After watching and following Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY, Financial) for the better part of the last three years we used the weakness in the stock created by the sell-off in the biotech sector to finally initiate a small to medium size position. Bristol specializes in small molecule drugs known as biologics, which are harder for the generic drug companies to replicate, and we are particularly excited about its lead immuno-oncology asset, Opdivo which has shown incredible promise in the treatment of lung cancer, while growing 10-20% month over month since its approval in 2015. Based on our belief in the effectiveness of the PD-1 class drugs, we think there is a high likelihood that Bristol will be able to gain approvals and expand the usage of Opdivo in other types of cancers (melanoma, renal, head and neck, hodgkin’s lymphoma, etc.) and could potentially change the paradigm of cancer’s treatment worldwide.
From Baron Fifth Avenue Growth Fund first quarter commentary 2016.
