https://www.edisongroup.com/edison-tv/actinogen-medical-actinogen-medical-executive-interview/BM-1106/
Having watched this recent Edison Group interview with Actinogens CEO Steven Gourlay I for one am not sure why the market is so slow out of the blocks when it comes to Actinogen Medical (ACW -ASX). The risk return ration appears massive from where I sit. Investors are risking 3, 4 or five cents for a shot at dollars, given the huge unmet need for patients with the neurological disorders Actinogen are commercialising to treat.
Given the huge unmet need evident in the dementia population why hasn’t Xanamem lifted Actinogens share market cap 10 or 20 twenty times higher than it is today?
With an excellent safety profile in over 400 patients, proof the drug reduces cortisol (i.e., otherwise known as the stress hormone in the brain) levels in patients and given the fact it is a once a day pill as opposed to a blood (IV) infusion option, many investors I talk to are unclear as to why the stock is not racing up the charts. Some suggest it is due to the listing of the stock on the small at times unfriendly biotech index, the ASX. Others see it as a failure to fully comprehend recent results in the companies Phase 2 trial for depression. Whilst some suggest its a failure of the market overall to fully understand whats in play with Xanamem, given the drugs novel and unique mode of operation.
Incidentally this recent Yahoo Finance article gives a solid appraise of Actinogen and where Xanamem is at in its life cycle. The article notes Xanamems recent recognition by the World Health Organisation and highlights Actinogens push toward commercialisation for the drug Read more here: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/actinogen-announces-unique-nonproprietary-name-141800289.html
Why is there is a huge unmet need when it comes to dementia treatment you may well ask?
Well I guess it comes back to the fact there are only two FDA approved drugs for the treatment of Alzeihmers disease, and their mode of operation can produce at times brain swelling at worst fatalities, as note recently in a Mayo Clinic article Read more here https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/in-depth/alzheimers-treatments/art-20047780
FDA Approved treatments
As noted in the Mayo Clinic article the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved lecanemab (Leqembi) and donanemab (Kisunla) for people with mild Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease. Clinical trials found that the medicines slowed declines in thinking and functioning in people with early Alzheimer's disease. The medicines prevent amyloid plaques in the brain from clumping. Lecanemab is given as an IV infusion every two weeks. Your care team likely will watch for side effects and ask you or your caregiver how your body reacts to the drug. Side effects of lecanemab include infusion-related reactions such as fever, flu-like symptoms, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, changes in heart rate and shortness of breath. Donanemab is given as an IV infusion every four weeks. Side effects of the medicine may include flu-like symptoms, nausea, vomiting, headache and changes in blood pressure. Rarely, donanemab can cause a life-threatening allergic reaction and swelling. Also, people taking lecanemab or donanemab may have swelling in the brain or may get small bleeds in the brain. Rarely, brain swelling can be serious enough to cause seizures and other symptoms. Also in rare instances, bleeding in the brain can cause death.
Xanamem and the competition
Through targeting cortisol as opposed to amyloids in the brain Actinogen CEO Steven Gourlay believes Xanamem could prove many times more effective than the current treatments on offer. He is of the view the Actinogen patented drug is capable of improving cognition and working memory in patients, getting into the brain to produce lasting improvements for those with not only Alzeihmers and severe depression, but a number of other neurological diseases. Recent peer review analysis have supported his view, with another peer review anticipated in the coming months. This anticipated peer review analysis may provide a catalyst for ACW, as independent medical research is always viewed as carrying more weight than internal views.
For more on Actinogen's recent peer review analysis read https://www.biospace.com/positive-xanamem-biomarker-trial-published-in-the-journal-of-alzheimer-s-disease-demonstrating-potential-xanamem-efficacy-in-patients-with-elevated-blood-ptau
Either way there is sure to be huge interest from the medical fraternity and investors alike as Actinogen pushes toward interim results for what Gourlay believes could potentially prove the Holy Grail for Alzeihmers sufferers, that being Actinogen’s recently named ‘emestedastat’.
DYOR research - opinions only
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