Is Antigenics a Good Buy Right Now?

Antigenics (AGEN) is a biotech company that specializes in cancer vaccines and other adjuvants.

Recent positive activities have encouraged buying the stock at its current price. Although it is a thinly traded stock, it has been in accumulation for a while; they have applied their cancer vaccine onchophage approval in Russia and their adjuvant system QS-21 is used by the glaxosmithkline in their Phase III lung cancer drug.

There are other Phase I drugs in pipe line. However these two are the potential candidates for this company to gain revenue. Like other biotechs this is a speculative stock.

I would recommend to invest only what you can lose. With this near term potential in mind, and a price that is so attractive, I have added some shares to my portfolio.

Disclosure: I am a long term investor and own shares of this company.

AGEN 1-yr chart

Comments

[Kirk Lindstrom:]

I agree on AGEN. Insiders were buying at $1.83 in March.
See " Insider Buy Alert - @$1.83 so I added there also. The stock had a nice rally and now seems to be testing its May low of $2.25.

2007 Aug 24 10:18 AM

[hpski:]

AGEN has not initiated a confirmatory RCC study, I assume because they, in concert with FDA, continue to follow the original phase 3 cohort. The only enrolling oncophage study at present is at USCF for GB. Aroplatin, a liposomal platinum is now looking for a phase 1 center to evaluate pharmacokinetics. Garo Armen, the CEO, took the reins of a troubled Elan in 2002 after it got caught in its own detritus (cooking the books, failed AD vaccine development), and scaled it back down to a more viable enterprise. So I think AGEN is in good hands - any short term upside to its valuation rests, IMO, on what Russia does with oncophage. Garo is of Armenian heritage - I heard he has good alliances of interest in eastern Europe. Can Russia and its neighbors afford this treatment? That's another question. I would like to see Fredric Cohen weigh in on this, since he posted an especially erudite analysis on the RCC phase 3 results that caused the stock to tank last year.

Disclosure: I periodically own AGEN, CEGE, DNDN, am long EXEL

2007 Aug 24 02:41 PM