Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc (AUPH) Options

Glad it's working for you. http://archive.fast-edgar.com/20241209/ARL2B22CKM228TZZ2K262ZZZMU4OK2W2Z262/
Tang now owns 8,429,500 shares after buying another 1.2 m in the above transaction .
Insider buying ... almost always a good sign

Kiwi

I don't see what all the excitement is about? a momentary run followed by a continual downturn.

Long time no hear, bro! Sad to say that Cervelo, our resident pessimist, is still here. Hopefully, the price ascent will change his mood. I doubt it but I don’t give up that easily on human being’s ability to change.

Fishy, fried broiled or blackened Alan?

The greatest thing about reaching $12.50 is that cervelo promised to leave when that happens!

And the Salvation Army benefits as well- perfectly fitting for the season!

Cheers to all

https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=172495222

Well, now that we have surpassed and made a new 52 week high, we can attack the 104 week high at just under $12.50.

As always seems to be the case for me, I worry that just at this starts moving north, the overall market in some sectors is so overvalued that some are
talking about some sizable profit-taking for the market as a whole. Hope it doesn't affect us here or some other stocks that I have that I consider undervalued.

Big volume yesterday, hopefully continues today.

He had disclose as he already owned over 5%...

Could, I extremely doubt Tang has PG on that long of a leash. 

Seems like you answered your own question. Tell us why you think it is fishy.

BOD members & management have rules that
they must (but sometimes do not) follow. Tang is
far too big of a fish to do anything that is illegal,
and he has access to legal council that should keep
him out of trouble. One question I have is can a BO
of Aurinia still happen after such a large insider purchase?
Maybe...For example what if PG is the only BOD member
negotiating with BP and will not disclose any details to the
BOD until he believes it is the right deal? Tang may not be
privy to any details (presuming PG is in discussions) but he
may be clued in that something is up. The fact that AUPH
is downsizing just as the company turns profitable is "interesting."

But if he wants to keep the benefits to himself, why did he disclose to the public he bought that much shares? I know it is a regulatory requirement to do so but something is fishy.

Sadly, the biotech world is corrupt and these BOD
members will always find ways to benefit from situations
even if technically it may be illegal to do so, they will find
a way. My speculation is that Tang "knows" that AUPH
will be acquired by BP at a time and a price that will enrich
himself and the other board members. Even PG made a
comment at the conclusion of the strategic review that at
anytime a BP can make an offer for AUPH, even though
the strategic review process had ended. Maybe PG set
the bar to high for an official offer to be made at that time.
As of right now, it looks as if AUPH is more attractive than
it was in the past. Tang knows how the game is played!

Yep. So by the fact that he is chairman, his purchase now means that there is no imminent BO. Whether he is ultimately planning to take it private or a BO, what this means though is that he is interested in increasing shareholder value. So, whether BO or not, I am happy with a rising stock price.

Seems as if he is setting up AUPH to be acquired...Or
maybe to attempt to take it private first. Given all of the
employee reductions it seems they may be cleaning house
for a BP BO. Hope if there is a BO it will be announced
within a year.

Tang apparently bought another 1.2 million shares between Dec 5 and 8 I think:

https://ng.investing.com/news/insider-trading-news/kevin-tang-buys-1082-million-in-aurinia-pharmaceuticals-shares-93CH-1666747

...now at 9.60😇

BR, I told Kiwi that a couple of months or so back.

I detect bitterness. You had the opportunity to get out much higher. Please don't place the underperformance with anyone else, but you..

This is in the grove now. don't let it get away

Attacking the 52 week high.  Question is whether it drives thru it or tops out at 9.50. 

Thx. but near term I'm more interested in ARDX and UNCY .
Both will benefit if the Kidney Patient Act pass's this yr .
New push in Congress
https://higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com/NRAA/8eb5e347-a0f4-4216-aac1-f22e0d697983/UploadedImages/Content/2024/RHA_Advocates_to_Protect_Access_to_Phosphate-Lowering_Therapies_11_21_24.pdf

High risk ...not investment advice etc
Kiwi

it has to be expensive
have to cover petties 10 million a year for being incompetent somehow.
go ahead and gamble here throw 1700.00 dollars at it like jes has.

Well Jess I look forward to you reminding me to buy AUPH at $6 ...if it hits $12 .
I wouldn't be surprised if Tang made an offer to take over the Co at around $10 -$12. The new ACR guidelines should definitely help drive script numbers but remember without insurance Lupkynis is around $93,000 a yr while Benlysta is around $43,000 a year .
Lupy is a very expensive drug
So insurers want Nephrologists to try Benlysta first and only cover Lupy if they fail on Benny .

I'm more interested in VERA who appear to have the best drug for IgAN
Completed enrollment of the primary endpoint cohort in the pivotal Phase 3 ORIGIN 3 trial of atacicept in IgAN; topline data expected in Q2 2025
So Q2 in 2025 top line data .
ARDX ... interesting situation with their drug Xphozah for lowering serum phosphorous in dialysis patients .
Medicare to drop coverage starting Jan 25 since they haven't applied for the TDAPA process which would now put them into the dialysis bundle and eventually limit their script numbers because of the way the bundle works .
So these patients are about to lose coverage for the only drug that works for some getting their pho levels to goal ...where all the existing meds don't.
Kidney Patient Act in Congress with 42 co sponsors now, to try and maintain coverage but running out of time .
Compromise with CMS is possible
UNCY ..one of the best new drugs for serum pho ...PDUFA data mid 2025 and if approved likely to be a big beneficiary if the Kidney Patient Act pass's ...or some comprise is worked out with CMS .

Lets see how this post has aged if AUPH hits $12

Good luck
Kiwi

Well, just remember that I reminded you when it was even at 6 about maybe a couple of months ago.

Thx Jess but I think Lupy is still seen as " when all else fails ...try Lupkynis "
This is primarily because of its pricing and the road blocks insurers put up to try and avoid paying for it .

Benny is significantly cheaper , is a sub Q , does not allow as fast a steroid taper as Lupy ...but because its some much cheaper insurers often want patients to try that first
The drug ( Lupkynis ) faces competition from GSK’s Benlysta (belimumab), which received FDA approval slightly earlier in December 2020 and EMA approval in May 2021. Despite Benlysta being a subcutaneous treatment, it is projected to outpace Lupkynis in sales by 2030. According to GlobalData’s Pharma Intelligence Center, Lupkynis is expected to reach $447m in sales by 2030 while Benlysta is forecasted to generate $1.76bn.


AUPH has slashed payroll so major cost saving there and Tang is probably trying to get the Co ready for a sale
Good luck
Kiwi

Kiwi, time for you to take Auph seriously. You have a chance to double your money here now. You know it’s coming soon. You can try 1700 shares like Cervelo.

Not massive volume today but 2x average so not bad.  Hopefully this continues.  

Anything will help at this point RMB. My reply to your recent post about pricing flexibility is that it should have been a priority for management the minute management decided to go-it-alone.

Prescribing Lupkynis allows Nephrologists to taper steroid use faster . This is a good thing . Patients are more prone to infections , weight gain and mood swings on steroids and the patients usually hate them
Kiwi

Anyone have any thoughts on the new revised American College of Rheumatology guidelines for treatment of LN? Aurinia seems to think they are an improvement:

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241118903839/en/Aurinia-Commends-2024-Updated-ACR-Guidelines-for-Screening-Treatment-and-Management-of-Lupus-Nephritis#:~:text=The%20guidelines%20call%20for%20a,acceptable%20maintenance%20dose%20of%20steroids.

Otsuka launching Lupkynis today in Japan:

https://www.otsuka.co.jp/en/company/newsreleases/2024/20241120_1.html

Hey! We were enjoying the peace and quiet here....

Wow the excitement on this board is overwhelming.

Fair enough Kiwi.

Well Jess you can review all my posts on Ihub ....boards posted on etc ...and review my positions on APP, RZLT , SWAV , SLNO etc .
APP and RZLT I still hold .
SWAV was bt out and selling SLNO ( up about 7X at time of sale ) was a huge mistake ( as I've noted )

Re AUPH , KZR , UNCY and ARDX
I'm not negative on AUPH . I think I responded to a post from Cosa some time that if I owned it I probably wouldn't be selling it .
However I'm not super positive on it and think theres limited upside .
Re KZR vs AUPH ...the early data on KZR IMHO looked better . But Co ran into mgt / BOD issues and eventually adverse events torpedoed the stock .
I posted long ago why I was exiting KZR

UNCY and ARDX
CMS appears determined to sink any opportunity for dialysis patients to be prescribed these new serum pho lowering drugs .
Yes they may have access to them , but the way the dialysis bundle works ( providers get to keep any $ left over between what CMS pays per dialysis ...about $273 .. and what they spend ) essentially means that dialysis providers won't prescribe the new Brand pho lowering drugs because of the expense of these new drugs .... and will push the low cost generics instead .
This will change if the Kidney Patient Act pass's

I expected UNCY to rally on FDA approval of its NDA ...Instead the mkt sold the news .
So I was very wrong on that

Kiwi

You said also then that KZR’s LN product in trial was going to be better than Lupkynis. That trial is now dead and buried. You are also so high in UNCY and ADRX. They seem to be fading now.

Not that I'm aware. Do know we have ability in ghat regard since we have huge margins.  Maybe the focus is so much on selling the company that they don't want to fiddle with that. 

We haven't heard one word about pricing flexibility, have we?

Yes it has looked like Powell is developing a spine (although he did cave during Trump's first term and may yet again) but saw story this morning Musk and others pushing to have Fed under control of Pres:

https://nypost.com/2024/11/11/business/elon-musk-backs-call-to-place-fed-under-trumps-control/


Hopefully with workforce reduction and Tang onboard we can get Auphie moving and sold before Vera enters the scene. 

Powell till mid 2026 which IMHO is a good thing
Re Tang Capital https://www.insightia.com/tang-exits-la-jolla-in-buyout/
Trumps win might make it easier to get a deal done ...M&A likely to increase
Re AUPH's P1 in Baff / April ....VERA is way ahead and IMHO will dominate this field

Kiwi

Stocktwits is a fire over this post:

https://x.com/tonkhalife/status/1855663911237747004?s=46&t=VJb6Ff31iAXg1p7xDcqPUQ

A Fierce Pharma article dated today about the restructuring, (As a side note, I didn't know that sales were flat from 2Q to 3Q so I will have to go back and look at that again):

https://www.amazon.com/YOGINGO-Pack-Christmas-Stockings-Personalized/dp/B0D86JV9ZQ/ref=sr_1_41?crid=1M8FRWGP1DKNR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.P8XAFzm46Eai6mU0rxi3J657M6xzme7YFrtWeGO8Ahf5iEyxaa59x5UEfo2Pv8ou-RabXdTMjVcejZZbdETKHNdygdyXHKxl3FfdVnbe37_D9DIhEzbXxH_Y_3X2D3yhJ8hB3G35XqSNC8s-KwqGY0-YtcJAX61IcWZ3f5CCGjV6NMH9Q2hRVb2_YkHUwdBtFjDswLBWzLX37K9qkZGoRXr1XFshtSY2Jebev6a2fHYA77wocgoYlpiDeLzCMls71OzOwlD96yOHCo95Z26K0puFLkBiC_h6ptHEKLvSwUQ.AF18_HCbKa0FQd125MB3rir03ZFnegC_Hx0_-2CkKvI&dib_tag=se&keywords=christmas%2Bstockings&qid=1731015416&sprefix=christmas%2Bstocking%2Caps%2C191&sr=8-41&th=1

"After an activist investor revolted against the leadership team at Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, the CEO in question is resorting to restructuring.

Aurinia on Thursday unveiled a strategic overhaul that will slash 45% of the Canadian biotech’s entire workforce.

Aurinia expects the trimming will save it more than $40 million in annual operating expenses. The move will allow the company to focus on the commercialization of its lupus nephritis drug Lupkynis and the development of AUR200, an autoimmune disease candidate that Aurinia recently salvaged from its garbage can.

The cost savings will strengthen Aurinia’s financial position and “provide more flexibility to engage in future business building activities,” CEO Peter Greenleaf said on an investor call Thursday.

This marks the second round of layoffs at Aurinia in less than a year. Back in February, following a fruitless search for a potential buyer, Aurinia decided to reduce its headcount by about 25%.

At that time, Aurinia had decided to discontinue AUR200 but later revived the APRIL/BAFF inhibitor. Now, CEO Greenleaf in a Thursday statement said the organizational overhaul will help Aurinia accelerate the development of AUR200, an “important pipeline product.”

Greenleaf’s leadership at Aurinia was put into serious question when he and three other Aurinia board directors lost majority stockholder support during the company’s annual meeting. The company’s proposed executive pay packages also failed to garner majority investor backing.

As required by Aurinia’s company policy, the four directors submitted their resignations. But the board, while accepting the resignations of the other three members, argued that “there are exceptional circumstances that warrant the rejection of Mr. Greenleaf’s conditional resignation,” it said in a September securities filing. As a result, Greenleaf stayed on.

RELATED

Investor activism resurfaces at Aurinia after CEO’s board role, exec pay lost majority support
Amid broader investor disapproval of Aurinia’s leadership team, an activist shareholder who owned 2.2% of the company’s stock in August called for board and management changes, blasting them for “unchecked spending, ineffective leadership, and a clear lack of strategic direction.”

Lupkynis is currently Aurinia’s single commercial product, with third-quarter sales of $55.5 million. The number represents 36% year-over-year growth but is flat compared with $55 million in the second quarter. The number of patients on the therapy has grown about 25% to 2,422 as of the end of September, Greenleaf told investors on a call Thursday.

“This significant year-over-year growth was driven by patients restarting Lupkynis after being off therapy for an extended period of time, as well as hospital fills and maintaining high persistency rates year over year,” he said.

With total product revenue of $158.6 million in the first nine months of this year, Aurinia has kept its full-year guidance range of $210 million to $220 million.

As to AUR200, the company in September dosed the first participant in a phase 1 single-ascending dose study, with data expected in the first half of 2025. Aurinia has not disclosed the indications that it plans to develop AUR200 in. "

Some similarities and some not when comparison to LaJolla.  One thing that is similar is they had a drug that in no way met sales expectations as is the case here.  But I assume that you don't mean that being "Tang'd" is necessarily bad unless someone has a high cost basis here.  

Not sure if you saw today that Powell of the Fed Reserve developed a backbone and is saying he won't step down if asked. 

did you ring BR?

I think the move is the new guy on the BOD ...believe he is a Tang guy from La Jolla days ( which was acquired )
You're about to be " Tang'd "

Kiwi

Announced a strategic restructuring to "focus on Lupkynis and AUR200".  What the hell were they focusing on before?

To me it sounds like they are clearing the decks to be acquired. 

Well touching $8 in premarket this morning.  Announced earnings.  $.10 per share profit.  Laying off 45% of employees.  Probably none of the fat cats. 

So, this thing looks like it wants to move higher. Question is, will it stop at 9.5 or will we see double digits?

Wow. Same old story from you. Let Jess cheer you up!

and because of pete
AUPH (acquired by no one).