Methodology inspired by publicly taught biotech catalyst frameworks; all text is an original paraphrase.
Defaults
| Parameter |
Default Value |
Rationale |
| forward_window_quarters |
4 |
Standard catalyst window; extend to 8 on request |
| include_superseded |
false |
Active-only events by default; supersede chains available on request |
| min_verification |
false |
Show all events; annotate unverified instead of hiding |
| horizon_days |
180 |
Default for get_upcoming_pdufa horizon |
| domain |
event-driven |
Med catalyst analysis is event-driven by construction |
Preflight
Run canonical pre-flight per contracts/preflight.md. Propagate X-Agentii-Trace per contracts/x-agentii-trace-header.md. Confirm ticker resolution via search_companies before catalyst queries.
Triggers
- "What FDA catalysts are coming up for [ticker]?"
- "When is the PDUFA date for [drug/ticker]?"
- "Build a catalyst calendar for my biotech watchlist."
- "What AdCom meetings are scheduled for [ticker]?"
- "How does the market typically react to [approval/CRL/AdCom vote]?"
- "What are the binary events for [ticker] over the next 6 months?"
- "Which med names have FDA decisions this quarter?"
- "Evaluate the approval odds for [drug] ahead of its PDUFA."
- "What happened the last time a similar drug went to AdCom?"
- "List upcoming device decisions (PMA/De Novo/510(k)) for [ticker]."
- "Which catalysts overlap with [ticker]'s earnings date?"
- "Recap the decision history for [application/drug]."
Production Grounding
- FDA decisions (approve/CRL/withdraw) are the strongest price catalysts in
med.medicines_biotech; AdCom votes often pre-move the stock by days.
- Regulatory mechanics: PDUFA target dates, priority review, breakthrough designation, accelerated approval, CRL remediation timelines, AdCom vote patterns (approve/reject/deferral/conditional), post-marketing requirements.
- AdCom-style scrutiny axes to apply when framing outcome odds: safety signals, statistical adequacy, subgroup analyses, missing data, endpoint appropriateness, benefit-risk reasoning (per
references/knowledge-frameworks.md).
- Devices: PMA / De Novo / 510(k) decisions carry similar binary-event dynamics (
get_device_decision).
- Never fabricate dates, votes, or outcomes. When a tool returns nothing, annotate the coverage gap.
Data Source Priority
- Structured catalyst data:
get_upcoming_pdufa / get_pdufa_decision / get_device_decision (pipeline.fda_calendar_event / device_decision_event).
- Trial context:
search_clinical_trials / get_clinical_trial; approval history: search_fda_approvals / get_fda_approval.
- Company/filing context:
get_company_profile, search_documents, read_source_outline/pages (incl. adcom briefing docs via meeting slugs).
- Historical grounding:
search_investment_cases (sectors=med, event_type=adcom_vote/pdufa_decision/crl/approval), search_by_analogue, search_investment_strategies (sectors=med).
- Earnings overlap:
search_earnings_calendar / list_upcoming_earnings.
Methodology
Retrieval Scope
unstructured_document_search
Retrieval Strategy
- Resolve ticker(s) via
search_companies; collect company_id/cik for device queries.
- Pull active catalyst events:
get_upcoming_pdufa (ticker, horizon_days=default), get_device_decision, upcoming earnings.
- For each major event, pull decision history (
get_pdufa_decision by drug/application) and trial context (search_clinical_trials).
- For AdCom events, retrieve the meeting documents via
list_sources(source_type=adcom_briefing) + read_source_outline/pages using meeting slug citations; apply scrutiny axes.
- Ground the play in knowledge:
search_investment_cases/search_by_analogue with med filters; cite /v/ records.
Temporal Scope
See frontmatter temporal_scope block. Historical decision history may span up to 8 quarters back when requested.
Tool Allowlist
See frontmatter allowed_tools.
Protocol
- Ticker resolution
- Catalyst enumeration (dated events)
- Per-event outcome framing (scrutiny axes + decision history)
- Historical analogue retrieval
- Calendar synthesis + risk flags
Modes
- Watchlist (default, multi-ticker): produce one calendar with per-ticker sections; sort by date.
- Single ticker deep-dive: full event timeline + per-event probability framing + positioning context.
- Event type: restrict to PDUFA / AdCom / devices / trials / earnings on request.
Tool Fallbacks
| Failure |
Fallback |
| get_upcoming_pdufa empty |
Search filings (search_documents keyword PDUFA) + search_sec_filings 8-Ks; annotate coverage_gap |
| AdCom retrieval path 404 |
search_documents with source_institution filter; degrade to calendar metadata |
| search_clinical_trials unavailable |
Use filings/announcements; flag degraded |
| Knowledge tools empty |
Proceed with structured data only; annotate knowledge coverage_gap |
Output File
{ticker}/{YYYY-MM-DD_HHMM}_fda-catalyst-analysis_{affix}.md (watchlist: watchlist/{YYYY-MM-DD_HHMM}_fda-catalyst-calendar_{affix}.md)
Output Structure
- Executive Summary — highest-impact catalysts in the window, 2-3 sentences
- Catalyst Calendar — dated table: date, ticker, event type, drug/device, application, expected-impact framing
- Per-Event Analysis — scrutiny-axes assessment (safety/statistics/subgroups/benefit-risk) + decision history
- Historical Analogues — matched cases with /v/ citations and quantified outcomes
- Risk Assessment — binary-risk sizing, overlap clusters, low-verification flags
- Coverage Gaps — missing data, degraded modes, unverified events
Error Handling
| Error |
Fallback |
| No PDUFA rows |
Fall back to earnings + pipeline events; annotate coverage_gap — never fabricate dates |
| Superseded dates |
Active-only by default; expose supersede chain via include_superseded=true |
| Ticker not in med universe |
Resolve via CIK/drug-universe match; surface the classification gap |
Memory Load
See contracts/memory-load.md.
Snapshot
See contracts/snapshot-synthesis.md.
Final Summary (TUI)
Include ### Key Citations block with 0-10 clickable /v/ URLs.
References
contracts/citation-and-memory.md
contracts/output-frontmatter-schema.md
contracts/memory-load.md
contracts/snapshot-synthesis.md
contracts/preflight.md
references/knowledge-frameworks.md
1---2name: fda-catalyst-analysis3description: Dated FDA catalyst calendar (PDUFA target dates, AdCom meetings, device decisions, trial readouts, earnings) with AdCom-style scrutiny outcome framing and historical-case grounding. The FDA decision is the strongest stock catalyst in med.medicines_biotech — use this skill to enumerate, verify, and size upcoming catalysts for any biotech/pharma ticker or watchlist.4---56> Methodology inspired by publicly taught biotech catalyst frameworks; all text is an original paraphrase.78## Defaults910| Parameter | Default Value | Rationale |11|-----------|---------------|-----------|12| forward_window_quarters | 4 | Standard catalyst window; extend to 8 on request |13| include_superseded | false | Active-only events by default; supersede chains available on request |14| min_verification | false | Show all events; annotate unverified instead of hiding |15| horizon_days | 180 | Default for get_upcoming_pdufa horizon |16| domain | event-driven | Med catalyst analysis is event-driven by construction |1718## Preflight1920Run canonical pre-flight per `contracts/preflight.md`. Propagate X-Agentii-Trace per `contracts/x-agentii-trace-header.md`. Confirm ticker resolution via `search_companies` before catalyst queries.2122## Triggers2324- "What FDA catalysts are coming up for [ticker]?"25- "When is the PDUFA date for [drug/ticker]?"26- "Build a catalyst calendar for my biotech watchlist."27- "What AdCom meetings are scheduled for [ticker]?"28- "How does the market typically react to [approval/CRL/AdCom vote]?"29- "What are the binary events for [ticker] over the next 6 months?"30- "Which med names have FDA decisions this quarter?"31- "Evaluate the approval odds for [drug] ahead of its PDUFA."32- "What happened the last time a similar drug went to AdCom?"33- "List upcoming device decisions (PMA/De Novo/510(k)) for [ticker]."34- "Which catalysts overlap with [ticker]'s earnings date?"35- "Recap the decision history for [application/drug]."3637## Production Grounding3839- FDA decisions (approve/CRL/withdraw) are the strongest price catalysts in `med.medicines_biotech`; AdCom votes often pre-move the stock by days.40- Regulatory mechanics: PDUFA target dates, priority review, breakthrough designation, accelerated approval, CRL remediation timelines, AdCom vote patterns (approve/reject/deferral/conditional), post-marketing requirements.41- AdCom-style scrutiny axes to apply when framing outcome odds: safety signals, statistical adequacy, subgroup analyses, missing data, endpoint appropriateness, benefit-risk reasoning (per `references/knowledge-frameworks.md`).42- Devices: PMA / De Novo / 510(k) decisions carry similar binary-event dynamics (`get_device_decision`).43- Never fabricate dates, votes, or outcomes. When a tool returns nothing, annotate the coverage gap.4445## Data Source Priority46471. Structured catalyst data: `get_upcoming_pdufa` / `get_pdufa_decision` / `get_device_decision` (pipeline.fda_calendar_event / device_decision_event).482. Trial context: `search_clinical_trials` / `get_clinical_trial`; approval history: `search_fda_approvals` / `get_fda_approval`.493. Company/filing context: `get_company_profile`, `search_documents`, `read_source_outline/pages` (incl. adcom briefing docs via meeting slugs).504. Historical grounding: `search_investment_cases` (sectors=med, event_type=adcom_vote/pdufa_decision/crl/approval), `search_by_analogue`, `search_investment_strategies` (sectors=med).515. Earnings overlap: `search_earnings_calendar` / `list_upcoming_earnings`.5253## Methodology5455### Retrieval Scope56unstructured_document_search5758### Retrieval Strategy591. Resolve ticker(s) via `search_companies`; collect company_id/cik for device queries.602. Pull active catalyst events: `get_upcoming_pdufa` (ticker, horizon_days=default), `get_device_decision`, upcoming earnings.613. For each major event, pull decision history (`get_pdufa_decision` by drug/application) and trial context (`search_clinical_trials`).624. For AdCom events, retrieve the meeting documents via `list_sources(source_type=adcom_briefing)` + `read_source_outline/pages` using meeting slug citations; apply scrutiny axes.635. Ground the play in knowledge: `search_investment_cases`/`search_by_analogue` with med filters; cite /v/ records.6465### Temporal Scope66See frontmatter temporal_scope block. Historical decision history may span up to 8 quarters back when requested.6768### Tool Allowlist69See frontmatter allowed_tools.7071### Protocol721. Ticker resolution732. Catalyst enumeration (dated events)743. Per-event outcome framing (scrutiny axes + decision history)754. Historical analogue retrieval765. Calendar synthesis + risk flags7778## Modes7980- **Watchlist** (default, multi-ticker): produce one calendar with per-ticker sections; sort by date.81- **Single ticker deep-dive**: full event timeline + per-event probability framing + positioning context.82- **Event type**: restrict to PDUFA / AdCom / devices / trials / earnings on request.8384## Tool Fallbacks8586| Failure | Fallback |87|---------|----------|88| get_upcoming_pdufa empty | Search filings (`search_documents` keyword PDUFA) + `search_sec_filings` 8-Ks; annotate coverage_gap |89| AdCom retrieval path 404 | `search_documents` with source_institution filter; degrade to calendar metadata |90| search_clinical_trials unavailable | Use filings/announcements; flag degraded |91| Knowledge tools empty | Proceed with structured data only; annotate knowledge coverage_gap |9293## Output File9495`{ticker}/{YYYY-MM-DD_HHMM}_fda-catalyst-analysis_{affix}.md` (watchlist: `watchlist/{YYYY-MM-DD_HHMM}_fda-catalyst-calendar_{affix}.md`)9697## Output Structure98991. **Executive Summary** — highest-impact catalysts in the window, 2-3 sentences1002. **Catalyst Calendar** — dated table: date, ticker, event type, drug/device, application, expected-impact framing1013. **Per-Event Analysis** — scrutiny-axes assessment (safety/statistics/subgroups/benefit-risk) + decision history1024. **Historical Analogues** — matched cases with /v/ citations and quantified outcomes1035. **Risk Assessment** — binary-risk sizing, overlap clusters, low-verification flags1046. **Coverage Gaps** — missing data, degraded modes, unverified events105106## Error Handling107108| Error | Fallback |109|-------|----------|110| No PDUFA rows | Fall back to earnings + pipeline events; annotate `coverage_gap` — never fabricate dates |111| Superseded dates | Active-only by default; expose supersede chain via `include_superseded=true` |112| Ticker not in med universe | Resolve via CIK/drug-universe match; surface the classification gap |113114## Memory Load115116See `contracts/memory-load.md`.117118## Snapshot119120See `contracts/snapshot-synthesis.md`.121122## Final Summary (TUI)123124Include ### Key Citations block with 0-10 clickable /v/ URLs.125126## References127128- `contracts/citation-and-memory.md`129- `contracts/output-frontmatter-schema.md`130- `contracts/memory-load.md`131- `contracts/snapshot-synthesis.md`132- `contracts/preflight.md`133- `references/knowledge-frameworks.md`