Selinexor Bashers, Hedge-Fund Links, and KPTI Short Interest

A collection of commentary, correspondence, public disclosures, and questions concerning bashing of selinexor, physician consulting relationships, hedge funds, and the large short interest in Karyopharm Therapeutics (KPTI).

by Reza Ganjavi

Doctors With Questionable Affiliations (this does not mean they all have hedge fund links): Vinay Prasad (San Francisco), Aaron Goodman (San Diego), Al-Ola A. Abdallah (Kansas), Bijoy Telivala (Jacksonville, Florida), Manni Mohyuddin (Utah), Samer Al Hadidi (Arkansas)

It was disgusting to watch Vinay Prasad, Aaron Goodman, Al-Ola A Abdallah, Manni Mohyuddin, Samer Al Hadidi, Bijoy Telivala ignorantly trash talk a great drug that is FDA approved, which saves people’s lives! Shame on these bashers.

It just happens that the company that makes the drug, Karyopharm Therapeutics, has been a victim of vulture hedge funds who’ve built a big short position in KPTI by selling the stock short.

I happen to have “wrestled” with some hedge fund short seller scums in the past, including the notorious convicted criminal, Martin Shkreli who’s spending well deserved time in a federal prison as we speak. I bet it’s no fun in there but that’s where some low-lives who engage in manipulating securities, disparaging companies for sake of profits, “short and distort” as the SEC calls it, in the most immoral, unethical ways.

For some of these sub-human short-sellers science is not important: they’re perfectly willing to try to run a company into the ground which is making life-saving medicines for example – and bribe law makers and regulators to work against the company. Wall Street is corrupt to its bones, but thank God for FINRA and SEC which are far better than any regulators in the world and have actually helped bring suckers like Shkreli to justice.

These hedge funds, including Shkreli’s, employ doctors, lawyers, PR people, to help them with their disparagement of companies they sell short in, to dissuade other doctors, patients and investors. I know first-hand, as an investors, how brutal and ugly these sub-humans can be.

With that intro, watching Prasad and “Goodman” whom I’m not sure if he’s such a good man, raised a lot of alarms in my mind, given the large short interest in KPTI.

So we did some research and some “funny” facts came up.

Aaron Goodman: Consulting for Whom?!

Goodman's first line he wrote to me was:

Dear Reza, I don't usually give consulting advice via email ...

Which means he does give consulting service, and it's not via email -- it's in person, or on a call... Who does he give consulting service to?

A thoughtful friend wrote to me:

Now that I think about it, he is implying there that he does consulting. Which makes me wonder who he is consulting for and what that involves. But still, it’s not like he is just a grad student looking for few extra $$. Seems hedge funds would go after those -

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-05/med-school-grads-go-to-work-for-hedge-funds

Med School Grads Go to Work for Hedge Funds

More are starting biotech companies or joining consulting or financial firms instead of practicing—all while the U.S. suffers a shortage of doctors.

Hi Reza,

Maybe no need to inquire about a consulting gig with Dr. Goodman. I looked for scientific publications he co-authored as usually those require disclosures. For example,

https://europepmc.org/article/med/32923910

Aaron Goodman -- Consulting or Advisory Role: Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, Gerson Lehrman Group, Jazz Pharmaceuticals,

Gerson Lehrman Group? HEDGE FUNDS

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerson_Lehrman_Group

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/10/13/empire-edge/amp

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/business/2011/mar/04/sec-expert-networks-hedge-funds

https://books.google.com/books?id=KY1EDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA79&lpg=PA79&dq=Gerson+Lehrman+Group+short+manipulation

Meanwhile Vinay Prasad -

https://news.ohsu.edu/2017/03/27/ohsu-physician-awarded-2-million-to-investigate-health-care-practices-that-dont-work

https://drugwonks.com/blog/vinay-prasad-s-fake-pharma-numbers

Don’t take $ from pharma but take it from deep pockets with special interests?

https://www.statnews.com/2019/10/30/cancer-growing-in-cancer-medicine-pharma-money-doctors/

https://www.google.com/search?q=enron+arnold+ventures

Not surprised to understand these guys are possibly in someone’s pocket.

Also now it’s fairly clear they do not publish their attacks in scientific journals because of accountability (peer review), truth and disclosure requirements.

So are Goodman and Prasad in the pocked of Hedge Funds who have shorted KPTI? We will never know for sure because the SEC helps hide the identities of big shorts (unlike big holders of long position that need to disclose). But I will not be surprised if they are, especially that weasel Prasad with his pathetically stupid talk show.

Comment on Their Lousy Selinexor Video

Funny how these chaps don't disclose their potential conflict of interest here. Bashing a life saving great drug that happens to have a huge short positions with hedge funds wanting to make millions by distorting the facts -- classic short and distort may be at play here. Just look in their background and see for yourselves their past associations.

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Bad news for Vinay Prasad, Aaron Goodman. See "11 May 2021 - Selinexor, Bortezomib, and Dexamethasone Combination Proves Effective for Myeloma " on https://www.rezamusic.com/misc/kpti

Emails to Aaron Goodman

... What's fascinating in reviewing your history with this topic is that you've insistently taken on a negative approach, and have engaged in a lot of negative publicity against Seli.

It just turns out that short interest in KPTI is through the roof and these shorts have been counting on some medical opinion that this drug is bogus. So they're caught in the wrong side of the equation because in reality the drug is very good, it saves lives, it's a scientific breakthrough, and it's going to show that it works for solid tumors as well (fingers crossed).

Now as it turns out you've been consulting for a broker whose clients include hedge funds. Good money I bet. Not saying you're an intentional paid basher or a paid basher at all but we know from dealing with hedge funds over the years that they rely on doctors like you.

...

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Aaron Goodman has disparaged a great drug with a stupidest most biased quote which is so false I will not even reprint it here.

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Vinay Prasad, MD MPH HemeOnc Doctor & Associate Professor of Epi/ Biostats Host of Plenary Session Podcast https://soundcloud.com/plenarysession Twitter @vprasadmdmph

~~~

To Goodman:

Dear Doc

I'm sure you understand that the science and strategy with Seli is for use in combination because preclinical and clinical studies (with very significant, positive results) demonstrated that it synergizes with nearly all MM treatments to make them more effective, and overcomes resistance for patients who were previously refractory to the drugs. [Update: Also there's now data that shows Selinexor works very well as a single agent].

Yet you seem to be completely ignoring this fact. Am I missing something in this picture? Nobody has made claims of Selinexor being a great single agent, which is your objection to the drug. So there seems to be a big disconnect here, and given your level of education and experience, I don't think the problem is your understanding of this fact.

I would appreciate you clarifying that.

I also think you fully understand that combos are the path forward and people who are waving their hands around about single agent activity are apparently out of touch with the MOA and how Selinexor will be used.

I don't have a problem with your true statement but the problem is it's half the truth. The other, critical half is completely missing from your presentation, as explained above.

Thanks & Best Regards

Reza Ganjavi

~~~

Dear Dr. Goodman

Many thanks for your reply. I am surprised at your recurring disparagement of Selinexor which many oncologists appear to be very excited about. Is there a particular reason for your relatively low opinion of Selinexor that can help me understand your point of view more clearly vs. that of other oncologists?

With regard to survival benefits, can you please comment on the following?

"Of particular significance, for the 39% of patients who had a minimal response (MR) or better, overall survival (OS) was 15.6 months, compared to 1.7 months in patients whose disease progressed or where response was not evaluable.”

I am having a difficult time understanding how this does not appear at least quite interesting to you.

Full quote from the STORM study:

“The data from the STORM study demonstrate that oral selinexor, a first-in-class XPO1 inhibitor, combined with dexamethasone twice weekly, resulted in a response rate of 26% in heavily pretreated patients. The characteristics of the patients in the STORM study, including being heavily pretreated, yet still experiencing rapidly progressing disease, are consistent with the growing population of patients who have exhausted available myeloma therapies, but still desire to continue therapy. Of particular significance, for the 39% of patients who had a minimal response (MR) or better, overall survival (OS) was 15.6 months, compared to 1.7 months in patients whose disease progressed or where response was not evaluable.”

Here's what a couple of your colleague say about XPOVIA (Selinexor)'s BOSTON study:

"The results from the BOSTON study published in The Lancet demonstrate that the once-weekly regimen of XPOVIO and Velcade®, with low-dose dexamethasone (SVd) reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 30% and induced a higher rate of overall and deep responses compared to patients receiving a standard twice-weekly Velcade® and low-dose dexamethasone regimen (Vd). This was observed despite approximately 40% less Velcade®, 25% less dexamethasone and approximately 35% fewer clinic visits on the SVd arm as compared with the standard Vd therapy arm. Encouragingly, the efficacy of the SVd regimen was consistent and noteworthy across several key subgroups, including patients who were frail or 65 years and older, patients with high-risk cytogenetics, patients with moderate renal impairment and patients who had either prior bortezomib or lenalidomide treatment" Dr. Paul Richardson, MD, Director of Clinical Research, Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

"Despite the enrollment of 50% of patients with high risk cytogenetics, a particularly difficult to treat population, the SVd regimen demonstrated a 47% improvement in progression-free survival as compared to the Vd regimen and an overall response rate of 76.4%. Additionally, the rate and severity of peripheral neuropathy, a key treatment-limiting side effect commonly seen with Velcade® therapy, was significantly lower on the SVd arm compared to the Vd arm and may lead to improved patient quality of life." Dr. Sundar Jagannath, MD, Director of the Center of Excellence for Multiple Myeloma and Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, at the Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

I do wish to develop a well-rounded opinion on this drug so your comments on the above would be most appreciated.

Respectfully,

R. Ganjavi

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Dear Doc

I suppose no answer means you have nothing to defend yourself with for propagating an idea about Selinexor that is not the entire truth... And it turns out that you've been consulting via a broker whose clients include hedge funds. And it turns out Karyopharm, the maker of Selinexor has a huge short interest, usually by hedge funds who usually hire doctors like you to consult for them. It turns out your thesis is flawed, so probably the short interest got it wrong too. You can tell any hedge fund client you may have that they're lucky KPTI has a CEO who's a great doctor / genius scientist but he's weak as a CEO but that's going to change soon. We know that from first-hand account.

Now looking further into your history as a Selinexor/KPTI basher, you raised moral questions. That seems hypocritical because not only the moral question you raised is unfounded (just another cheap excuse the bash the company), but I wonder how ethical it is for an oncologist to be spreading half-truths -- which is technically a misrepresentation and therefore a lie given at your level you were/are fully aware Selinexor was poised as combination therapy (it turns out that it's probably very effective as a single agent on solid tumors too but that's being tested) -- about a cancer drug that saves lives!

You're a young man and you should aspire to live according to your name, and bad for goodness. Money is not always on the side of good -- lot of dark, evil forces out there who are set to destroy companies which are trying to save lives and improve quality of life -- to make some money off them -- so they're worse than vultures. If I were you, I'd never consult for such companies.

Instead, you can buy some KPTI and start telling the whole truth instead of half of it!

Regards

R. Ganjavi

Al-Ola A. Abdallah

Al-Ola A Abdallah is a piece of work. I don't know what his problem is, and if he's affiliated with some hedge fund, but several people I respect highly find his behavior suspicious. He's been bashing Selinexor, even when great data comes out. What he finds to be "Very underwhelming", many doctors finds very impressive, and I haven't come across any doctors who are not impressed with Selinexor and the fact that it's a great drug (except the three chaps mentioned in this article).

The three of them joined each other at a roundtable organized by Vinay Prasad which reminded me of "The Three Stooges". Given the funny affiliations of some of them, the agenda was fishy in my view, ignoring the fact that Selinexor a great drug.

It's funny that the media's use of these doctors resembles cases I've seen where short interest is behind a distortion campaign (SEC calls it "short and distort") and of course, while they try to be diplomatic, some doctors are used to spread FUD (fear anxiety doubt) in a company's product or service, where the company is under short attack. If that was the case here or not I do not know, but Abdallah's name magically appeared in one suspicious article, and how they found him out of thousands of doctors remains a mystery, or not.

Response From Dr. Jatin Shah of Karyopharm

NOTE: Dr. Jatin Shah of Karyopharm responded to these bozos. In one instance he wrote:

"Selinexor works and does save lives.. please be informed before using powerful platform to make uniformed statements that actually harm patients. Engage in a real conversation and happy to connect directly."

Chadi Nabhan MD, MBA, FACP, organized a podcast with Aaron Goodman MD, and Jatin Shah MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer, Karyopharm Therapeutics. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/drug-approvals-real-world-use-case-selinexor-in-multiple/id1534737585?i=1000504388176

Bijoy Telivala

Bijoy Telivala Are you another hedge fund shill? Are you an unethical paid shill for hedge funds who short biotechs? You're knowingly or unknowingly trash talking great drugs that save lives. What are your affiliation? Have you ever served as a consultant or the like for any such parties or their agents? https://twitter.com/BijoyTeliv

Your behavior makes me question if you're affiliated with hedge funds. You can reach me via contact page to address.

Manni Mohyuddin

Manni Mohyuddin, are you affiliated with hedge funds? Doing some "consulting" for them? If not, what's your

A Selinexor Patient Speaks

A patient who significantly benefited from Selinexor, objected to the bashing of Selinexor by these funny doctors.

I am a 14 1/2 year Multiple Myeloma warrior. I have had two stem cell transplants and two Car T cell transplants. Have also had 26 chemotherapy drugs.

15 years ago this month I was told I had 3 years to live with Multiple Myeloma. Bam! Still here, bitches!

Not sure why he would deny patients the opportunity to try Selinexor. I have been on it since September of 2019. We manage the side effects and I am alive because of this drug. All patients should deserve a chance at more special moments with their loved ones.

Not surprisingly, Aaron Goodman came out countering this patient !! Pathetic!

Vinay Prasad and Bill Ackman

Bill Ackman, the billionaire hedge-fund manager who founded Pershing Square Capital Management, has publicly supported and amplified Vinay Prasad.

Vinay Prasad, Aaron Goodman, Al-Ola A Abdallah, Manni Mohyuddin, Bijoy Telivala should watch this and weep

"A couple of patients went into complete remission. For a small molecule to be able to eradicate the tumor so completely is mind-boggling and quite impressive. Moreover this is an orally administered drug that makes it very easy for patients to take it at home. Moreover, the side-effect profile is also impressive. It has no organ toxicity, no cardiac toxicity, no liver toxicity, renal toxicity, no neuropathy..." Sundar Jagannath, MD, a professor of medicine, hematology, and medical oncology at The Tisch Cancer Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital