Hi IMU followers, I have been acquiring IMU for over 15 months now amongst family and friends, having followed the stock for over 5 years now. Recent posts have led me to reach for the key board to put an analytical and perhaps somewhat realistic perspective on why we are we are on May 23, 2021. As a student of economics, not medicine, Imugene continues to hold strong appeal for me from an investment perspective.
The market Once upon a time 40% of our population contracted cancer. Now as we all live longer a new study published in the British Journal of Cancer claims 1 in 2 men and women will be diagnosed with the disease at some point in their lives. Cancer drugs such as Keytruda sold and estimated $14.39 billion worth of product in 2020 alone.Roche’s 2009 acquisition of Genentec in 2009 for 44BN USD 2020 gives us a small insight into the size of the biotech market worldwide. Genentech Research and Early Development operates as an independent centre within Roche. Whilst the pace of growth has not slowed. 2020 saw a substantial increase in the number of acquisitions of startup biotechnology companies. The immunotherapy market is no stranger to such acquisitions, with Gilead Sciences Inc acquiring biotech company Immunomedics Inc for $21 billion, in a move to strengthen its cancer portfolio by gaining access to the promising breast cancer drug Trodelvy.
In pre clinical, phase 1 and phase 2 trials Imugene’s drugs have been shown to achieve results across the spectrum of cancers. Imugene's drugs are not limited to any one type of cancer, hence their market reach is much broader than that of their competitors. The addition of CD19 to the suite of products only serves to expand the companies reach into the “holy grail” of solid tumours, as we learned this week.Whilst the recent ascent of the companies market capitalisation introduces the stock to super funds, index funds and fund managers all requiring to hold stocks in the ASX 300, and ASX 200 indices (into which IMU is fast approaching).
The InnovatorsImugene's trials are based upon decades of independent cancer research conducted by world renowned clinicians including but not limited to Yuman Fong and Professor Kaumaya. Fong is a pioneer both in the operating room and in the laboratory, Dr. Fong’s early research was in immune activation during cancer or infection. He was part of the group that discovered tumour necrosis factor and helped establish the field of innate immunity.
Professor Kaumaya is internationally recognised as an expert in the fields of vaccine research with emphasis on peptide vaccines for cancer, viral diseases as well as peptide therapy for autoimmune diseases. Dr. Kaumaya is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and is the current treasurer of the American Peptide Society. Professor Kaumaya investigates how patients’ immune systems can be directed to recognise and kill their own cancer cells. He has devised novel treatments that combine both prophylactic and immunotherapeutic approaches and translated his research to the clinic.
The trialsMany of Imugene's trial have been designed and overseen by Dr Axel Hoos. Dr Axel Hoos is Head of Oncology and Senior Vice President at GSK. He is also currently the Co-Chairman of the Think-Tank, Cancer Immunotherapy Consortium and Chairman of the Sabin Vaccine Institute. Dr Hoos was previously the Medical Lead for Yervoy, the first survival-improving immuno-oncology treatment approved in 2011.
All Imugene's phase 1 and phase 2 trials, conducted to test the safety and efficacy of their drugs have illustrated their effectiveness in reducing the side effects so often found in the administration of their competitors drugs, such as Herceptin and Keytruda. This fact is exemplified in the recent HerVaxx phase 2 trial conducted by Imugene in which the Independent Data Monitoring Committees review of HER-Vaxx Phase 2 interim analysis safety and efficacy data reported no safety concerns and viewed this preliminary data as strongly in favour of a HER-Vaxx survival effect.
The IDMC provided guidance that it is scientifically and ethically appropriate to reduce the overall number of patients required to complete the study given the strong signal observed in the data. This move is close to being unprecedented in the field of phase 2 trials.Following on from this guidance Managing director and CEO of Imugene Leslie Chong has recently said: “I am delighted to report that we have achieved this new significant milestone for patients with advanced gastric cancer, following on from the important interim data released in 2020 and new data presented at AACR earlier this month.”
Some contributors to this thread have suggested the SP rise from .10 cents earlier in 2021 could have been the result of another trial the company is currently conducting, for their PD1 Vaxx. The trial is assessing three different doses of PD1-Vaxx in lung cancer patients to find the optimal dose. The drug works to produce an anti-cancer effect similar to other immune checkpoint inhibitor antibodies used to treat cancer. After six weeks, or 43 days, of treatment, three patients showed stabilisation of disease and one patient's tumour couldn't be measured — indicating a complete response to PD1-Vaxx. These results are even more impressive when we consider many of these patients have not responded to other forms of care and cancer drugs, and were indeed in advanced stages of the disease.
Once again the trial results speak for themselves. And if the pre clinical data derived from CF 33 and CD 19 plays out in their ensuing Phase 1 and 2 trials, Imugene shall soon rival some of their larger competitors as their proof of concept comes to fruition in a safe, efficacious and timely manner. I know I’ll definitely be staying on the train to enjoy the ride.
BTW thanks to
@unbelievable, Slick, Steine, Davey, Kluck, Vein and basically all contributors to this HC thread. It has kept me both enthused and amused along the IMU trail toward success…
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