Home Page : www.otcjournal.com
Email Questions or Comments To:
editor@otcjournal.com
To
OTC Journal Members:
 |
Comments
in the BLOG |
 |
If you review the last BLOG
entry on UpSnap (OTC BB: UPSN) you will note I called for $2.40
as
the perfect entry level, with a stop loss at $2.30. The stock is
trading there now, and therefore at the perfect entry level technically.
I would only give this one a $.10 cushion- if it trades at $2.30
or much lower just take your loss and move on no matter what level you
own it at. There is also a new BLOG entry on Global ePoint (NASDAQ:
GEPT) which had a huge day last week. It was long overdue.
To use the BLOG, simply go
to the home page at www.otcjournal.com
- the BLOG will scroll down automatically on the right side of your
screen. The most current journal entries appear in the middle of your screen.
Check back frequently for updates particularly when stocks are moving to
overbought or oversold levels or in volatile markets. Your questions and
postings do not automatically appear, so don't bother posting the same
question multiple times. I personally go through to moderate and respond
to every question.
 |
Callisto Pharmceuticals
(AMEX: KAL) Takes On Colon Cancer |
|
KAL has added colon and rectal
cancer to its portfolio of potential cancer therapies. Today, just after
the market closed, KAL announced it received notification from the
US Patent office granting notice of allowance (edited: formal approval to follow) for a patent of a novel drug compound
created by Callisto scientists to treat and prevent a variety of
inflammatory diseases of the bowel, including colon cancer. The drug
is first-in-class of a new category of compounds with the potential to
revolutionize therapy for gastro-intestinal disease, while presenting virtually
no known side effects or toxicity.
Frost & Sullivan estimates the
size of the market in the US for colon and rectal cancer to be in the neighborhood
of $2.58 billion in 2006. It is the third leading cause of
cancer mortality in the US.
The press release describes a revolutionary
new approach to treating this particular hard to treat version of cancer.
SP304 (the compound's lab name) is delivered orally, and mimics a naturally-occurring
hormone called uroguanylin, which is normally produced in the body’s intestinal
tract.
Replacing this hormone with a very
close cousin is expected to reduce inflammation in damaged cells. The compound
is so close to its naturally occurring cousin that KAL scientists
anticipate little or no toxicity associated with this orally administered
drug.
With a little luck, this news could
put a major charge into this stock. Colon and Rectal cancer are both highly
visible and problematic forms of cancer. Both are difficult to treat. Both
have the highest incidence in people over 50, which is the current bulge
of population known as the "Baby Boomers".
I would expect this news to be picked
up by major national media outlets. With any luck at all, this news should
get KAL moving back up the charts. Since first publishing on the
company on October 1 at $1.30, we have seen the stock trade as high
as $1.62 and as low as $1. The $1.30 introduction level was
in the middle of the range.
While the stock succumbed in the
October correction, it has yet to participate in the November rally. As
of today's close, KAL was trading at about the $1.10 level,
nearer the low end of its range.
Historically, the next two weeks
of the year tend to be a little on the quiet side, with the market picking
up towards in the second half of December. In light of this news, KAL
promises to have a strong finish going into the year end.
With the addition of a potential
therapy for colon and rectal cancer, KAL adds a powerful new component
to its already rich portfolio of treatments for Leukemia, Multiple Myeloma,
and bioterrorism threats.
Stanford Research has a $5
price target on KAL, which it derives from the current valuations of
comparable companies VION, BIVN, and CTIC.
Combining additional blockbuster
drugs to its already strong pipeline is going to bring this stock into
investors cross hairs sooner or later. I'm hoping for a huge day tomorrow.
We are certainly due to have one.
Here is the complete text of today's
news for your review:
| Press Release Source:
Callisto Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Callisto Announces
Newly Allowed Patent on First-in-Class Drug for Colon Cancer and Other
Diseases
Monday November 28, 4:01
pm ET
Research Data Supports
Drug's Potential as Revolutionary, Safe, Non-Toxic Preventative for Cancer
and Treatment for Gastro-Intestinal Diseases
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov.
28, 2005---Callisto Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AMEX:KAL - News; FWB:CA4), a
developer of new drug treatments in the fight against cancer and other
major health threats, announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
has given a Notice of Allowance on a patent for a novel drug compound created
by Callisto scientists to treat and prevent a variety of inflammatory diseases
of the bowel, including colon cancer. The drug is first-in-class of a new
category of compounds with the potential to revolutionize therapy for gastro-intestinal
disease, while presenting virtually no known side effects or toxicity.
The Callisto drug candidate,
currently known by its laboratory name SP304, is an orally deliverable
compound designed to mimic a naturally-occurring hormone called uroguanylin,
which is normally produced in the body's intestinal tract. People with
colon cancer lack sufficient quantities of uroguanylin, and this deficiency
is linked with colon carcinogenesis. SP304 is designed to replace the naturally
occurring compound, but with the added advantage of providing greater anti-inflammatory
potency and therapeutic effect. Also significantly, because Callisto's
SP304 is a close molecular relative of the naturally occurring hormone,
it is anticipated to be virtually non-toxic.
"Research in animal models
has indicated that this new class of compounds and therapeutic approach,
represented by Callisto's drug SP304, has the potential to genuinely revolutionize
the treatment of certain very serious inflammatory bowel diseases, as well
as colon cancer," said Dr. Gary S. Jacob, CEO and CSO of Callisto. "The
science behind SP304 is an exciting new avenue in cancer and anti-inflammatory
treatment research, and Callisto is proud to be the first to patent a drug
in this groundbreaking, next-generation category of potential therapies."
Callisto's SP304 drug
candidate is designed to help replenish damaged cells in the lining of
the colon -- cells that may become cancerous -- to function as therapies
for people who have gastro-intestinal diseases such as ulcerative colitis
or colon cancer. It also is being evaluated as a preventative measure to
stop cancer and other diseases from developing.
One of the major physiological
functions of uroguanylin is the regulation of cell health in the colon
lining, including the elimination of mutated cells and the replenishment
of healthy cells. "This delicate balance of elimination and renewal of
the cells of the colon lining is crucial to the prevention of cancer. We
believe SP304 can be an effective oral therapy to prevent benign colorectal
polyps from becoming cancerous," said Dr. Kunwar Shailubhai, Senior Vice
President, Discovery Research for Callisto, who is one of the drug's inventors.
"Research data has also shown the drug to have very impressive anti-inflammatory
properties, suggesting it is an excellent candidate as a treatment for
inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis."
More than 500,000 Americans
are afflicted with ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease
(IBD) that causes chronic inflammation of the digestive tract. Along with
Crohn's disease, the other major form of IBD, ulcerative colitis can be
painful and debilitating, and can lead to other serious and life-threatening
complications. There is currently no medical cure for ulcerative colitis.
Colon cancer, also called
colorectal cancer, is the second leading cause of cancer death among men
and women in the United States and Canada, and is the third most diagnosed
cancer, excluding skin cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that
there will be 146,940 new cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed in the U.S.
in 2004 -- roughly one new case every 4 minutes. Although colon cancer
can be treated through surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, currently there
are no drugs specifically designed for its prevention and treatment.
The Notice of Allowance
for Callisto's SP304 was given for the patent titled, "Guanylate Cyclase
Receptor Agonists for the Treatment of Tissue Inflammation and Carcinogenesis."
The USPTO has allowed key claims covering the composition of matter of
the SP304 compound; additional claims are pending in divisional applications.
"This patent allowance
is a scientific and strategic milestone for Callisto that further strengthens
our pipeline of significant drug technologies and our mission to develop
needed new medical treatments," added Dr. Jacob.
About Callisto Pharmaceuticals,
Inc.
Callisto is a biopharmaceutical
company committed to developing innovative new drugs to treat cancer and
other major diseases and health threats. Currently, the Company's drug
development pipeline includes anti-cancer drugs to treat blood, or hematological,
cancers, and related diseases, as well as new drugs with Homeland Security
applications designed to protect against potential bio-warfare agents,
including staphylococcus and streptococcus. Currently, Callisto is developing
two anti-cancer drug candidates to treat multiple myeloma and leukemia,
both serious blood cancers. The Company's L-Annamycin drug candidate is
presently planned to enter a clinical trial to treat adult relapsed or
refractory acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) in Q4 2005. L-Annamycin has
a novel therapeutic profile that includes the potential to treat patients
whose cancers have shown resistance to other cancer drugs; it also has
shown potential for significantly reduced cardiotoxicity, or danger to
the heart, compared with existing anthracycline cancer drugs. Callisto's
anti-cancer drug Atiprimod is being explored as a treatment for relapsed
or refractory multiple myeloma. Atiprimod is currently in a Phase I/IIa
clinical trial in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma patients at four
clinical sites in the United States. In addition to cancer treatments,
Callisto is developing a drug pre-clinically for treatment of ulcerative
colitis. Callisto also has received a major biodefense partnership grant
from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
to develop a monoclonal antibody and vaccine against bacterial superantigen
toxins. Bacterial superantigens are among the most lethal of toxins that
can potentially be used as bioweapons. For investor-specific information
about Callisto, including recent news and stock price data, please visit
http://www.trilogy-capital.com/tcp/callisto/. For an Investor Fact Sheet
about Callisto, please visit http://www.trilogy-capital.com/tcp/callisto/factsheet.html.
To view an informational presentation of the Company's development pipeline
of drug candidates, visit http://www.trilogy-capital.com/tcp/callisto/powerpoint.html.
Callisto is also listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the ticker
symbol CA4. For additional information, please visit www.callistopharma.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements made
in this press release are forward-looking. Such statements are indicated
by words such as "expect," "should," "anticipate" and similar words indicating
uncertainty in facts and figures. Although Callisto believes that the expectations
reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give
no assurance that such expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements
will prove to be correct. As discussed in the Callisto Pharmaceuticals
Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the year ended December 31, 2004, and
other periodic reports, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking
statements as a result of the following factors, among others: uncertainties
associated with product development, the risk that products that appeared
promising in early clinical trials do not demonstrate efficacy in larger-scale
clinical trials, the risk that Callisto will not obtain approval to market
its products, the risks associated with dependence upon key personnel and
the need for additional financing.
Contact:
Callisto Pharmaceuticals,
Inc.
Dan D'Agostino, 212-297-0010
x227
dagostino@callistopharma.com
or
Trilogy Capital Partners,
Inc.
Paul Karon, 800-592-6067
(Financial Communications)
paul@trilogy-capital.com
Source: Callisto Pharmaceuticals,
Inc. |
|
Subscribe |
|
Information is power and timely information is profitable. Become informed and profit from OTC Journal Profiles and Trading Alerts by becoming a Preferred Member today. There is no cost associated with your email subscription.
Add your email address below and make sure to check your email inbox and confirm your opt-in request to start receiving the OTC Journal Email Newsletter on a regular basis.
To ensure newsletter delivery, you can add any additional email addresses you may have to the OTC Journal Member List. Receiving the OTC Journal Newsletter in multiple locations is the best
way of making sure you don't miss the next investing or trading opportunity! For web based email addresses, the OTC Journal recommends @yahoo.com or @aol.com for timely and reliable
email newsletter delivery.
Note: Your email address will be kept strictly confidential, and will not be shared with any other entity for any purpose at any time. If you no longer wish to receive the OTC Journal, simply follow the instructions located at the bottom of every OTC Journal Newsletter Edition.
|
