Feuerstein's Biotech Mailbag

The Biotech Mailbag is back! I apologize for being AWOL last weekend, but my kids (also known as the oh-so-cute germ hoarders) scored a direct hit on my immune system, knocking me on my back for a few days. Anyway, I'm fully recovered now and ready to tackle your questions. Remember to email me here.

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Greg G. writes to ask about ImClone Systems (IMCL): "I'm a big fan of your work. However, it seems like you're not a big fan of ImClone, even after Amgen's (AMGN) big setback. Is there anything that may change your mind?"

Greg is perceptive. I have had a love-hate relationship with ImClone for years. I've done some of my best work on the stock and, sadly, some of my worst.

Lately, however, I think I've been fairly kind to the company, and in fact, I think ImClone has a very good stretch ahead of it. We'll soon be in the thick of cancer conference season, and it looks now as though ImClone will have a lot of good Erbitux data to present.

At next week's annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research, ImClone will be presenting positive survival data from a study of Erbitux in third-line colon cancer as well as positive data from a study combining Erbitux and chemotherapy in second-line colon cancer.

June brings us the big cancer show: the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting. Here, we'll get more good Erbitux data, including first-line colon cancer data combining Erbitux and chemotherapy (the so-called Crystal study) as well as new and positive data on Erbitux in head-and-neck cancer.