1. Hap on April 9, 2010 12:07 PM writes...

I hope you get a cut of the ad revenue these idiots generate. At least you could get something out of them, other than the schadenfreude to be experienced if (when) Generex execs get to wear those attractive orange jumpsuits.

Um, just out of idle curiosity, when exactly does Equador come up on the list of "good places to select for an insulin trial"? Don't you think the FDA might actually want a trial based on data in your target population, and unless you're actually thinking that Equadorian sales are going to be a major part of your revenue stream (in which case, management is nuts, too), those trials won't help all that much. Worldwide trials run in places that don't have the same issues as the places where you intend to make money on your drug aren't very good scientifically or economically (unless they can make the trial size here smaller, but it probably has to be large here to have the power to see the effects you're trials are supposed to detect).

The more rabid people act with respect to some issue, the less likely any rational evidence with respect to the issue will factor into their opinions. The less technical description would be "coo-coo for Cocoa Puffs", but that is unfair to people with real mental illnesses who, after all, did not willingly discard their brains and sanity.

2. bbooooooya on April 9, 2010 12:25 PM writes...

Sadly, the GNBT fiasco is not the worst of biotech stories. Companies like CTIC, OCLS (they are, truly, trying to sell "oxidized bleach" to prevent bacterial infection), and HEB are able to suck hundreds of millions in capital away from companies that are earnestly trying to make drugs.

In my opinion, this recklessness is part of the reason for the current glut of unemployed chemists. Back in the late 90s, money for bad science flowed freely. When it turned out that one needed more than the term "Genomics" in a company name to succeed, this money spiggot closed, and with it record employment for chemists.

3. RB Woodweird on April 9, 2010 12:34 PM writes...

"Um, just out of idle curiosity, when exactly does Equador come up on the list of "good places to select for an insulin trial"?"

The national dish of Equador is cuy, the guinea pig.

4. Frank Adrian on April 9, 2010 12:35 PM writes...

This sort of sniping at even a neutral messenger seems pretty standard for the penny stock set. Any uncontrolled news, positive or negative, makes it harder for them to get a controlled return from the saps that they're trying to fleec... uh... sell their valuable but undervalued stock to. Actually, you've had it pretty mild compared to what happened with folks talking trash about penny bank stocks early last year.

5. HappyDog on April 9, 2010 12:46 PM writes...

Derek,

Thanks for the link to Seeking Alpha. It was a very amusing Friday afternoon read.

6. J-bone on April 9, 2010 1:07 PM writes...

I was kinda thinking this place had grown boring and was wondering when it would liven up. I say you settle this like me and my friends did back in college; put on giant boxing gloves and duke it out. If you webcam host it you could charge a small viewing fee and get yourself a nice little lump of change for your next vacation (or trip to the dentist depending on your boxing skills).

7. partial agonist on April 9, 2010 1:25 PM writes...

wow... those people are bitter and take themseleves way too seriously.

"People like you want to be heroes..."

As far as I can tell, we all recognize that on your blog you occasionally offer up some editorial opinions. I for one am grateful for that, and don't demand that you cite tables of data and play the role of ultimate arbiter of the facts. I can also "get" your sarcastic comments, such as saying you should have written something so that you would be getting sued too. Maybe you need to insert those cheezy emotocons like ;) to let the clueless calm down a little.

Since inhaled insulin first went bust big time, should we all not be inherently skeptical of the prospects for follow-ons?

8. Sili on April 9, 2010 2:27 PM writes...

Fun fun fun.

You really should have ads, so you could turn all that interest into a bit of cash.

This case is pretty interesting, though, since these people come across as using the usual tactics of denialists og Global Warming, Evolution, Vaccination, Medicine etc.

9. Big Bad Chem Daddy on April 9, 2010 2:48 PM writes...

Hey Derek,
Something fun for you in the news about your favorite friend, Kevin Trudeau: http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/04/virtualpresence/

-BBCD

10. Anonymous on April 9, 2010 2:51 PM writes...

The worldview of penny stock biotech investors has no room for people who give their honest opinion on things. They live in a world where everything happens for a reason, usually with evil intent behind it. When the stock goes down, it's because of a manipulation by hedge funds and evil market makers. People who post ANYTHING negative about a company are bashers paid by hedge funds that are shorting the stock. They always view their investments as the hidden gem amongst the trash of all the other biotechs. If only people would recognize the huge value of the portfolio of their chosen one, the evil market makers and hedge funds would no longer be able to manipulate the price, and they will all become rich!

11. alig on April 9, 2010 3:16 PM writes...

Some of the Generex supporters mention the treatment IND as proof that the FDA thinks it works. Here is the patient discription of who qualifies for the trial:

The purpose of this Treatment IND protocol is to provide Generex Oral-lyn™ to patients with serious or life-threatening Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes mellitus that have no satisfactory alternative therapy available for treatment of diabetes, and who are not eligible to participate in the ongoing pivotal clinical trial.

I am confused at who would qualify. Wouldn't it mean insulin injections are working? If so, why would oral insulin work?

12. Another Derek on April 9, 2010 3:52 PM writes...

Hang in there Derek - best lunchtime read for many days! I'm looking forward to A Brief and Not At All Intemperate Evaluation of [the Current Literature] Generex.

13. milkshake on April 9, 2010 6:55 PM writes...

there is a libel insurance in US, its supposedly quite cheap (few $ a month) that would cover your legal expenses in eventuality that you wind up defending yourself in such litigation. According to the NPR program BoingBoing got instantly sued by the MagicJack phone company; BoingBoing earned this harassment by sharing unflattering comments from customers who bought Magic Jack based on the late night TV advert and felt duped.

By the way, even with insurance don't write anything about Church of Scientology and their Detox Rundown program

14. El Ron on April 10, 2010 9:21 AM writes...

Good day,

Evidence has come to us that, on or around comment 13, a user of this website by the pseudonym of "milkshake" (the "Perpetrator") did willfully and maliciously libel the Church of Scientology ("the Church").

We require you to divulge the name of the Perpetrator so that legal proceedings may be initiated against him or her. Failure to do so implies collusion and the impediment of justice. Subpoenas will be sought if your compliance is not forthcoming.

Yours in law,
El Ron and Associates, LTD.

15. Pharma Conduct Guy on April 10, 2010 9:54 AM writes...

Until now, I hadn't even heard of Generex. I never cease to be amused by people who attempt to silence their critics through legal action. I just came across this piece on Bnet: Thin-Skinned Generex Sues Critic, Tarnishing the Biotech's Already Sketchy Image.

16. Anon on April 12, 2010 1:46 AM writes...

You mean, Derek, you and Jim Cramer really are manipulating the stock? Horrors!!!!!

Not.

17. Vlad Konings on April 13, 2010 9:12 AM writes...

"Boy, do the Generex fans love me over at Seeking Alpha, where some of my articles are reposted."

Gulls Gone Wild

18. Hap on April 13, 2010 12:19 PM writes...

It would have been cheaper and better for everyone involved if these people had just bought Raiders season tickets and left everyone else out of it. Have you seen Raider games? They'd fit right in, particularly considering how a) nuts their fans are and b) how much suspension of disbelief is required to believe that the Raiders might actually not suck in the near future (see option "a"). I'd also suggest the Browns as an alternative, but I don't want these people coming to OH and lowering our state's average IQ.

19. J-bone on April 13, 2010 11:32 PM writes...

As a Raiders fan I resent the tone, however, I think you might find it rewarding to see the thrashing these fellows would take if you sent them into the Black Hole wearing Broncos or Chargers gear.

Oh, and this is finally gonna be Oakland's year. JaMarcus got so fat I think they're gonna slide him into the offensive line to help block. No way he's worse at that than he is at QB'ing.

20. Hap on April 14, 2010 10:12 AM writes...

Sorry - I meant no personal insult, but the Raiders fans they show on TV aren't exactly paragons of sanity, and every time I see Al Davis he looks more and more like an aged Kim Jong-Il. I don't know what to think of his take on Lane Kiffin. I can't think that with Al Davis giving the Raiders a heart massage that the team is going to leave the table alive. I may be weak of heart, but believing in his management skills doesn't seem like a mark of sanity.

The AFC West is no great shakes, but I don't know how the Raiders are going to do real well without a QB. Having good receivers isn't helpful if there's no one to throw them the ball (of course, having no receivers is also unhelpful, re:Browns) and having a decent defense is only helpful if the offense has a heartbeat (again, having a sporadic D is also unhelpful, re:Browns).

OH needs help with jobs, but if getting biotech (or Browns fans) means getting these nutjobs, I'm out.

21. J-bone on April 14, 2010 11:12 AM writes...

No worries, I meant that tongue-in-cheek. Believe me, I've heard FAR worse about the Raiders and I've developed pretty thick skin hearing about how much they suck. I've been following them since they were in LA & drafted Bo Jackson as a part-time RB. They're a far cry off from their glory days and yes, it seems Al Davis is hellbent on sinking the ship himself (ie; guaranteed $23 million to a low-quality receiver in DHB, who made 9 catches the entire season).

Ha ha! Those nutjobs you see on tv are probably the guys in the Black Hole, and they ARE NUTS, even I'm scared to sit there. Sadly, even when I lived in the SF area, the games got to be so bad that about half the home games were blacked out, YOU probably saw more of the Raiders than I did!

But still, send these guys in wearing orange or blue and watch the ensuing carnage. I was once at a game and a guy wearing the opposing team's jersey got punched in the face and the cops took HIM away (probably for his own safety).

22. Hap on April 14, 2010 11:23 AM writes...

The only problem with DHB's completions is how many passes did the Raiders complete last year? I'm going to go out on a limb and say DHB isn't Wes Welker, but he's probably not the suck, either - it's hard to have a good receiving year if your quarterbacks can't complete passes to a barn door. $23M's an awful lot to spend to find out how good your receivers are(n't) though. That's almost as much as Davis is on the hook for from his last few coaches.

Maybe Davis has been antiestablishment for so long, he's forgotten that just because people think you're wrong or nuts doesn't make you right.

23. J-bone on April 14, 2010 9:48 PM writes...

True, no way I'm giving JaMarcus credit for making things easy for his receivers. HOWEVER, to give an idea of how bad DHB is, all 3 running backs had more receptions than him.

I'm curious how embarrassing draft day is gonna be this year. I feel like it'd be impossible to be worse than last year, but Al never fails to deliver.