Biotech

Genentech Lupus Data Fall Short

Stock quotes in this article:DNA, BIIB 

Genentech(DNA) and Biogen Idec(BIIB) said Wednesday that a phase III study of Rituxan failed to meet the primary endpoint as a treatment for patients with a form of lupus.

A previous phase III study of Rituxan in lupus patients failed last year. Rituxan, with 2008 U.S. sales of $2.6 billion, is used primarily to treat blood-related cancers like non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

In this most recent study, Genentech said treatment with Rituxan did nothing to improve kidney function in patients with lupus nephritis, which is characterized by inflammation of the kidney caused by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus), an autoimmune disease.

There are no approved drugs to treat SLE, or lupus, although steroids are commonly used to treat symptoms. Recently, a drug from La Jolla Pharmaceuticals(LJPC) and BioMarin Pharmaceuticals(BMRN) was a failure in a phase III study of lupus patients.

Lupus is a chronic disease in which the body's immune system attacks connective tissue, resulting in inflammation and tissue damage, often to the heart, joints, lungs and kidneys. Women are more often diagnosed with lupus than men, and the disease goes through periods where it flares up then goes into remission.

>To order reprints of this article, click here: Reprints

At the time of publication, Feuerstein's Biotech Select model portfolio was long Genentech.

Adam Feuerstein writes regularly for TheStreet.com. In keeping with TSC's editorial policy, he doesn't own or short individual stocks, although he owns stock in TheStreet.com. He also doesn't invest in hedge funds or other private investment partnerships. Feuerstein appreciates your feedback; click here to send him an email.

TheStreet Premium Services

Jim Cramer
Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS:
Trade right alongside a Wall Street pro — enjoy access to his Charitable Trust portfolio and be sent trade alerts BEFORE he makes a move. Learn More
OptionsProfits
OptionsProfits:
Get 50+ trade ideas a week from the industry's top options experts. Plus — exclusive commentary on market trends and essential trading tools. Learn More
Real Money
Real Money:
Our team of professional Wall Street Pros — including Jim Cramer, Doug Kass, and Nicholas Vardy — delivers intelligent analysis, timely trade ideas, and colorful commentary. Learn More
Stocks Under $10
Stocks Under $10:
Break into the market with small- and mid-cap stocks... all $10 or less! David Peltier tells you exactly which low-priced stocks he's buying and selling. Learn More
To begin commenting right away, you can log in below using your Disqus, Facebook, Twitter, OpenID or Yahoo login credentials. Alternatively, you can post a comment as a "guest" just by entering an email address. Your use of the commenting tool is subject to multiple terms of service/use and privacy policies - see here for more details.
blog comments powered by Disqus
Dow Jones S&P 500 NASDAQ 10-Year Note
12,393.45 1,310.33 2,827.34 15.81
Oil *
101.78
DOWN
26.41
DOWN
2.99
DOWN
10.02
DOWN
0.44
10 Yr
1.58%
SPDR Gold
151.62
-0.21%
-0.23%
-0.35%
-2.71%
Data delayed 20 minutes

Top Stories and Tools

Articles From

After the Bell

Before the Bell

Booyah! Newsletter

Midday Bell

TheStreet Top 10 Stories

Winners & Losers

We respect your privacy.
Podcasts

Connect with TheStreet