Reactions Overreactions
Newton’s third law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This just might explain some share movement witnessed recently. First Abbott announces they will be working with Tandem integrating the Libre with Tandem insulin delivery systems. Action- Tandem shares close up $5.37 almost a 10% increase-Reaction Dexcom shares close down -$7.21 a decrease of almost 5%. Now never mind that this deal between Abbott and Tandem...
No surprises here
This morning Abbott and Tandem announced they were exploring working together. Per a press release; “Abbott (NYSE: ABT) and Tandem Diabetes Care (NASDAQ: TNDM) announced today that they intend to develop and commercialize integrated diabetes solutions that combine Abbott's world-leading glucose sensing technology with Tandem’s innovative insulin delivery systems to provide more options for people to manage their diabetes.” We see this as an offensive move for Abbott and a defensive move...
Welcome to the new world
Although he never actually set foot on our shores Christopher Columbus is given credit for discovering America. The same can be said for our friends at Livongo although they did not invent digital diabetes everyone is giving them credit for inventing it. Perhaps today’s news coming from Abbott will reinforce what we have been stating, Livongo is NOT the only digital diabetes player and has lots of competition. Per a press...
It could get ugly
There’s a very old saying that’s all fair in love and war, but whoever said that never meet a pharmaceutical rep. Although there aren’t as many as there used to be reps can play a pivotal role when it comes to launching a new drug. There is no question that formulary position is a critical piece of the puzzle and that reps have less access to physicians than ever but...
Are the inmates running the asylum?
While Livongo CEO Glen Tullman continues his fireside chat tour, the sharks are smelling blood in the water. The first shareholder lawsuit is underway and the stock after getting an initial boost from the Federal contract win, has begun to fall again. Now we won’t say that this house cards is about to collapse or that anything nefarious/illegal is going on. All we can say based on everything we know...
Will Livongo be atoning for its sins?
On this day of atonement it could be Livongo that pays a heavy price for their sins. Per a press release issued yesterday; “Kaskela Law LLC is investigating Livongo Health, Inc. ("Livongo" or the "Company") (NASDAQ:LVGO) on behalf of investors. The investigation seeks to determine whether Livongo and/or the Company's officers and directors violated the securities laws in connection with Livongo's July 2019 initial public offering ("IPO") of securities, and whether investors...
Resubmissions Approvals – What it all means
This morning Intarcia announced that the FDA has accepted the resubmission of their exenatide micropump. Per a company issued press release; “Intarcia Therapeutics, Inc., announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the company's resubmission of its new drug application (NDA) for ITCA 650 (exenatide implant), for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Intarcia resubmitted the NDA on September 9th, 2019 and the FDA has recently...
The Problem and the burden
This morning Livongo issued a press release with the following headline; “Livongo Awarded Diabetes Contract for Eligible Population for Approximately 5.3 Million Beneficiaries Through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program” While that sounds very impressive the headline illustrates the problem and the burden facing the company. First and foremost that’s NOT 5.3 million patients with diabetes. That’s how many people participate in this program. Later on in the release it states; “Livongo signed a...
A Preview of coming attractions
As we head full steam into the fourth quarter traditionally the strongest quarter for device sales, insulin pumps in particular news coming out of the Pacific Northwest isn’t promising. We recently reviewed the new reimbursement policy put out by Regence Blue Cross and Blue Shield one of the largest payors in the area. A policy that unfortunately will make getting an insulin pump, sensor augmented pumps in particular more difficult...
The REAL story
On Tuesday Paul Hudson Sanofi’s new CEO told reporters; "It's clear when I talk to people inside and outside the company [that] we can be more specific about what excites us in the pipeline. It's a story that needs to be better told. I'll play a big part of that, but so will our R&D leaders.” Well we’d be remiss in our duties if we didn’t help Paul out, after all who...