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Biotech / Medical : Sepracor-Looks very promising -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Biomaven who wrote (4271)	3/13/2000 11:50:00 PM
From: Ed Ajootian	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10280

Aventis's Once-A-Day Allegra to Cost Less Than Claritin in US Paris, March 13 (Bloomberg) -- Aventis SA, the world's biggest drugmaker, plans to sell a once-a-day form of the allergy pill Allegra in the U.S. for less than the cost of a similar dose of Schering-Plough Corp.'s top-selling Claritin. The French pharmaceutical company won U.S. approval last month for once-a-day Allegra, whose sales already were growing when available only as a less convenient twice-a-day dose. The new dose will make it more of a challenge to Claritin, the world's biggest allergy drug with $2.7 billion in 1999 sales. DrugStore.com, an Internet site, offered a month's supply of twice-daily Allegra for about $53. A month's supply of Claritin costs about $66. Still, Aventis may need more than a lower price to dethrone Claritin, investors said. ``Certainly, Schering is well aware of the launch of this product and is increasing the marketing behind Claritin,' said Evan McCulloch, a portfolio manager with Franklin Global Heath Care Fund. Claritin made up about 30 percent of Schering-Plough's $9.2 billion in 1999 sales and analysts say the drug contributes an even higher percentage of its profit. The company built the drug into a blockbuster by placing Claritin ads on everything from television commercials to bags handed out at pharmacies. Rival Aventis and Pfizer Inc., which markets the UCB SA allergy drug Zyrtec, have adopted the same tack on TV. And now, Aventis is squaring off against Madison, New Jersey-based Schering- Plough in an advertising blitz designed to secure the affections of doctors who could prescribe its medicine. On the Bag At a recent meeting of allergy doctors in San Diego, Aventis won the right to put ``Allegra' on the canvas bags handed to every participant. The bags, toted throughout the conference, reminded doctors again and again of Aventis's allergy drug. Not everything depends on marketing, however. Some doctors attending the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology's annual meeting last week said they don't see a lot of differences between the drugs. ``They're all good. The data (on them) is good -- heavily promoted but good,' said Kuo Chang, an allergy specialist with Kaiser Permanente in Portland, Oregon. Many Allegra users already used the twice-daily version only once a day, prompting some investors to question how well once-a- day Allegra will compete with Claritin. ``For allergic rhinitis, the studies show they are pretty similar,' said Daniel Reichmuth, a doctor who is studying allergy treatment at the University of South Florida. ``There might be some subtle differences.' Depends on Patient ``My choice depends on the patient and the patient's history,' said Russell Cancellieri, a doctor based in Southampton, New York. Still, at least one doctor at the medical meeting said prescription decisions can boil down to company efforts -- to which sales representatives spend the most time with him. Ruchir Agrawal, a fellow specializing in allergy and asthma at Louisiana State Health Science Center, said he uses Zyrtec most often with his patients who need this kind of allergy drug, although it is similar to Allegra and Claritin. ``We never see a Claritin rep, but we see the Zyrtec rep all the time,' Agrawal said. ``As a physician, you can remember only so many medicines and that's what gets into your pen.' Mar/13/2000 12:15 For more stories from Bloomberg News, click here. (C) Copyright 2000 Bloomberg L.P. ********************************************************* Now we have a price war on our hands. SEPR stands to lose from both angles here (Allegra and Claritin 2).

To: Biomaven who wrote (4271)	3/14/2000 8:49:00 AM
From: PaulW	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10280

Peter: As always I appreciate your thoughts and if you could comment on the following it would be appreciated: biz.yahoo.com Tuesday March 14, 7:30 am Eastern Time Company Press Release SOURCE: Eli Lilly and Company Lilly Files New Drug Application for Once-Weekly Formulation of Fluoxetine Hydrochloride INDIANAPOLIS, March 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY - news) filed a New Drug Application (NDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a unique once-weekly formulation of Prozac© (fluoxetine hydrochloride) for the treatment of depression. If approved by the FDA, Prozac will be the first and only antidepressant available in a once-weekly formulation. <more> Thanks in advance, Paul

To: Biomaven who wrote (4271)	3/14/2000 8:26:00 PM
From: Dennis	Respond to of 10280

Would appreciate any input...especially after today....is this a good entry point AND does anyone have an opinion as to the target in this article for Sepracor???.... Morgan Stanley Dean Witter's Douglas Lind, M.D. Today's topic: Why Biotech Will Continue to Rise Douglas Lind, M.D. Ask the Analyst Valuations of biotechnology stocks have climbed to unprecedented levels. My main thesis, however, is that these stocks have a lot further to climb. And in the current environment, much of that upside potential could be realized this year. I say this in the context of a long-term outlook, and I believe that the prices of biotech stocks will continue to rise for several reasons: Spending on drugs is likely to increase as a percentage of the healthcare dollar; outlays for biotechnology products should increase as a percentage of the drug dollar; genomics and other technologies are speeding the understanding of disease and the development of drugs; investors' time horizons are getting longer; virtually unlimited capital is chasing relatively limited supply; and attractive investment alternatives are hard to find. Of the factors mentioned above, I am very excited about the potential for genomics to revolutionize medicine, much like the Internet has become a revolutionizing force in businesses. This concept should be reinforced throughout 2000, as genomics companies are expected to produce an increasing wealth of information -- from disease pathways, to drug targets, to the mapping of genetic variations. Biotechnology is a high-risk, high-reward industry, and is appropriate only for investors who can tolerate high volatility. I recommend individual investors take a "basket" or portfolio approach to the group. This makes it difficult to narrow our coverage universe to a few favorite stocks, but my top picks are MedImmune (MEDI - 191 7/8, 3-year price target is $276), Biogen (BGEN - 84, 3-year price target is $139), and Sepracor (SEPR - 112 ¬, 3-year price target $352). Prices as of March 10, 2000 and are subject to change. multexinvestor.com TIA