Small-Caps Take Stage at Biotech Confab

The crowds have finally thinned in the halls of the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco, the home of JPMorgan's annual health care conference.

There is a sense of urgency at the gathering, where seemingly every health care investor and executive spends at least part of the week. Everyone is looking for an edge, and the CEOs of both publicly traded and private companies are all too eager to explain why their organization deserves investors' attention and dollars.

The big-cap names mostly presented Monday and Tuesday. I discussed my observations of that part of the show earlier in the week.

The last two days concentrated on the smaller names, and here are some of the highlights of what was said -- and what wasn't.

Mum's the Word

Shire Pharmaceuticals (SHPGY) discussed the strength of Adderall XR, which it said was the U.S. marketshare leader in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, with 26.8% of the market.

Shire's new drugs include Lialda for ulcerative colitis and SPD465 for adult ADHD. The Food and Drug Administration is supposed to release its decision on Lialda by Jan. 21 and on SPD465 by May 21.

CEO Matt Emmens reviewed Shire's rich product portfolio and pipeline, and the presentation and breakout session appeared well-received.

However, if you've followed my rants on the shares of Shire partner New River Pharmaceuticals (NRPH), you know that I was chomping at the bit for Emmens to address the labeling issue of NRP104, now known as Vyvance.