September 28, 2017
By Alex Keown, BioSpace.com Breaking News Staff
SUMMIT, N. J. – Investors looking for long-term growth in a pharma company should pay close attention to Celgene Corporation . Five drugs in the company’s pipeline have blockbuster potential and could send share prices soaring over the next 10 years, according to one analyst.
Writing in The Motley Fool analyst Keith Speights highlighted the strengths of Celgene, a company that has liberally forged deals across the industry to strengthen its bottom line. Dubbed “pharma’s best friend” by BioSpace, Celgene has seen its stock grow by 280 percent over the past five years. That’s the best any biotech with a market cap of $50 billion or more has done, Speights said. Growth has been fueled by a number of drugs, including Revlimid, Pomalyst, Otezla, and Abraxane. But, Speights said there are five drugs in its pipeline that will be catalysts for the company’s continued growth.
1. Ozanimod
Celgene’s experimental multiple sclerosis treatment Ozanimod is a selective, sphingosine 1-phosphate 1 (S1PR1) and 5 (S1PR5) receptor modulator. Celgene is anticipating filing for regulatory approval with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by the end of the year to treat relapsing multiple sclerosis. Earlier this year, Todd Campbell, another analyst writing for The Motley Fool, speculated that Ozanimod could displace Novartis ’ Gilenya, which is used in newly diagnosed MS patients. Ozanimod has not had some of the safety concerns that the Novartis drug has shown, Campbell said earlier this year. The drug could also challenge another MS powerhouse, Biogen ’s Tecfidera, which has shown some safety issues concerning a rare and life-threatening brain disease called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy.
2. GED-0301
GED-0301, also known as Mongersen, is an oligonucleotide designed to target the messenger RNA (mRNA) for Smad7, a protein that is a key regulator of TGF-beta (transforming growth factor) type 1 receptors. The drug is in Phase III development to treat Crohn’s disease where abnormally high levels of Smad7 interfere with TGF-ß1 anti-inflammatory pathways. The drug is also being studied in a Phase II program as a treatment for ulcerative colitis.
3. Luspatercept
In mid-stage trial hematological drug luspatercept, being co-developed with Acceleron Pharmaceuticals, has been shown to increase hemoglobin levels, reduce transfusion burden, improve health-related quality of life measures and create beneficial effects on liver iron concentration in patients with beta-thalassemia. Celgene is looking at 2018 as a possible date for approval, should the drug continue to show promise in late-stage trials, Speights said, citing Nadim Ahmed, Celgene’s head of hematology and oncology.
4. Marizomib
Marizomib is a novel, brain-penetrant proteasome inhibitor. The drug, which was acquired by Celgene in 2016, is being developed as a possible treatment for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. If the drug, which is still in early clinical stages, is ultimately approved, Speights said it could generate up to $1.5 billion annually.
5. CC-220
A novel, oral immunomodulatory compound, CC-220 is being developed to treat both lupus and multiple myeloma. Speights said the drug, should it become approved, could be another blockbuster for Celgene. CC-220 is being explored as both a monotherapy and in combination with dexamethasone to treat multiple myeloma, Speights said.
While Speights highlighted these five candidates, he noted that Celgene has numerous drugs in development. Many of those have a potential to generate strong revenue streams for the company.
“Even if the company experiences a setback with one candidate, Celgene has shown that it can find other strong contenders. That could be the best reason of all to think that Celgene will continue its winning ways into the next decade,” Speights concluded.
