November 9th Biotech Update

Is this a week of consolidation or the new high to be followed by a lower low?  We have broken the clear trend lower that had been operating for the past 6 months but only marginally so.  One could look at the chart and still see a basic downtrend as we made our way to […]

August 11th Biotech Update

Have we hit a bottom?  There seems to have been a clear bounce from a level that looks like it could be support but there also seems to be a clear downtrend with lower lows and lower highs.  So this little bounce is good but it needs to get above $85 before we can relax […]

June 16th Biotech Update

Not a lot going on in the sector today.  We had that pullback yesterday and it puts us in an odd space.  There is not a really clear place to bounce with the $131.5 or so level perhaps a point.  We need to find some point above the recent lows to bounce and move to […]

June 15th Biotech Update

It looked like we could have gotten some momentum but it was not quite able to continue.  It was not stock specific but pretty broad based.  It is not as if it was a particularly bad day but that momentum that was building that I thought could get us to the $140-1 level on the […]

June 9th Biotech Update

We had a nice little ramp to end yesterday and hopefully that is a sign of some building momentum in the sector.  There are good reasons for us to get some positive momentum with the BIIB approval (it is probably the largest positive surprise this year) and the broader market is likely supportive as well […]

November 30th Biotech Update

As I have said there will be a tug of war in the market and so far vaccine hopes and seasonality are winning over the growing pandemic.  One really has to worry about an out of control pandemic combined with a holiday season but the market is not quite ready to worry about it.  I […]

All Eyes On SAGE Ahead of JPM

SAGE has been a very volatile stock even since its early days. Hopes have been dashed only to be renewed by another promising aspirant. Only weeks ago, the subject of this affection was SAGE-217. It traded as high as $198 in July before falling to $56 on December 5 when it was announced the drug […]

Coverage Continuation: SAGE

It has been a long time since my last article, but with the forum down, there is a lot to catch up on. My coverage will focus on the eight stocks in my portfolio. These are: SAGE; ZYME; ZGNX; ARVN; AMRN; ARQL; CALA; AXSM. We’ll start with SAGE: Things continue to hum along for Sage […]

April 5 Biotech Update

Really not much happening in the sector, so I will keep this relatively quick. I think if we can close above $93 on the XBI it bodes well for next week but it would take a nice move today. I do not think we are anywhere close to breaking down so either we have a […]

March 21 Biotech Update

This will certainly be a bad day for the large cap but I would not be surprised to see the XBI outperform if not eventually turn green as M&A fever hits the space. The BIIB failure is large and important for a number of reasons, which I will go through today. 1. While many did […]

January 7 Biotech Update

This is one hell of a start for biotechs this year. M&A and good data are back. Of course, there is a bias in JPM week to present good news early, so I would be surprised to see this rate of positive news to continue all week but this is certainly a great start and […]

XENE – Epilepsy and Advocacy Under the New FDA

Xenon Pharmaceuticals (XENE) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on discovering and developing innovative therapeutics for neurological disorders. XENE has an extensive knowledge of human genetics and diseases caused by mutations in ion channels, known as channelopathies, focusing their efforts on novel product pipeline of CNS-central nervous system therapies, to address areas of high […]

December 7 Biotech Update

I thought we would have to wait until ASH to get a good tell on the market but if the sector cannot hold onto gains today, then there is a real issue. There is good news across the board and different types of good news. These are the fundamental news days that are where investors […]

September 13 Biotech Update

The sector in general appears to be treading water at these levels but that seems to belie the larger moves under the surface. I think keeping these levels and having good news rewarded and bad news punished is a sign of the relatively healthy sector, especially heading into historically risky months for the market. 1. […]

July 12 Biotech Update

The market and sector continue to do well. At least in terms of the macro market, we are back in the pattern where the most likely path of a market making new highs is to make marginal new highs. Obviously the biotech sector is not in that pattern even if we are moving with the […]

June 21 Biotech Update

Really not much news but the more things change the more they stay the same. We seem destined to once again test the lows in the sector and one has to worry about each test. On the positive side the support keeps holding but on the negative side each test probably increases the risk of […]

SRPT and SAGE: Quick Notes

Nice 36-month Natural history study (or “Pane Study”) in Duchenne published essentially confirming what’s pretty much already known- that boys age 7 and over decline more rapidly than those under 7. They had previously reported 24 month results. This study and the Eteplirsen study are largely comparable. Average age of the older boys subgroup are […]