Surges has already covered it well, and I would agree, I'm not sure if P&G would've dumped Pursuit in pursuit of OBJ either (excuse the pun) as there is no similarity between the technologies. No doubt there is some correlation between the two in terms of P&G's environmental sustainability goals, but unlikely to be competing for the same space. The Telegraph article also failed to mention the agreement between P&G and Pursuit was set to expire by the end of this month, so someone at Pursuit should've had some idea months in advance for how things were developing on that front - I'm guessing former CEO, Mr Pieper who resigned in December citing "personal problems" forgot to communicate one of those "personal problems" to his former colleagues, although it's always inevitable when senior management jump ship without good reason at a crucial time in a companies life, something isn't quite going to plan.
As a L/T investor, (like yourself) assessing the health of a company as part of the risk evaluation process can often be measured by looking at the stability in management and its business strategy. When a company's future is looking bright there are rewards awaiting those at the top, which naturally promotes good stability. When comparing companies that have stable management with those given to frequent changes, you can bet your house on which of these two are more successful.
With OBJ, we have a very stable management team who have executed strategies against long term objectives and remained focused on achieving its corporate goals, which I might add does not include sucking its s/holders dry with capital raisings every few months. For a speculative company in the biotech sector these are very positive signs for a long term investor to be looking out for. Imo.
Personally, I don't see any risk in OBJ - For short term investors, sure there might be some risk - If the sp was 20c today, sure I can also see some risk there to, but OBJ is not 20c today - What I am looking at is a 2c stock with a tiny MCap of $20m which dropped in value since announcing a fully funded collaborative development agreement with the world's second largest pharmaceutical company, and since then has remained at this deflated value on the announcement of a JDA agreement with the world's largest consumer goods company.
It's all about evaluating risk Vs rewards - and understanding that when a company have a technology platform which enables its management the significant advantage of targeting the world's largest companies for whom they wish to fund collaborative development programs, they may just have something quite special. The market have yet to come to grips with the attraction of our technology to 'targeted' world leaders...
We often discuss the poor state of the world economies and its strong influence over our equity markets but this market fails to understand this crippling economy outlook only makes OBJ's technology more appealing to its global partners. The market is quick to factor in the risk for uncertainty in equity markets, but how much reward has been factored in for a technology that has been developed specifically to meet the tough economic times...?
Using only 4 words, P&G's sustainability goals spell out one of the clues quite clearly, Imo: P&G - Doing More With Less
I'm sure you're quite familiar with the patent cliff, and as our Director, Jeff five years ago flagged 2012 as the company's opportunity to development generic versions of blockbuster brands coming off patent, let me show you another window of opportunity falling in OBJ's direction - Have a read of the following three pieces followed by a few questions in regards to the information:
28 September 2010 Strategic Alliance with Global FMCG Company OBJ Limited announced that it has executed a Letter of Intent to establish a Strategic Alliance program with one of the world’s leading Consumer Products companies for the evaluation of OBJ technologies across multiple product categories. The Letter of Intent for the Strategic Alliance sets out a program of technical evalutions that, if successful, should lead to an initial 5 year Strategic Alliance for the design and development of a wide range of consumer products incorporating OBJ’s micro-array and FIM® drug delivery technologies. If agreed developmental objectives and criteria are met, and the FMCG company commercializes products within the field, OBJ will grant a license for each product within the field and receive royalties for a period of 5 years or life of patent, whichever is longer." - 28/09/2010 - Strategic Alliance with Global FMCG Company
25 October 2010 Shareholder Update: FMCG - Strategic Alliance The Strategic Alliance with a major FMCG company announced in September 2010 is progressing on schedule with the arrival of a number of drug candidates that will form part of the Technical Evaluation phase of the Strategic Alliance. The drugs and active ingredients received are from existing commercial products of the FMCG company with global sales. Dr Matthew McIldowie, the Company's Research Manager, is working closely with the various product groups in the FMCG company in the development of the testing and assay methodologies that will be used to quantify the level of enhancement provided by the Company's eM-patch and FIM technologies.
28 October 2010 P&G Sets Two New Goals for Open Innovation Partnerships Company Seeks To Triple the Impact of Connect + Develop "The Procter & Gamble Company announced goals to triple the impact of its Connect + Develop open innovation program and to become the Partner of Choice for external innovators... "Connect + Develop has created a culture of open innovation that has already generated sustainable growth; but we know we can do more," McDonald said. "We want the best minds in the world to work with us to create big ideas that can touch and improve the lives of more consumers, in more parts of the world, more completely." Tripling the impact of Connect + Develop would deliver $3 billion towards the Company's annual sales growth."
Now if you ask me, something has made Mr McDonald at P&G very confident in the Connect+Development program, but we shall not jump to any conclusions based on pure speculation...
Question: In 2010 OBJ and one its FMCG partners, which is now confirmed as Procter & Gamble, were working in alliance towards quantifying the level of enhancement provided by OBJ's eM-patch and FIM technologies, so why in October 2011 did Procter & Gamble advise OBJ that it was seeking world-wide exclusive access rights to ALL three of OBJ’s core technologies when one would assume, as we were advised they were only evaluating the eM-patch and FIM technologies?
25 October 2011 Global FMCG Company to Secure Access Rights for Beauty Care OBJ Limited is pleased to announce that a global FMCG company has commenced negotiations with the Company for a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) for the development and commercialisation of new products in the consumer health and beauty fields utilising OBJ’s three core technologies.
Q: Why the sudden attraction by P&G to seek Exclusive Access Rights over OBJ's Dermaportation technology when it was never part of the initial plan for the strategic alliance?
Q: Why the sudden attraction for developing new products in the field of Consumer Healthcare when this category was never part of the initial strategy?
Q: We don't need to question P&G's financial position as they are the worlds largest consumer goods company, and I've also checked their balance sheet just to be safe ;) - they can certainly afford it, so what else might be so valuable to them?
Q: Why on August 23, 2011 did OBJ announce that it had received notification from its patent attorney that the patent application, protecting the Company’s powered electromagnetic fields drug delivery technology for the USA, had proceeded to allowance? Sure, most other companies might hire PR firms, tie ribbons and balloons to their anns for pumping up the sp, but OBJ don't normally even bother announcing this type of news unless there was something more behind it!
Glyn stated, "Dermaportation is currently being developed for a number of applications and the allowance of a US patent over this key drug delivery technology is expected to assist with partnering discussions...""The potential market exclusivity provided by the US patent has considerably strengthened market interest."
In the last Annual Report, Glyn also stated, "On topical drug delivery in general, (both OTC and Rx), we are now engaging the interests of more than one large Healthcare company."
P&G's Vice President of Global Business Development, Jeff Weedman stated in the interview I posted a link to yesterday, "Not surprisingly, we like there to be strong robust IP or the opportunity to do that fairly quickly. Putting it simply, why should I pay for something that is not protected? This puts me at an economic disadvantage because someone can easily compete with me."
*Keep in mind that OBJ still awaits the Dermaportation patent to be granted by the European patent office
Q: Which two companies recently created a new business model to become a leading player in Consumer Health Care with plans to develop a new platform which they are saying has the potential to reshape the entire global OTC market?
Q: Who are PGT Healthcare, and how many generic drugs make up one of the partners 180 product applications currently awaiting Food and Drug Administration approval and 2,500 pending approval in 30 European countries?
I leave those last two questions open for anyone to comment on - the answers are easy to find ;)
The markets neglect for OBJ might be trying to tell us that patient compliance, safety and efficacy will not be playing an important role in the Health Care landscape of tomorrow... Sorry, but I completely disagree with that... When the market works out a method for putting a value on Intellectual Property, it may also work out that some things in life just about do come with a guarantee.
THE MOVE FROM PASSIVE TO ACTIVE SYSTEMS Transdermal or through the skin application was probably the very first drug delivery method. Our ancestors applied leaves, juice, bark and sap to their skin to treat a range of conditions and injuries. Transdermal patches, gels and creams may be the modern equivalent, however, the obstacle, the skin’s barrier effect, remains the same. The human skin is exquisitely effective at keeping all but the smallest and simplest of compounds out. The stratum corneum, the protective barrier of the skin’s outer layers, ensures that we do not swell up in the shower, absorb dangerous chemicals we may touch, or allow even the tiniest of bacteria to enter through the skin. To avoid the molecular limits that nature places on traditional transdermal drug delivery, Dermaportation adopts an active role by using energy to temporarily affect drug transport through the skin. As a result, Dermaportation is better positioned to meet the changing delivery needs of existing drugs as well as those of the new biological drugs, emerging from global investments in automated drug discovery and genome projects. Dermaportation - a new pathway.
With oral application only compounds that can survive the digestive system, can afford to be slow acting and are safe enough to permeate the entire body are suitable . Injections may be faster and more direct, however are painful and usually restricted to professional administration. These issues have never been so important as we enter a period of rapidly aging population, increasing health costs and declining health budgets.
Simple homecare solutions that are easy to self administer, difficult to overdose on, and do not interfere with common life-sustaining medications are what the pharmaceutical industry seek. Transdermal or through-the-skin application would seem the perfect solution, however only a handful of the smallest and simplest molecular drugs and compounds can currently be effectively administered in this manner, due to the nature of the skin as a barrier to most elements.
Dermaportation is the first of a new generation of “coercive” active drug delivery technologies developed by OBJ Limited that “teleport” drugs past the skin’s protective layers. Unlike other active systems, which blast away the skin’s protective structures, Dermaportation creates and holds open minute temporary passage-ways through which a range of valuable drugs, compounds and even cosmetic agents can be delivered. Dermaportation is painless and does not damage the skin. It is a temporary, controlled method that has very broad market application. For example Dermaportation holds significant potential for children’s medicine, skin cancer treatment, pain management,and the application of cosmetic compounds.
Dermaportation has the potential to not only fundamentally change treatment and application regimes, but also to provide entire classes of products with a means of effective administration.
Dermaportation provides these compounds with a new transdermal pathway that offers the very real potential of controlled release, efficient, convenient and comfortable delivery without damaging the delicate structures of the skin responsible for keeping germs and diseases out, while keeping moisture in.
The technology is powerful, yet gentle and represents the first of a new generation of bio-communication delivery systems. As such the market applications are enormous and the value of the technology to drug companies, medical professionals and patients/consumers will be considerable.
The overwhelming evidence to support Dermaportation technology is already out there:
- 500% increase in through-the-skin drug delivery - Reduces Transdermal Drug Delivery Times by 70% - Demonstrates fine control over drug delivery rates - Accelerates Skin Cancer Drug Absorption by 900% - Presentations at World Congresses on Inflammation & Pain - Results of Study - Transdermal Delivery of Voltaren - Vaccine Patch Matches Injections in 2nd Phase Pilot Study - 100 Fold Increase in Transdermal Delivery of Naltrexone - 75 Fold Increase in Cortisone Delivery Through-the-Skin - Drug Delivery Technology Proven in Human Trial - OBJ's Technology Enhances Follicle Drug Delivery - Reduces Time to Onset in Successful Clinical Trial - Positive Results for Delivery of Therapeutic Peptide - OBJ Data Presentation in France
OBJ Price at posting:
1.9¢ Sentiment: LT Buy Disclosure: Held