As the world turns
To say there are lots of ironies in our wacky world is like saying there are lots of trees in the forest. We thought of this rather strange analogue while updating our calendrer deciding which earnings calls we should listen to and which we can leave for a transcript read. With third quarter results coming there are several questions for which we and investors would like some answers.
Irony #1- The JNJ call has become a non-event, the Abbott call a live event.
Think about that just for a moment as it was not that long ago that the Abbott call was a non-event and the JNJ was a must listen to. Today JNJ for all practical purposes is out of diabetes and Abbott has had a stunning turnaround thanks to the Libre.
Irony #2 – All the insulin company calls are transcript reads.
Now in all honesty with the exception of the Lilly call, these calls are way to early in the morning. However even without the lose of sleep these calls have become very predictable. We hear lots of complaining about pricing pressure, some minor pipeline updates and little else. In many respects the insulin companies are beginning to sound like the BGM companies after competitive bidding came to be.
Irony #3 – The Tandem call has gone from a eulogy to a party.
Even with the recent slide shares have skyrocketed and hopes are high. Third quarter results will be the first glimpse at whether this recent run up is justified or whether the shorts will have a field day.
Irony #4 – We miss Al.
Let’s face it the MannKind calls were fun for no other reason than Al was on them. Today these calls are packed with way too much useless information and no fun at all.
Irony #5 – The companies that really impact our wacky world rarely if ever even speak of diabetes during their calls.
To be honest we have never listened to a Google, Apple or Amazon call, never ever. Yet these three companies will have the biggest impact on our wacky world since the invention of insulin.
A few other things we’ll be watching for –
How well the G6 is doing.
Is Insulet gaining ground.
Will Roche say anything about the recent launch of the Solo.
On a housekeeping note we will be attending the EASD in Berlin and of course reporting when time permits. Not sure anything big will come out of this conference but you never know.
