A Pharma Snapshot Of JP Morgan Conference: Bristol’s Love Story, Alzheimer’s Drugs’ Future, Gilead’s Crown Jewels

Stat: At JPM, Debate On Alzheimer’s, Family Drama In Oncology, And A Glum CEO
While the early hours of biotech’s biggest annual meeting didn’t bring any of the 10-figure transactions that tend to please investors, the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference offered plenty to debate when it comes to the future of medicine. Here are some of the highlights so far, including a hot-button issue in Alzheimer’s disease, some family drama in oncology, and a reliably upbeat CEO forced to reckon with undeniably bad news. (Feuerstein and Herper, 1/14)

Stat: Intercept’s CEO Talks Payers, Pruritis, And Price
Six years ago at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, Intercept Pharmaceuticals (ICPT) sent investors (and journalists) scrambling to Google the definition of NASH after the surprising and positive results from a mid-stage clinical trial sent the biotech’s stock price soaring. It’s been a long and bumpy road since January 2014, but Intercept’s NASH drug, called obeticholic acid, or OCA, is finally on the cusp of a highly anticipated Food and Drug Administration approval and commercial launch later this year. (Feuerstein, 1/14)

Stat: After A Big Stock Surge, Patrick Soon-Shiong Makes His Case To Investors
Not many investors had pegged the long-stagnant immunotherapy developer NantKwest as one of the big stock winners of this week. But on Monday, the first day of the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, the stock soared 91% after the company’s founder and CEO, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, gave an unusual television interview. (Robbins, 1/14)

Stat: With A Different Method For Gene Therapy, Generation Bio Eyes An IPO
Seven years ago, one of Generation Bio’s scientific founders couldn’t convince any top-tier journals to publish his research. Now, the same company earned itself a presenting spot at this week’s J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, after it raised more than $200 million in two years. (Sheridan, 1/15)

Stat: Proteus Digital Health, Maker Of 'Smart Pills,' Sees Key Pharma Pact Unravel
It was supposed to be a showcase for the way in which technology can revolutionize how some patients take their medications — and ultimately improve health outcomes. It has proven far more complicated. Proteus Digital Health, a Silicon Valley company, raised close to $500 million and soared to a valuation of $1.5 billion on the promise that its sensor technology could be used to monitor whether patients with a wide range of health conditions have taken their pills. Then, late last year, the company’s funds fell dangerously low. (Robbins, 1/14)

In other pharmaceutical news —

NPR: FDA Drug Approvals Are Faster But Rely On Less Evidence Than They Used To
The Food and Drug Administration has gotten faster at approving new prescription drugs over the past four decades, but the evidence it relies on in making those decisions is getting weaker, according to new research published Tuesday. As a result, there are more cures and treatments on the market but less proof that they are safe and effective. (Lupkin, 1/14)

Bloomberg: NantKwest Gains 91% After Promising Cancer Result
NantKwest Inc. shares rose by a record after the company’s CEO said its experimental cancer therapy had shown a dramatic result in one patient with pancreatic cancer. In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Chief Executive Office Patrick Soon-Shiong said one patient with metastatic pancreatic cancer had their tumors eradicated after treatment with the company’s experimental immune-system-based therapy. The patient had previously been treated unsuccessfully, and received the drug as a compassionate measure for people without other treatment options. (Ludlow and Cortez, 1/13)

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