Thursday February 7, 9:30 am Eastern Time
Press Release
SOURCE: Gilead Sciences, Inc.
Gilead Sciences' New HIV Drug Viread Approved for Marketing in European Union
FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--Feb. 7, 2002--Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD - news) today announced that the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA) has granted the Marketing Authorisation for Viread® (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) in all 15 member states of the European Union. Viread is approved in Europe for use in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in patients who are experiencing early virological failure. This approval comes after the European Union's Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products (CPMP) adopted a positive opinion on Viread in October 2001. Gilead submitted its Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) for Viread for review by the EMEA in May 2001. <snip>
And from Novartis (my pharma favorite) year-end report:
BASEL, Switzerland, Feb. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- With sales growth accelerating throughout 2001, Novartis posted full-year Group sales of CHF 32.0 billion (USD 19.1 billion), an increase of 14% in local currencies or 10% in Swiss francs. Sales growth was driven by Pharmaceuticals and the sustained dynamism of the US business, where Pharmaceuticals' sales jumped 24%. Altogether, the US contribution to the sales of both the Group and the Pharmaceuticals Sector rose to 43%.
Daniel Vasella, Chairman and CEO, commented: ``In 2001, we reaped the rewards of our strategic focus on healthcare, and specifically on the Pharmaceuticals business and the US market. We delivered double-digit sales growth, with Group sales, net income and free cash flow all reaching record levels, adjusting for the spin-off of our agribusiness operations. Our increased level of investment in marketing and sales, with the priority on key growth drivers, resulted in a sales growth of 24% in Pharmaceuticals in the US, elevating us to one of the fastest growing major pharmaceutical companies there. Furthermore, despite the difficult conditions prevailing in the financial markets, we managed to achieve almost the same level of financial income as we did in the previous year. Pharmaceuticals obtained 15 product approvals around the world -- more than any other company in our industry -- and the new product roll-outs will help sustain our growth momentum in 2002.'' <snip> |
