Dendreon: Provenge to Survive Health Reform

"The value to the patients and the payors is extremely high for Provenge," said Gold.

The debate over whether men with early-stage prostate cancer benefit more from immediate treatment or so-called "watchful waiting" is legitimate question, said Gold, but "when prostate cancer advances, men should be treated. There is no question about that."

Outside of the question concerning Provenge and health care reform, Gold's intervew with the Citibank analyst offered nothing new about Dendreon.

Gold essentially reiterated what most investors who follow the company already know: The Provenge filing with the Food and Drug Administration is still on track for the fourth quarter, and the company is prepared to launch Provenge from its New Jersey manufacturing facility.

That facility is currently being expanded to increase capacity from 25% to 100%, but that work is not a gating factor on Provenge's approval or the drug's launch. The work on the New Jersey facility will be completed by the end of April 2010.

Gold did say Dendreon will hold an investor/analyst day in September to discuss Provenge's commercialization plans in more detail, and to discuss other research projects under way at the company.