Feuerstein's Biotech-Stock Mailbag

I hope everyone printed this week's column on FDA approval decision dates for 2008. You've told me this is the kind of information that biotech investors crave, so I hope the list helps in planning for next year.

I'm working on another calendar detailing upcoming phase III trial results, so look for that in the next week.

Another note about the FDA calendar: Several people wondered why I left off companies like Genitope(GTOP), Dendreon(DNDN) or Pain Therapeutics (PTIE).

As I said, I omitted companies that either 1) didn't have phase III data reported yet, or 2) hadn't yet filed for FDA approval.

Once a company files with the FDA and the application is accepted, they'll be put on the list. I'll update the calendar as we move through next year.

Speaking of Pain Therapeutics, the company is the subject of my first email, from Robin K:

"Adam, you correctly called out Remi Barbier a while ago on his 'fuzzy math.' What are your thoughts on [Thursday's] Remoxy results?"

A blast from the past. Robin is referring to a column from June 2004 about a study run by Pain Therapeutics' demonstrating the superior abuse-resistant qualities of its painkiller Remoxy over Oxycontin.

As I pointed out back then, the claims of superiority made by Pain Therapeutics and its CEO Remi Barbier were overstated because someone at the company didn't know how to use a calculator. In other words, the math in the press release was wrong.