Can anybody keep MannKind down?

As we know MannKind is developing an inhaled insulin that they hope to get approved by the FDA. However analysts are spurning the company's confidence that the approval will come by January 16th. One cannot argue that MannKind has every right to be optimistic: an effective inhaled insulin will be a tremendous step forward in the treatment of diabetes. Unfortunately there is only speculation as to what will happen in the coming weeks, and it seems that analysts are taking the conservative route by advising against MannKind and Afresa (trade name for the inhaled insulin product).

Read more here from Bloomberg

Yesterday I mentioned that Gilead has shown the highest margins in pharma/biotech. Well, today the shares of Gilead jumped significantly after a phase II study of a new HIV treatment met it's primary endpoint. I would proceed with caution based on this news, however, because this new add on therapy could very easily meet its demise in large scale Phase III studies. Let's wait and see what happens as this drug moves further in development...

Gilead's Press Release Here


Speaking of high margins, have you ever wondered which products generate the highest profits for manufacturers? Well, if you haven't Pharmalot has come up with the top 10 drugs that offer the most bag for their buck for pharma/biotech and it looks like the antidepressant Effexor takes the number 1 spot. There are some heavy hitters on the list like Lipitor and Plavix, and one can only speculate where those drugs will end up as their patents expire in the coming years.

See the Pharmalot post for more