Douglas Krohn - Seeking Alpha © seekingalpha.com. Use of this feed is limited to personal, non-commercial use and is governed by Seeking Alpha's Terms of Use (http://seekingalpha.com/page/terms-of-use). Publishing this feed for public or commercial use and/or misrepresentation by a third party is prohibited. SeekingAlpha.com http://seekingalpha.com/author/douglas-krohn Dendreon and Provenge: What if We Lived in England? http://seekingalpha.com/article/213421-dendreon-and-provenge-what-if-we-lived-in-england?source=feed 213421 Last week, Medicare created something of a stir when the agency announced that it would initiate a coverage determination on Provenge, an innovative but nevertheless expensive drug manufactured by Dendreon (DNDN), and approved for use in metastatic prostate cancer.
Given the context that surrounds Provenge – it is indicated for a disease with a poor prognosis, it has been demonstrated to extend life by about four months when compared to placebo, and it costs approximately $93,000 per treatment cycle – it seemed entirely reasonable that Medicare would, in the very least, take the time to examine exactly what it might be getting itself into before declaring the therapy worthy of taxpayer dollars. The initiation of a national coverage determination sounded simply logical, like measuring twice before cutting once.
The stock market, however, did not appear to count itself a fan of either reason or logic. DNDN shares plunged immediately after
]]> Wed, 07 Jul 2010 08:12:43 -0400 Douglas Krohn By Douglas Krohn:
Last week, Medicare created something of a stir when the agency announced that it would initiate a coverage determination on Provenge, an innovative but nevertheless expensive drug manufactured by Dendreon (DNDN), and approved for use in metastatic prostate cancer.
Given the context that surrounds Provenge – it is indicated for a disease with a poor prognosis, it has been demonstrated to extend life by about four months when compared to placebo, and it costs approximately $93,000 per treatment cycle – it seemed entirely reasonable that Medicare would, in the very least, take the time to examine exactly what it might be getting itself into before declaring the therapy worthy of taxpayer dollars. The initiation of a national coverage determination sounded simply logical, like measuring twice before cutting once.
The stock market, however, did not appear to count itself a fan of either reason or logic. DNDN shares plunged immediately after

Complete Story »]]> DNDN Douglas Krohn The Problem With Somaxon's Silenor http://seekingalpha.com/article/211686-the-problem-with-somaxon-s-silenor?source=feed 211686 The next time you buy an over-the-counter sleep medication, look carefully at the active ingredient. Turn the bottle over in your hands a couple times, read your way through the fine print, and then, after you’ve struggled to pronounce the name of what seems to be such a foreign molecule – diphenhydramine, which is usually the stuff of over-the-counter sweet dreams – stroll on over to the allergy medication aisle, pick up a bottle of Benadryl, and do the same.

If you are overcome by a feeling of déjà vu while perusing the label for a hay fever remedy, don’t be shaken: the active ingredient in Benadryl, long used for sniffles and itchy eyes, is also diphenhydramine. Unisom, the once popular OTC medication for those who cannot settle down at night, is yet another incarnation of diphenhydramine. And so is Tylenol PM, at least in part: it is acetaminophen

]]> Thu, 24 Jun 2010 09:51:26 -0400 Douglas Krohn By Douglas Krohn:

The next time you buy an over-the-counter sleep medication, look carefully at the active ingredient. Turn the bottle over in your hands a couple times, read your way through the fine print, and then, after you’ve struggled to pronounce the name of what seems to be such a foreign molecule – diphenhydramine, which is usually the stuff of over-the-counter sweet dreams – stroll on over to the allergy medication aisle, pick up a bottle of Benadryl, and do the same.

If you are overcome by a feeling of déjà vu while perusing the label for a hay fever remedy, don’t be shaken: the active ingredient in Benadryl, long used for sniffles and itchy eyes, is also diphenhydramine. Unisom, the once popular OTC medication for those who cannot settle down at night, is yet another incarnation of diphenhydramine. And so is Tylenol PM, at least in part: it is acetaminophen


Complete Story »]]> SOMX Douglas Krohn Cause for Optimism from Medivation's Prostate Cancer Drug http://seekingalpha.com/article/66960-cause-for-optimism-from-medivation-s-prostate-cancer-drug?source=feed 66960 Medivation (MDVN)'s MDV3100 is an orally available small molecule that is currently in phase I-II trials for the treatment of hormone-refractory prostate cancer [HRPC], which is defined as advancing disease in a patient who already has castration-level serum androgens. MDV3100 is an androgen receptor [AR] antagonist. It is the consensus belief of urologists and urologic oncologists that the androgen receptor is integral to the development of malignant prostate disease: the activated AR binds to the DNA of malignant prostate cells, inducing their proliferation and spread. To this point, successful therapy has revolved around chemical castration, using anti-androgens such as finasteride to inhibit androgen formation and decrease its binding-activation of the AR.

This approach has a good initial response rate, but over time prostate cancers tend to recur and progress, despite serum evidence of suppressed androgens. There is convincing molecular evidence and consensus opinion that the AR is reactivated in

]]> Tue, 04 Mar 2008 02:12:48 -0500 Douglas Krohn By Douglas Krohn:

Medivation (MDVN)'s MDV3100 is an orally available small molecule that is currently in phase I-II trials for the treatment of hormone-refractory prostate cancer [HRPC], which is defined as advancing disease in a patient who already has castration-level serum androgens. MDV3100 is an androgen receptor [AR] antagonist. It is the consensus belief of urologists and urologic oncologists that the androgen receptor is integral to the development of malignant prostate disease: the activated AR binds to the DNA of malignant prostate cells, inducing their proliferation and spread. To this point, successful therapy has revolved around chemical castration, using anti-androgens such as finasteride to inhibit androgen formation and decrease its binding-activation of the AR.

This approach has a good initial response rate, but over time prostate cancers tend to recur and progress, despite serum evidence of suppressed androgens. There is convincing molecular evidence and consensus opinion that the AR is reactivated in


Complete Story »]]> MDVN Douglas Krohn Sulonex from Keryx: Unlikely Phase III Success http://seekingalpha.com/article/66186-sulonex-from-keryx-unlikely-phase-iii-success?source=feed 66186 Keryx Biopharmaceuticals' (KERX) Sulonex (sulodexide) is an orally available heparinoid (80% heparan sulfate, 20% dermatan sulfate) currently in phase III/IV trials for use in diabetic nephropathy. Though its mechanism of action in diabetic nephropathy is uncertain, it is hypothesized that sulodexide – a gylcosaminoglycan [GAG] – restores the anionic charge in the mesangium and glomerular basement membrane [GBM] of the kidney’s nephron. As GAG loss – and the subsequent decrease in anionic charge of the GBM – is one of the hallmarks of diabetic nephropathy, it is felt that sulodexide may, in effect, act as a GAG replacement in the GBM, thereby restoring the integrity of the GBM damaged by poor gylcemic control.

Other hypotheses for sulodexide’s mechanism of action include inhibition of TGF-beta(1), a cytokine known to cause fibrosis in the GBM and nephron, and inhibition of heparanase enzymes, which may degrade GAG products in the kidney’s glomeruli.

]]> Wed, 27 Feb 2008 03:21:23 -0500 Douglas Krohn By Douglas Krohn:

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals' (KERX) Sulonex (sulodexide) is an orally available heparinoid (80% heparan sulfate, 20% dermatan sulfate) currently in phase III/IV trials for use in diabetic nephropathy. Though its mechanism of action in diabetic nephropathy is uncertain, it is hypothesized that sulodexide – a gylcosaminoglycan [GAG] – restores the anionic charge in the mesangium and glomerular basement membrane [GBM] of the kidney’s nephron. As GAG loss – and the subsequent decrease in anionic charge of the GBM – is one of the hallmarks of diabetic nephropathy, it is felt that sulodexide may, in effect, act as a GAG replacement in the GBM, thereby restoring the integrity of the GBM damaged by poor gylcemic control.

Other hypotheses for sulodexide’s mechanism of action include inhibition of TGF-beta(1), a cytokine known to cause fibrosis in the GBM and nephron, and inhibition of heparanase enzymes, which may degrade GAG products in the kidney’s glomeruli.


Complete Story »]]> KERX Douglas Krohn