chairman Succession Plan
3. Dendreon – still a tenbagger? Attempting an evaluation

Dendreon Announces CEO and Chairman Succession Plan

John H. Johnson Elected President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman-Elect, Dr. Mitchell H. Gold Elected Executive Chairman

Company to Hold Conference Call Today at 9:00 a.m. ET/6:00 a.m. PT

SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)– February 1, 2012 — Dendreon Corporation (Nasdaq: DNDN) today announced that its Board of Directors has elected John H. Johnson to the position of president and chief executive officer (CEO), to succeed Mitchell H. Gold, MD, who has served as president and CEO for nearly a decade. Dr. Gold has been elected executive chairman and will serve in that role until June 30, 2012, at which point he will continue to serve as a director and Mr. Johnson will become chairman.

Mr. Johnson has been a member of Dendreon’s Board of Directors since August 2011 and brings to Dendreon nearly 30 years of experience in the life sciences industry, including serving as president, CEO, and director at Savient Pharmaceuticals, president of Eli Lilly’s Oncology Business Unit, CEO of ImClone System, and company group chairman of Johnson & Johnson’s Worldwide Biopharmaceuticals.

“As Dendreon continues its evolution into a global oncology company, I am pleased to hand over the reins to John, whose drive and significant global oncology expertise will advance our continued growth as a leading biotechnology company, benefiting our customers, our employees, our shareholders and, most importantly, patients with advanced prostate cancer,” said Mitchell H. Gold, MD, executive chairman of Dendreon. “I am proud that our employees at Dendreon have made an indelible mark in cancer care with the discovery, development, and approval of PROVENGE® (sipuleucel-T), the world’s first cancer immunotherapy. Our commitment to changing the way that cancer is treated has never been stronger, and I look forward to working with John to accelerate our efforts.”

“I am honored to take on this important role to help lead Dendreon into the next chapter of growth, and I have great respect for all that Mitch has accomplished over the past decade in ushering in a new era in medicine for patients with cancer,” said John H. Johnson, president and CEO of Dendreon. “With the important progress that has been made with the commercial launch of PROVENGE, I am invigorated by the challenge of taking Dendreon to the next level. I look forward to working with Dendreon’s executive team and the Board as we look to build a global, fully integrated oncology business.”

After more than 15 years of research and development, Dendreon introduced a new era in cancer treatment with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of PROVENGE, the world’s first autologous cellular immunotherapy. The Cleveland Clinic recognized PROVENGE as one of the top 10 medical innovations of 2010.

“John has spent most of the last decade successfully building oncology companies, and we believe his substantial oncology and global commercial, research and development experience makes him the ideal candidate to succeed Mitch. During his tenure as a director, he has proven to be a meaningful contributor as Dendreon further evolves as a global commercial enterprise, and we welcome John to his new role,” said Richard B. Brewer, director and former chairman of the Board. “On behalf of Dendreon’s Board of Directors, we thank Mitch for his exceptional leadership over the past decade and his unwavering commitment to patients with cancer. We believe that Mitch’s role as executive chairman will ensure a stable and strong transition takes place as he hands over the reins to John.”

After 8 years of service as chairman, Mr. Brewer will continue to serve as a member of the Board of Directors.

“I am grateful to Dick for his meaningful contributions and dedication as chairman of the board over the years, and respect his passion and commitment to bring PROVENGE to patients with cancer,” said Dr. Gold.

“I have appreciated working with Dick as I joined Dendreon’s Board, and I look forward to working with him as we continue to build a fully-integrated global oncology company,” said Mr. Johnson.

The Board also elected Douglas G. Watson as its lead independent director. Mr. Watson has served on the Board for 12 years.

About John H. Johnson

John H. Johnson was appointed chief executive officer of Savient Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in January 2011. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Johnson served as a senior vice president of Eli Lilly and Company and president of Lilly Oncology Business Unit, where he was responsible for multi-billion dollar franchise including a development portfolio of over 30 oncology products. From August 2007 to November 2009, Mr. Johnson was chief executive officer of ImClone Systems, and served on ImClone’s board of directors until the company was acquired by Lilly in November 2008. While at ImClone, Mr. Johnson managed the market expansion of colorectal cancer treatment Erbitux, overseeing the global growth of the billion dollar brand and eventual sale of the company to Eli Lilly for $6.5 billion. Prior to joining ImClone, Mr. Johnson had served as company group chairman of Johnson & Johnson’s Worldwide Biopharmaceuticals unit since 2005. Mr. Johnson began his health care career with Pfizer in 1983, where he held positions of increasing responsibility in sales and sales management. He joined Johnson & Johnson in 1988 and advanced through positions of increasing responsibility with Ortho-McNeil. In 2000, he served as president and chief executive officer for Parkstone Medical Information Systems. Mr. Johnson returned to Johnson & Johnson in 2001 as worldwide vice president, CNS/psychiatry, for Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals Group Strategic Marketing. He was appointed president of Ortho Biotech Products, L.P. in 2003 and assumed additional responsibility for Ortho Biotech Canada in 2004. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors for Dendreon Corporation, Cempra Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Tranzyme Pharma, Inc. Mr. Johnson received his bachelor’s degree from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania.

About Dr. Mitchell H. Gold

Dr. Mitchell H. Gold has served as president and chief executive officer of Dendreon since 2003. Dr. Gold is also a member of Dendreon’s Board of Directors. Dr. Gold previously served as Dendreon’s vice president of business development and as chief business officer. Prior to joining Dendreon, Dr. Gold previously served as vice president of business development and vice president of sales and marketing for Data Critical Corporation, a company engaged in wireless transmission of critical healthcare data, now a division of GE Medical. Dr. Gold was the president, chief executive officer, and a co-founder of Elixis Corporation, a medical information systems company. For his contributions to science through his leadership at Dendreon, Dr. Gold was given the “Oliver R. Grace Award” by the Cancer Research Institute and was named a runner-up for “Smartest CEO” by Fortune Magazine in their “Smartest People in Tech” issue. He was voted “Entrepreneur of the Year” in the Pacific Northwest by Ernst and Young. At the annual Laguna CEO Biotech Meeting, Dendreon received the Hall of Fame Award for Best Company for its cumulative contributions to the industry. Locally, Seattle Magazine named Dr. Gold the top influencer in medicine in 2010, and Dendreon was recognized as the most innovative company at the 2010 Washington State Governor’s Life Sciences Summit. Dr. Gold currently serves on the board of the University of Washington/Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Prostate Cancer Institute. Dr. Gold received his B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his M.D. from Rush Medical College in Chicago. Dr. Gold was a resident physician in the Department of Urology at the University of Washington.

Conference Call Information

Dendreon will host a conference call on February 1, 2012 at 9:00 a.m. ET. To access the live call, dial 1-877-548-9590 (domestic) or +1-720-545-0037 (international); the conference ID number is 48222622. The call also will be audio webcast and will be available from the Company’s website at http://www.dendreon.com under the “Investor/Webcasts and Presentations” section. A recorded rebroadcast will be available for interested parties unable to participate in the live conference call by dialing 1-855-859-2056 or +1-404-537-3406 for international callers; the conference ID number is 48222622. The replay will be available from 12:00 p.m. ET on February 1 until 11:59 p.m. ET on February 8. In addition, the webcast will be archived for on-demand listening for 30 days at http://www.dendreon.com.

About Dendreon

Dendreon Corporation is a biotechnology company whose mission is to target cancer and transform lives through the discovery, development, commercialization and manufacturing of novel therapeutics. The Company applies its expertise in antigen identification, engineering and cell processing to produce active cellular immunotherapy (ACI) product candidates designed to stimulate an immune response in a variety of tumor types. Dendreon’s first product, PROVENGE® (sipuleucel-T), was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in April 2010. Dendreon is exploring the application of additional ACI product candidates and small molecules for the potential treatment of a variety of cancers. The Company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington and is traded on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol DNDN. For more information about the Company and its programs, visit http://www.dendreon.com/.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Factors that could affect these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, developments affecting Dendreon’s business and prospects, including progress on the commercialization efforts for PROVENGE. Information on the factors and risks that could affect Dendreon’s business, financial condition and results of operations are contained in Dendreon’s public disclosure filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available at www.sec.gov. Dendreon cautions investors not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. All forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to Dendreon on the date hereof, and Dendreon undertakes no obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release, except as required by law.

Dendreon Corporation
Katherine Stueland, 206-829-1522
Vice President, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations
kstueland@dendreon.com

Source: Dendreon Corporation

News Provided by Acquire Media

Web:

http://investor.dendreon.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=644470

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1. Dendreon: Management Signals Stock is Undervalued and a Potential Takeover Candidate.
2. Dendreon – still a tenbagger? Attempting an evaluation
3. Stereotaxis Announces Strong Increase in New Capital Orders in Second Quarter 2010

StoneMor Partners L.P. (STON), together with its subsidiaries, engages in the ownership and operation of cemeteries in the United States. As an MLP, it has units and not shares, and it declares distributions and not dividends.

StoneMor is the second largest owner and operator of cemeteries in the US. The Company currently operates 273 cemeteries and 70 funeral homes, diversely located across 28 states and Puerto Rico.
StoneMor has demonstrated a consistent track record of growth and financial performance. Revenue has increased from $145 million in 2007 to $197 million in 2010. For the period, Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) is 12%. Also, adjusted operating profits have increased from $26 million in 2007 to $38 million in 2010. For the period, CAGR is 15%. (Source: Company website). In other words, earnings grow faster than revenues.

How does StoneMor do that? Basically, STON buys cemeteries and funeral homes and then – thanks to scale, experience, management, standard processes – it increases their efficiencies. It squeezes more earnings out of existing business and improves business turnover as well.

It weathered well the 2008 crisis (chart courtesy Yahoo Finance):

Stonemor kept increasing the reward to its unitholders. On May 2, 2007, for example, it declared a quarterly cash distribution of $0.50. Almost five years later, latest distribution (Nov 2, 2011) was $0,585.

StoneMor needs money to finance its growth, since it makes more sense to borrow money at a lower rate than it is able to make out of acquisitions.

It recently announced that it has received from its senior bank syndicate a revised and increased credit facility which will facilitate the growth of its business, including future cemetery and funeral home acquisitions. The credit facility was increased by $10 million to $130 million, requires no amortization of principal, the loan term was extended until 2017, and the interest rate was reduced by eliminating the LIBOR floor. The fixed charge coverage ratio was eliminated and replaced by a debt service coverage ratio which provides the company with enhanced flexibility.

A revised and increased credit facility means STON will be able to fund more acquisitions, improve those businesses and grow again. It is good news.

StoneMor currently (it closed @ $26.07 on 01/20/2012) yields 9.30%.

Disclosure: I am long STON.

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1. Stereotaxis Reports Record Results for Second Quarter 2010
2. Stereotaxis Reports 16% Revenue Increase in the Fourth Quarter 2009
3. Stereotaxis Announces Third Quarter 2010 Capital Orders of $12.2 Million, Up 94 Percent Year-to-Year

This restricted stock award vest as follows: 25% on the first year anniversary and 6.25% quarterly thereafter:
John E. Osborn, EVP, General Counsel: 150,000
Gregory T. Schiffman, CFO, EVP of Finance & Treasure: 150,000
Mark W. Frohlich, EVP, Clinical Affairs & Chief Medical Officer, 150,000
Greg Cox, VP, Finance, 52,000
Richard J. Ranieri, EVP, Human Resources, 200,000.

All restricted stock shares vest (become sellable) on date of grant:
Richard B. Brewer, Director, 25,000
Susan Bayh, Director, 25,000
Pedro Granadillo, Director, 25,000
David C.Stump, Director, 25,000
John H. Johnson, Director, 25,000
Bogdan Dziurzynski, Director, 25,000
Gerardo Canet, Director, 25,000
Douglas G. Watson, Director, 25,000.

The award will vest ratably over 3 years based upon the achievement of Company performance goals:
Mitchell H. Gold, President & Chief Executive Officer, 460,000.

All restricted stock shares are fully vested (become sellable) on the first anniversary of the date of transaction:
Dennis M. Fenton, Director, 25,000

As if to mitigate shareholders’ anger, the following day Dendreon announced fourth quarter revenues and updated on commercialization. News was good and the stock price reacted accordingly. They almost doubled since.

I have two themes to develop today.

One is: why did management grant itself a so large amount of common shares?

The other is: how much is Dendreon worth?
Well, just start with a tentative answer of the second question.

I prepared a comparison table, as a valuation exercise.
We see that large, stable biotechnology companies have Price to Sales ratios ranging from 3.84 to 6.96; and Price to Earnings ratios from 16.86 to 30.79.

I also want to add some spice here.
On Saturday, January 7, 2012, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY – News) and Inhibitex, Inc. (Nasdaq:INHX – News) announced that the companies have signed a definitive agreement under which Bristol-Myers Squibb will acquire Inhibitex for $26.00 per share in cash pursuant to a cash tender offer and second step merger. The transaction values Inhibitex approximately $2.5 billion.
Inhibitex, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing products to prevent and treat serious infectious diseases. It does not have any single product on the market to date.

So, back to our question: How much is Dendreon worth?
Dendreon said:

• At the end of the fourth quarter, completed in-servicing for more than 840 total sites, of which:
  • More than 590 sites have infused PROVENGE, which represents the greatest growth in infusing sites quarter over quarter; and
  • Approximately 615 sites have either infused the product or have their patients scheduled for their first PROVENGE regimen.
• Improved PROVENGE reimbursement landscape for customers and patients:
  • Reported average time to payment is less than 30 days for physicians, which is better than industry standard, reflecting an improved reimbursement landscape due to a national coverage decision and activation of a Q-code that accelerates electronic adjudication of claims.

Dendreon also said:

• EU application filed. Discussing partnering.
• “compelling” data to be presented at AUA and ASCO on both effect of Provenge at tissue level pre-surgery AND further analysis of Frovenge effect and “true” clinical benefit of Provenge.
• EU application filed. Discussing partnering.
• Sequencing study for Provenge and Zytiga.
• Discussing Japan with regulatory authorities.
• Projects underway to reduce COGS with automation.
• Special sales team for urology practices and with key aim of making large urology practices big prescribers.

I think we have enough data in place to try some “what if”.
What if Dendreon reaches $500 M within twelve months for now?
Valuation would range from $2B to $3.5B if it were a mature biotechnology. But, since DNDN is in “growth mode”, it think it might get an even higher price.
It all means a price per share (pps) in the $14-$28 range.
What if we add the $2.5B “acquisition premium” Bristol-Myers Squibb Company paid to gain control of Inhibitex? Then pps would be in the $30-$42.

Now, you see, I think I can give an answer to the first question: Why did management grant itself a so large amount of common shares?
In my opinion, management knows that current DNDN stock price is low and that a high enough offer (say, in the mid $30s) would be impossible to resist and would also still be a bargain for the acquirer.

I want to close this article with another “What If”, to see if, say, a hostile offer of $40 per share would be a bargain for the acquirer.
What if, in 2015, Dendreon reaches $1.5B in sales in the USA, $1B in Europe and $0.5B in Japan?
Dendreon would then have $3B in sales and we know from management that Dendreon would enjoy a 50% earnings margin. That would mean earnings of $1.5B. A reasonable Price-to-Earnings ratio might be 20. Just multiply $1.5B x 20 and we get $30B.
It would mean a pps of $210.

Related posts:

1. Dendreon – still a tenbagger? Attempting an evaluation
2. Commentary and table pounding stock ideas into the year 2011 and beyond
3. Stereotaxis Announces Pricing of $26 Million Common Stock Offering

Tutti i link sono aggiornati alla data di pubblicazione del post: 13 settembre 2011.

La prima ricerca (su Google) è: comprare azioni Brasile. Combinazione, i primi due risultati rimandano a questo sito — ma gli articoli in questione non riguardano la ricerca di intermediari on line.

La ricerca non porta a nulla: ho visualizzato i primi 30 risultati, c’è qualcosa a proposito di ETF che investono in azioni brasiliane. Ma nulla che riguardi un acquisto diretto di azioni mediante broker on line.

Provo a cambiare chiave di ricerca e metto: comprare azioni online.

Fino a questo momento non c’è verso di acquistare direttamente dall’Italia singole azioni brasiliane. Sono disponibile a correggere il post, casomai qualcuno avesse informazioni nuove, attualmente non disponibili.

A questo punto della ricerca si aprono due strade:

1) Acquistare un fondo (un ETF), quotato a Milano, che investa in azioni Brasiliane.  In questo momento sono disponibili (Fonte: Borsa Italiana):

• Amundi Etf Msci Brazil
• Cs Etf (Ie) On Msci Brazil
• Db X-Trackers Msci Brazil Trn Index Etf
• Ishares Msci Brazil

2) Altrimenti si va sulla Borsa statunitense e si acquistano lì i singoli titoli. Con questa seconda possibilità abbiamo due incovenienti: uno è che la scelta è limitata – seppure ai titoli principali – due è che si va incontro a una doppia tassazione dei dividendi, perché c’è una prima trattenuta negli USA e poi c’è la trattenuta italiana.

Ho trovato un articolo (in inglese) che tratta delle azioni brasiliane quotate a New York:  Lista completa degli ADR brasiliani a New York. L’articolo non è aggiornato, se andate a guardare i commenti trovate che alcune azioni non hanno più la doppia quotazione e altre al contrario si sono aggiunte.

Spero di esservi stato utile!

Post di Giancarlo Nicoli, Appiano Gentile, CO.

I link eventualmente presenti sono stati verificati e risultano funzionanti al momento della pubblicazione del presente articolo: 14 giugno 2011.

Il presente articolo è stato scritto da Giancarlo Nicoli. Le informazioni qui contenute sono state ricavate da fonti, che Giancarlo Nicoli ha ritenuto affidabili. L’accuratezza e la completezza delle stesse non può essere in nessun modo garantita. La presente pubblicazione viene pubblicata per meri fini di informazione ed illustrazione, non costituendo peraltro la stessa in alcun modo una proposta di conclusione di contratto o una sollecitazione all’acquisto o alla vendita di qualsiasi strumento finanziario. Il documento può essere riprodotto nella sua interezza. A tal proposito si chiede la cortesia di citare la fonte: www.scoprire.biz. La presente pubblicazione non si propone di sostituire il giudizio personale dei soggetti a cui si rivolge. Giancarlo Nicoli ha la facoltà di agire in base a/ovvero di servirsi di qualsiasi materiale sopra esposto e/o di qualsiasi informazione a cui tale materiale si ispira prima che lo stesso venga pubblicato e messo a disposizione dei lettori.
Giancarlo Nicoli può occasionalmente assumere posizioni lunghe o corte nei summenzionati prodotti finanziari.

Related posts:

1. Te lo do io il Brasile: a proposito di azioni brasiliane
2. Investimenti: te lo do io il Brasile!
3. Il segreto per guadagnare in borsa: alto dividendo, basso rapporto tra prezzo e utili

Pubblico in testa l’originale in inglese, in coda la mia traduzione in italiano.

Da pagina 3 (a proposito della situazione negli Stati Uniti – ma lo stesso vale per l’Italia!):

Government employment has become bloated because governments don’t have to worry about profitability. When faced with budget problems, politicians tend to make cuts in services like libraries or police protection that hurt voters to show taxpayers why the government can’t live with less instead of cutting patronage jobs and the like whose efforts would not be missed. Government can’t create jobs, but it can create a lot of policies and taxes that prevent jobs from being created.

Cioé:

Il pubblico impiego si è gonfiato perché i governi non debbono preoccuparsi di avere un profitto. Di fronte a problemi di bilancio, i politici tendono a tagliare i servizi come le biblioteche o le forze di polizia, tagli che colpiscono gli elettori, tagli studiati in modo da dimostrare che lo Stato non può fare a meno dei soldi delle tasse – i politici però non tagliano i posti di lavoro dati per clientelismo né altri sprechi, dei quali si potrebbe fare tranquillamente a meno. Lo Stato non può creare posti di lavoro, ma può inventare un sacco di politiche e di tasse che impediscono che i posti di lavoro vengano creati.

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2. Cassazione: paga i danni la scuola se un cane incustodito morde un alunno nel cortile

is focused on the research and commercial development of engineered DNA-binding proteins for the regulation of gene expression and for gene modification. The basis of our proprietary technology is the engineering of a naturally occurring class of transcription factors, zinc finger DNA-binding proteins (ZFPs). When linked to functional domains that normally activate or repress gene expression, we create ZFP transcription factors (ZFP TFs) capable of turning genes on or off. ZFPs can also be linked to nuclease domains to create zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) which enable precise gene-editing operations in cells. Engineered ZFNs can modify a cell’s DNA at a preselected location facilitating correction or disruption of a specific gene or the targeted addition of new DNA sequence.

In other words, with zinc finger proteins, SGMO is able to open any DNA strand in any precise location and add, cut, exchange genes.

There are other methods to do so, some of them are open source, but ZFP is the most precise and quickest.

A note on T Cells

T cells are like the cornerstone of the immune system. Remove them and the system breaks down. Normal people have over 500E6 (which means 500,000,000) of these cells in every liter of their blood. When HIV infects these cells they eventually die, leading to lower T cell counts. Less than 500E6 cells/L and you have AIDS, less that 200E6 cells/L and you’re pretty much done for. Without these cells to attack infections and keep them at bay you end up being a walking buffet table for microorganisms to eat.

How HIV attacks T cells

So after lots and lots of biology, it was shown that those T cells that are CD4+ (which means they express the CD4 protein on their surface) and also are CCR5+ (they have the CCR5 protein on their surface) can be infected by HIV. Without either receptor HIV doesn’t infect the T cell.

Why some people get exposed to HIV and don’t develop AIDS?

Take 10,000 (a statistically significant number) of normal people and give them all HIV. Yes that’s right, give them each an injection of a unique isolate of HIV. Then wait 10 years and see what happens.

No, no ethical review board on the earth would allow this experiment. But I tell you, this experiment has been done… in reverse.

Remember all of those poor transfusion patients who became HIV positive before labs started screening the blood supply? They were our 10,000. Though unintentionally infected with HIV through a contaminated blood supply, we can nonetheless look at their fate and find out what happened to them and in turn use those results to find the needle in the haystack. The overwhelming majority are either sick with AIDS or dead from AIDS. These poor unfortunate souls serve an important function for our genetics experiment. They are our positive control, they make us sure that when you infect people with HIV they get sick and then die. Which is very important to have if you’re looking to find things that stop them from getting sick and dying. But the numbers didn’t add up to 10,000. There was another class of people, those who never got sick.

When you give blood the Red Cross reserves some of it forever in a freezer so you can go back to it years later to check it out. So when researchers went back to the blood that was used in the transfusions they could tell where and when the people were infected with HIV. Most importantly we still have a sample of the blood. So each of the people infected but who never came down with symptoms of AIDS can have the HIV in the original blood sample tested.

There are people who we know for a fact were infected but never came down with the disease and have no HIV in their bodies, and the HIV isolated from the frozen blood sample was completely normal. Only one conclusion is possible from this, that these people are somehow resistant to HIV, but how?

Many people have a genetic defect, called the CCR5 delta-32 deletion. This defect prevents CD4 T cells from developing a receptor, called CCR5, on their surfaces. People who inherit this genetic mutation from both parents have CD4 T cells that lack the CCR5 entirely and, as a result, are highly resistant to infection with HIV.

Above three paragraphs almost entirely courtesy by Adenylyl.

The Berlinese Patient

The Berlinese Patient (here is the first report – here is his coming forward) is a 40-year-old American HIV-positive man living in Berlin with a relapse of acute myeloid leukemia—a potentially fatal cancer of the immune system—in February 2007. Doctors performed a transplant that would increase the patient’s chance of cancer survival.

About 13 months after receiving the transplant, the patient’s leukemia relapsed yet again. Another transplant was performed. This led to a complete remission of the cancer.

The patient has regrown a new immune system after receiving those stem cell transplants and has since kept his viral load undetectable. In fact, sensitive tests have been unable to detect the virus in the patient’s blood or tissues. He is still HIV-free.

Point is, according to a report, presented by Berlinese Patient’s doctors (Gero Hütter, MD, of the Medical University of Berlin and his colleagues), the key to the transplant’s success was the stem cells provided by a donor whose immune system was genetically resistant to HIV infection. Yes, a donor with the CCR5 delta-32 deletion.

A quote from Berlin Patient Follow-Up ‘Strongly Suggests’ HIV Cure

“In summary,” the authors write, “our results demonstrate successful CD4+ T cell reconstitution at the systemic level as well as in the [gut] following [transplantation], and additionally provide evidence for the reduction in the size of the potential HIV reservoir overtime. Although the recovered CD4+ T cells are susceptible to infection with X4 HIV infection, the patient remains without any evidence for HIV infection since more than 3.5 years after discontinuation of ART. From these results, it is reasonable to conclude that cure of HIV infection has been achieved in this patient.”

Back to SGMO

Sangamo is using its ZFN-mediated gene disruption technology to disrupt the CCR5 gene in cells of a patient’s immune system to make these cells permanently resistant to HIV infection.  The aim is to provide a population of HIV-resistant cells that can fight opportunistic infections. In collaboration with scientists at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Los Angeles California, UCLA, Sangamo is pursuing both ex- and in vivo approaches in T-cells and hematopoietic stem cells. In June 2008, Sangamo published the positive preclincal data from this program generated in a mouse model of HIV infection (Nat Biotechnol. 2008 Jul;26(7):808-16). In 2009, Sangamo initiated two Phase 1 clinical trials to evaluate our ZFP Therapeutic SB-728-T in T-cells for the treatment of HIV/AIDS.

First human clinical data of SB-728-T treatment of HIV/AIDS to be presented at a major medical conference. There will be four oral presentations on Sangamo’s HIV/AIDS programs at the 18th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI; February 27 – March 2, 2011; Boston). The acceptance of four oral presentations at a major medical conference despite being early in development suggests high interest among the medical community. The oral presentations will include interim data (safety, CD4 T-cell counts and levels of CCR5-modified T-cells) from two Phase 1 trials of SB-728-T treatment as well as data related to SB-728-HSC and the preclinical CXCR4 program.

Summing it up

I hope you did get it already. Anyway, summing it up: Sangamo possibly has at hand a cure against HIV/AIDS.

SGMO market cap as of friday’s close is $334M. What if HIV/AIDS treatment works? A ten bagger? Naaah! More than that imo obviously.

CROI is from Feb 27 to Mar 2, 2011. We’ll soon know more.

Phil Vardena’s stats:

ahrahr (99.05)

ahrahr lost to the market on Friday

Rank: 691 out of 72685

With SGMO, I’m down -30.09% since I selected it with CAPS, against a S&P +2.91%. My CAPS loss is -33.00.

Disclosure. I’m long the stock: SGMO.
This post is not intended to be investment advice of any kind. YMMV. Do your own DD.
Again, this is NOT investment advice.
This is NOT analysis, which is something six-figure equity research types do as full-time jobs for brokerage firms.
This is blogging. I just do like to share ideas.
And, past performance is not indicative of future results.

Related posts:

1. Keeping interested parties up to date – SGMO, STON and ZGEN

Graph represents 'ahrahr' (which is me) CAPS performance as on Fool.com

ahrahr (99.30)

ahrahr lost to the market on Friday

Rank: 510 out of 72262

Nothing written below can be construed as an invitation to invest in the detailed securities. Do your own DD.

My opinions FWIW for 2011:

#1 – I think we are in a secular bear market. The secular bear market theory is quite a long subject. You can find more
- here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471716928?ie=UTF8&t……
- and here: http://www.johnmauldin.com/ (search for “secular bear market”)

#2 – I think we are in a deflationary environment;

#3 – I think it is foolish to try to time the market;

#4 – I think money can be made in the stockmarket nonetheless via some stock picking.

My investment themes:

- I choose reliable, boring, high yield stocks. Study after study shows this is the best way to consistently beat the market.
I own CWH, E, ENEL.MI (Milan stock exchange); ENP, NLY, NRF-B, STON. Also SGI.L (London Stock Exchange) which pays a decent dividend and it is a good growth story for the patient investor.

- I’m a community pharmacist and I think (I’m not being modest here: I hope you understand) I have an edge with biotech/medtech.
I own DNDN (plenty – just a bit less than half my portfolio), SGMO, STXS.

- I own VHC due to the fact that Ming the Merciless (of IV fame) alerted me on that name (!).

With regard to the Maslow hierarchy of needs, so to speak, I think healthcare is just at the top of needs/expectations of all the people.

Now some short commentary. It’s all MHO an YMMV obviously.

- DNDN is by far my favourite stock. Company is doing well. Market for their FDA-approved treatment is large.
They have a huge barrier to entry. No generic competition in sight even after patent expiration. Production process is secret. Competition would have to steal secret or spend years trying to find out how acually Provenge is made. Also, a generic would have to undergo a PIII trial, which in my opinion is unethical.
DNDN process to obtain Provenge is scalable. They have a pipeline with treatments that target several others cancers. DNDN is the history of medicine being made under our eyes.
Market can (and certainly will) go down, so DNDN will. So what? Investment horizon here is not just a couple of years (as I say below) but much more. DNDN is and will be a winner.
They are a five bagger from current stock price over a couple of years in my opinion if the Company executes.

- Next is STXS. They have a magnetic field inducing machine that can safely guide and steer magnetically tipped catheters inside the blood vessels. They have strong IP and strong physicians endorsement. (They should change the BOD really, Company has been poorly guided through a couple of butched share offerings).
Technology is excellent and proven, market is large and expanding, it’s a three bagger within just 2011 if management does well and it’s a five bagger anytime in case they are going to be bought out. Why is a buyout likely? Because there are at least three catheter producers (it’ a 70%+ margin business): JNJ, STJ, Biotronik; and medtech equipment producers: MDT, GE – the one that owns the platform shuts out all the others from the market overnight.
STXS used to be my second largest holding, but it is now the third because…

- I bought SGMO in the low 3s and I’m already sitting on a two bagger.
SGMO holds the Holy Grail wrt DNA manipulation. They can delete, insert, exchange a gene at will, quickly and with accuracy.
Their technology is proven and they are receiving royalties (not many dollars yet) from Sigma Aldrich (Genetic Modified lab rats and mice) and Dow Agro (GM seeds).
They possibly have at hand a cure against HIV/AIDS (Google: “Berlin Patient”).
That alone would be very big.
Applications of their technology are enormous.
SGMO market cap as of friday’s close is $300M. What if HIV/AIDS treatment works? A ten bagger? Naaah! More than that imo obviously.
Those that can handle it might want to check the SGMO board on IV and look for the adenylyl series: How To Cure AIDS.
A link is here:
http://www.investorvillage.com/smbd.asp?mb=1933&mn=21……

- I own VHC because they won the lawsuit against MSFT and because plotinus and ming are here (chech the IV board for plotinus4me and Ming the Merciless). That’ all my dd on that name, since it is well beyond my expertise.

- One last word wrt BMTI, first suggested to me by plotinus. I’m still doing my dd, but at first glance they possibily are much more than a two bagger over the next five years. I think it is wise not to expect a sharp price appreciation over the short term on this name. You never know how a biotech investment is going to play out within a few months. But it is my opinion that this company has legs and it is going to appreciate consistently over the next several years. I will be a buyer with “new” money, either diversification out of a five bagger from current bio-med-tech positions or from savings over the coming months.

Good luck to all and all have this brand new 2011 as a good, happy, safe and prosperous year!

This post is not intended to be investment advice of any kind. YMMV. Do your own DD.

Again, this is NOT investment advice.

This is NOT analysis, which is something six-figure equity research types do as full-time jobs for brokerage firms.

This is blogging. I just do like to share ideas.

And, past performance is not indicative of future results.

Post di Giancarlo Nicoli, Appiano Gentile, CO.
Il presente articolo è stato scritto da Giancarlo Nicoli. Le informazioni qui contenute sono state ricavate da fonti, che Giancarlo Nicoli ha ritenuto affidabili. L’accuratezza e la completezza delle stesse non può essere in nessun modo garantita. La presente pubblicazione viene pubblicata per meri fini di informazione ed illustrazione, non costituendo peraltro la stessa in alcun modo una proposta di conclusione di contratto o una sollecitazione all’acquisto o alla vendita di qualsiasi strumento finanziario. Il documento può essere riprodotto nella sua interezza. A tal proposito si chiede la cortesia di citare la fonte: www.scoprire.biz. La presente pubblicazione non si propone di sostituire il giudizio personale dei soggetti a cui si rivolge. Giancarlo Nicoli ha la facoltà di agire in base a/ovvero di servirsi di qualsiasi materiale sopra esposto e/o di qualsiasi informazione a cui tale materiale si ispira prima che lo stesso venga pubblicato e messo a disposizione dei lettori.
Giancarlo Nicoli può occasionalmente assumere posizioni lunghe o corte nei summenzionati prodotti finanziari.
I link eventualmente presenti sono stati verificati e risultano funzionanti al momento della pubblicazione del presente articolo.

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