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Biotech / Medical : Vivus: into single digits -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: BigKNY3 who wrote (58)	2/8/1998 5:52:00 PM
From: MissLil	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1016

Thank you for your response. I believe that most of the physiological data is for the benefits of others. My concern, as expressed in previous posts, is based on the fact that this drug inhibits a basic and most important enzyme system. I am not confused about the difference between PDE-III and PDE-V inhibitors. Even NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs related to aspirin, ibuprofen, etc.) have been withdrawn from the market due to life-threatening reactions. Viagra has been compared to Persantine, a drug for which I have not been able to find adequate data to make dose-response comparisons. I certainly have seen significant and serious reactions to it when used intravenously for stress testing. Conclusion: Viagra is in a family of drugs without much market experience for prediction of safety. There is little published data to review, so we don't know do we? Nor do we have any way to make any reasoned prediction. I have some difficulty accepting the "success rates" promulgated by the abstract presenters. This is because I feel that, without presenting adequate data on the patient population, the presenters have implied that this treatment will be successful for the majority of patients with ED. As I believe you are an M.D., it may be obvious to you that this is a select group, however, I doubt that it is obvious to the majority of investors. To those who are not M.D.s just think about it, does it seem logical that an oral drug would work in as great a percentage of patients as those who INJECT the drug, thereby getting a greater concentration in the region of interest? Obviously, that's unlikely and that's what makes me think that the tested group included only those with relatively mild ED. But, this is a LOT of men. I believe that the MDs presenting the data are probably somewhat naive in the sense that they are focused on the scientific data and not thinking about the broader aspects such as their ethical responsibility to present all the data that may have a financial implication when dealing with a commercial product. Probably most physicians would object to this idea, as we, of course, are above all that. But, when we get involved in a commercial product, I believe that we should be leaders in professional integrity, which means clearly specifying WHAT one is saying. bottom line: 1. This product is likely to work in only a proportion of the population. 2. The safety is more of an issue than with most new drugs as this is a essentially new class of drugs that inhibits a basic enzyme system. No one knows unless they have seen the study data and I haven't. I am hopeful that Viagra will provide a convenient and safe treatment for mild ED, certainly a problem I saw while in practice. I am an aggressive investor and don't buy a stock unless it has a chance to 4x in the next year. Vivus is a better bet for me than PFE, but more conservative investors might chose PFE (or both, with Vivus at such low P/E).