A. Reza Saadat

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On Tuesday August 26, Amylin (AMLN) and its partner Eli Lilly (LLY) announced that four patients had died while on diabetes treatment Byetta.

Both Amylin (down 12%) and Lilly (down 1%) sold off in after hours following repeated headlines saying Byetta was responsible for the deaths.

The truth is no one knows what caused the death. The information released mentioned severe pancreatitis as a cause. Needless to say it is possible that pancreatitis, which happens with higher frequency on diabetic patients, was not caused by Byetta. Over a million patients have taken Byetta since it has been launched and the product has a good safety profile.

One patient was morbidly obese while other patients had major other complications such as surgeries.

I had previously recommended not to buy Amylin due to the lackluster uptake of Byetta and the inability of management to manage expectations and earnings.

This is yet another case of a panic driven sell-off with an incomplete set of facts. Once the dust clears, there is a very good chance that Byetta will be cleared.

I am recommending a short term long position in shares of Amylin which could be trading 10-20% higher in the weeks to come.

Disclosure: The author does not have any positions in AMLN or LLY.

This article has 3 comments:

  •  
    Aug 27 02:38 PM
    I agree. Everything that I have read about Byetta tells me that this is an over reaction.
    Reply | Link to Comment
  •  
    Oct 09 07:43 PM
    Hopefully you didn't follow your own advice.
    Reply | Link to Comment
  •  
    Oct 27 11:45 AM
    10-20% higher? How about 80% lower. Nice call.
    Reply | Link to Comment
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