The return of Lily Munster
posted on
Aug 05, 2013 06:02PM
Edit this title from the Fast Facts Section
"Meanwhile, investors anxiously wait for approval of MannKind's (MNKD) faulted inhalable compound Afrezza, a technology that Novo Nordisk, the top maker of diabetes medications in the world, passed on some time ago. Even if the drug/device combination makes it through what has been an arduous process with the FDA's past misgivings, I believe selling the product will become a tough missionary sale to endocrinologists. This makes sense particularly when considering how many other, safer compounds are advancing in trials. One recent example is a new drug from Biodel, Inc. (BIOD) in mid-stage trials that acts like industry standard Humalog, a $3.5 billion offering from Eli Lilly (LLY), but with more rapid uptake, quicker therapeutic effects, a less injection site irritation.
Biodel has a market capitalization of $72 million; MannKind's is an astounding $2.2 billion, yet Oramed, with potentially the biggest breakthrough to happen in diabetes medicine, trades at only $56 million. A clear opportunity exists that should not be overlooked."