There are several issues which seem to plague biotech stocks...including this one (i) whether the technology/scan/pharmaceutical is any good or not (ii) whether we (myself included) can use it/interpret it/access it/trust the results or not (iii) the non-medical public perception of how medicine is practised and what, if anything, a new gizmo will do to this practise. (iv) the expectation on the background of this [usually warped] perception of what the SP will do (which is typically independent of the validity of the technology)
With respect to this new device (like all the other 'needless syringes', antibacterial tubings, skin graft cell cultures, 'diagnostic' immunoassays .... ad nauseum) the industry facts will be (i) ultrasound always has been, and will largely remain, operator dependent in terms of its diagnostic accuracy. (ii) ultrasound can tell us if there is a tissue abnormality (either solid/cystic/fluid) and sometimes its anatomical associations. It will not tell us what is breast cancer, what is a benign lump, what is a fibroma and what is 'normal breast'. The utility will be the same for other 'non-breast' conditions - but there will be less public emotion (hence share price ramping) assoc with these. (iii) for there to be wholesale switch to this as a new standard of investigation we are going to require evidence (randomised, controlled trials with adequate numbers against the current gold standard) of superiority, or even 'non inferiority' - two different things.
Put it this way, the fermiscan stuff looks interesting, but none of us are chomping at the bit to get it, and there's no good evidence that it offers much over and above the imaging modalities we have available right now. It may evolve into a useful point-of-care device but this is a long way off.
Irrespective - I've no doubt the share price will oscillate completely disproportionately to the 'value' of the technology - largely on the back of emotive claims about diagnosing and curing cancer!
FER Price at posting:
0.0¢ Sentiment: None Disclosure: Not Held