barrons recomend

Buy - Price 6.07 on Sept. 5
by Cantor Fitzgerald
Poniard announced updated results from its Phase II trial of picoplatin in patients with small-cell lung cancer who relapsed within six months of first-line therapy....The one-year survival rate of 17.6% with single-agent picoplatin, reported for the first time, compares favorably with 9% and 15.2% one-year survival rates in two other clinical trials evaluating the combination of paclitaxel+carboplatin and topotecan+cisplatin, respectively....Poniard also notes that it is on track to reach its enrollment target in first-half '08, with a [new-drug application] possible in 2009 if results are positive. In our view, Poniard continues to execute its clinical development plan for picoplatin effectively and on schedule. Maintaining one-year price target of 12.

From Barron's 5-21-07

"Poniard [has] announced that data from a Phase II trial for picoplatin as a second-line agent in small-cell lung cancer will be presented at [the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago] on June 3. Recall that during an interim analysis from a single-arm Phase 2 trial in November 2006, picoplatin demonstrated a 27-week survival benefit in 72 evaluable patients. The [presentation] at ASCO will include results from all 77 patients enrolled and will demonstrate a survival benefit that, we believe, will exceed the 27-week benefit established during the interim analysis...Risks include limited safety data/efficacy data for picoplatin in metastatic colorectal cancer.... Maintain Buy rating and $11 price target."

Pharmaceutical company.

A Director and Beneficial Owner of the company have recently purchased 134,725 shares or $853 ,000 worth of stock.

speculative idea

I am mixed on this one because they are close to getting FDA approval for a new cancer drug but last summer they inflated their own stock price with company officers buying significant chunks of stock (my opinion). This could be profitable but I was suspect about the ethics and what else may be misleading.

disappointing track record