Biotalk From The BeltwayEditorial - News
The Future of Cancer Therapies
By: Lisa Hayden
Sector: Biotechnology,Health Care
Roseville, CA - October 11, 2000 - Vaccines that boost the immune system may be the wave of the future for treating cancer, Ronald Garren, MD, told listeners of today's InformedInvestors.com "BioTalk" radio show. Dr. Garren is editor and publisher of "Biotech Insight," an investment newsletter.
Listen to the broadcast!
Describing cancer vaccines as "one of the biggest areas of biotechnology today," Dr. Garren estimated that about 30 companies are testing therapeutic vaccines in clinical trials. "The vaccine companies have not actually proven in clinical trials yet that the vaccines will really work. However they're in late stage trials, and my expectation is that they will work."
Dr. Garren expressed "high hopes" for Biomira's (NASDAQ:BIOM) Theratope breast cancer vaccine, currently in Phase III clinical trials. Although Dr. Garren said investors will need to wait at least a year for definitive data on the vaccine, he said that if it works, "this is going to be a very exciting way to enroll the body's immune response to cure what previously might have been incurable cancers." Other vaccines in development by various companies would treat cancers ranging from melanoma to colon cancer.
If cancer vaccines can help the body fight cancer, they will join an array of interventions against the disease: surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and monoclonal antibodies. Dr. Garren said reducing tumor size is a "new concept that's evolving now in cancer treatments," because the body is often able to fight off "a residual tumor."
Monoclonal antibodies act by "mopping up residual tumor" after more traditional methods have removed the bulk of the growth, said Dr. Garren. He outlined use of Genetech's (NYSE:DNA) Herceptin, a monoclonal antibody for breast cancer, noting that monoclonal antibodies are "nontoxic" and don't cause side effects (such as hair loss or infection) associated with chemotherapy. Dr. Garren expects to see monoclonal therapies "available in many other cancers."
Despite new therapies for cancer, Dr. Garren doesn't believe "diagnostics have changed that much over the last ... 10 years." Although he cited advances in diagnosing cervical, colon, prostate, and lung cancers, he added "I don't think there's any opportunity yet on the investment side to make a profit on the diagnostic companies because there really are none that are important at this point."
Dr. Garren listed breast, lung, colon, and prostate cancer as North America's most prevalent cancers, adding "we've made lots of advances in breast cancer. We're on the verge of making major advances in the other three cancers." Investors, Dr. Garren noted, may want to watch companies looking to treat "one of the big cancers with something that makes a difference."
Although Dr. Garren cited Theratope and Genentech's colon cancer treatment Anti-VEGF, he also referred to "niche cancers which are actually quite prevalent," such as lymphoma, for which IDEC (NASDAQ:IDPH) has developed Rituxan, a new monoclonal treatment.
Overall, Dr. Garren said he prefers to "focus on small to mid-cap biotech because that's where I feel the value is." He mentioned Cell Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CTIC) as a pick. Although he described larger companies such as Genentech as "incredible," he predicted "they're not going to go up tenfold."
https://www.informedinvestors.com/iif_news/news_capsule.cfm?documentID=623