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Biotech / Medical : Monsanto Co. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: sim1 who wrote (2203)	6/23/1999 10:33:00 AM
From: jopawa	Respond to of 2539

Wednesday June 23, 2:01 am Eastern Time World drug sales up 8 percent in year to April LONDON, June 23 (Reuters) - Pharmaceutical sales in the world's 12 leading markets rose by eight percent in the 12 months to the end of April, global healthcare information company IMS Health said on Wednesday. IMS said growth in the the world's biggest market, the United States, picked up to 12 percent, boosted by the launch of a new class of pain-controlling drugs known as Cox-2 inhibitors. U.S. sales of musculo-skeletal drugs jumped 24 percent in the wake of the launch of Merck & Co's (NYSE:MRK - news) Vioxx and rival Celebrex, marketed by Monsanto Co (NYSE:MTC - news) and Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE - news), compared with just four percent in Europe. Growth in the top five European markets also picked up by one percentage point in the 12 month period to eight percent, helped by an eight percent gain in Germany, the region's largest player. A rebound in Japan was also confirmed, with sales up four percent in local currency terms in the 12 months to the end of April. However, sales in Brazil continued to decline sharply, falling 11 percent in the 12-month period, offsetting strong rises in both Argentina and Mexico, IMS Health said. IMS detailed retail pharmacy sales as follows, in billion dollars, with growth rates in local currency terms - May '98-Apr '99 May'97-Apr'98 Percent growth U.S. 77.50 69.23 12 Canada 4.35 4.20 11 Germany 16.11 14.59 8 France 14.48 13.40 5 Italy 9.44 8.53 9 UK 8.56 7.92 8 Spain 5.55 4.90 11 Japan 41.26 40.33 4 Brazil 5.95 6.72 down 11 Argentina 3.65 3.36 9 Mexico 3.45 3.12 11 Australia/NZ 2.56 2.63 11 SELECTED WORLD 192.85 178.92 8 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- More Quotes and News: Merck & Co Inc (NYSE:MRK - news) MONSANTO CO (NYSE:MTC - news) Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE - news) Related News Categories: health, US Market News -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. See our Important Disclaimers and Legal Information. Questions or Comments?