Cytokinetics CEO Robert Blum is on my Worst CEO shortlist again, and other thoughts

Thoughts about Cytokinetics after Wednesday night’s financing announcement:

1. Management is raising $500 million at $51 per share, when the stock was at $45 per share before the aficamtem study readout in December. That’s shocking. Somehow, management has not only removed all the M&A premium from the stock, but much or most of aficamtem’s value, too.

2. Omecamtiv’s resurrection: Are you kidding me? No one thinks bringing back this heart failure drug is a good idea, except management. Making it worse, the terms of the Royalty Pharma loan are, again, shocking. All the risk is borne by Cytokinetics. Royalty, in fact, may do better if omecamtiv fails.

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