First Albany Keeps 'Buy' on Xoma

First Albany reiterates buy on Xoma (XOMA

).

Analyst David Webber says an FDA advisory committee gave a positive review of Raptiva for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. He believes the committee's unanimous vote for approval supports the likelihood Raptiva will be approved on or before the Oct. 27, 2003 FDA action date, with a cautionary but not harmful label.

Webber says the implications the of panel discussion are in line with his estimate that Raptiva will gain a 15% to 20% share of the market for biological treatments for psoriasis in 2007, translating into $600 million in expected sales that year. He upped his $9 target to $10.